The Personal Care Products Safety Act has reached the Senate — and many brands are endorsing it.

The bill, introduced on March 7th, 2019, by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), calls for the Food & Drug’s Administration (FDA) to oversee and regulate the safety of ingredients used in cosmetics and personal care products. 

It gives the agency the ability to recall harmful products from the market, promotes better transparency for consumers, requires companies to report adverse events related to their products to the FDA and provide the agency with the ability to review ingredients commonly used in personal care products.

Congress has not passed new legislation to regulate cosmetic ingredients for almost 80 years, even though formulations have changed immensely since then. 

Senator Feinstein says, “From shampoo and shaving cream to deodorant and make-up, every American comes into contact with personal care products every day. Families trust that these products are safe, but unfortunately many ingredients have never been independently evaluated. Our bipartisan legislation, which has the support of numerous companies and consumer advocacy groups, would modernize FDA’s oversight authority and give consumers confidence that everyday personal care products won’t harm their health.”

BeautyCounter  — and parent company, Counter Brands — are long-time advocates of the bill. Gregg Renfrew, founder/CEO, BeautyCounter, says, “Over the past six years, Beautycounter’s mission has brought us to Washington DC and state legislatures across the country to build momentum for legislative reform of the beauty industry. That is why we are again proud to support the Personal Care Products Safety Act, a bill that prioritizes safety while helping businesses thrive.”

Renfrew continues, “We applaud the continued leadership of Senators Feinstein and Collins to strengthen outdated regulations and protect public safety. Much more needs to be done to fully protect consumers and Beautycounter will fight to ensure that the most health protective law passes Congress.” (Renfrew is shown above with Beautycounter Independent Consultants on a 2018 lobbying trip to DC in support of cosmetics reform.)

Estee Lauder, L’Oreal, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Revlon, and more, also endorse the bill. 

More About The Personal Care Products Safety Act

If the bill is passed, the government may begin inspecting factories, examining ingredient lists, and will have the authority to issue product recalls. 

The Personal Care Products Safety Act bill would require the FDA to evaluate a minimum of five ingredients found in personal care products per year to determine their safety and appropriate use.

The review process set forth in the bill would provide companies with clear guidance about whether ingredients should continue to be used and whether consumer warnings are needed. For example, a chemical may be deemed inappropriate for use in children’s products or only appropriate for use by professionals.

The first set of chemicals for review includes:

• Diazolidinyl urea: used as a preservative in a wide range of products including deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, bubble bath, and lotion.
• Diethyl phthalate: used as a binding agent in some fragrances and cosmetics.
• Methylene glycol / formaldehyde: used in hair treatments.
• Propyl paraben: used as a preservative in a wide range of products including shampoo, conditioner, and lotion.
• Quaternium-15: used as a preservative in a wide range of products including shampoo, shaving cream, skin creams, and cleansers.