The two sides are lining up their troops.
On one side, the $50 billion a year cosmetics industry.
Led by companies like Procter & Gamble, Revlon, Unilever, Estee Lauder, and L'Oreal.
And their trade association - formerly known as The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association.
But last year, the group changed its name.
Now it's know as the Personal Care Products Council.
On the other side is the lead consumer coalition in the United States - the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
The issue - federal regulation of the cosmetics industry.
Right now, the status quo is - self-regulation.
The campaigners want Congress to pass landmark legislation that will impose strict federal regulation on the industry.
Stacy Malkan is a spokeswoman for the campaign.
She is currently touring the country, promoting her new book Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry.
Malkan argues that personal care products like shampoo, conditioner, aftershave, lotion and makeup are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration FDA or any other government agency.
It is perfectly legal and very common for companies to use ingredients that are known or suspected to be carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxins in the their products, she says.
She says that legislation will be introduced soon by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-Illinois) that will, for the first time, impose federal regulation.
"The details of the bill are being worked out," Malkan told Corporate Crime Reporter in an interview earlier this week. "But the basics are - mandatory safety testing, full disclosure of ingredients, banning the worst chemicals, substituting safer alternatives, and giving the FDA real power and authority over the industry. We would like to see a safety panel with toxicologists and scientists who are accountable."
Malkan says that currently there is a regulatory body called the Cosmetics Ingredients Review Panel.
"They claim to be independent of the trade association," Malkan said. "But they are funded by them and they do share office space. And their recommendations are voluntary. They screen ingredients for safety. They make recommendations to the industry. But often, their recommendations are just ignored. It's not much of a safety system. And they have looked only at about eleven percent of the chemicals used in cosmetics."
The FDA admits it has little power over the industry.
Full Story: http://www.corporatecrimereporter.com/cosmetics090508.htm
