As of recently, I have been exposed to the invigorating world of clean beauty. What is it, you ask? Clean beauty pertains to the focus of selling cosmetic items that are free of toxins and harmful ingredients known to have serious and even long-term health effects. There is a steadily growing clean beauty movement in the cosmetic industry and brands are jumping on board in attempt to be more transparent with consumers with regards to what exactly is being put into the products they are selling.
In fact, the sad truth of the matter is that as of today, there are little to no regulations in the beauty and healthcare industry. Moreover, “neither the law nor FDA regulations require specific tests to demonstrate the safety of individual products or ingredients. The law also does not require cosmetic companies to share their safety information with FDA”, according to the official Food and Drug Administration site… Let that sink in for a moment. Yes, that means that companies do NOT have to get their products FDA approved. Aside from various restrictions on items with color additives, companies are not required to receive pre-market approval from the FDA.
With that said, the last time a law was passed in the United States by Congress to regulate cosmetics was in 1938, more than 80 years ago! This points to a much larger issue at hand and highlights the fact that the cosmetic industry is not being taken nearly as seriously as it should be.
Photo by Jessica Ramirez
On a lighter and more exciting note, we are officially making strides. Recently, Senators Dianne Feinstein and Susan Collins introduced the “Personal Care Products Safety Act”, which is a bill aimed at strengthening and clearing up the muddy FDA regulations that currently exist. The bill will most notably “authorize government inspections of facilities where products are made, require accurate and detailed ingredient lists on products, and create a protocol for recalling products if they are found to be harmful or hazardous,” according to Vogue. However, there is still much work to be done in order to reform this deeply unregulated industry.
Our bodies are beautiful, complex and it is essential that we pamper ourselves so that we look and feel our very best. More importantly, it is crucial that we pay attention to the everyday products and ingredients we are bringing into our home and body. The Personal Care Products Safety Act is just one small step in the right direction towards a cleaner, safer future in the beauty world.
For more information regarding the Personal Care Products Safety Act, feel free to visit Senator Diane Feinstein’s official site by clicking the link below. https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/c/d/cd70ecb6-ba76-4a2d-b157-35bbf8e1e87f/9D9742EB1F8ED72A9F7B1E4CADFC22F4.269884-personal-care-book.pdf