Personal Care Products Safety Act

From lotions and soaps to shampoos and makeup, cosmetics dominate so much of our day-to-day routine. But how often do we stop and check the labels of our favorite products? And do we even know what those ingredients are if we do read them? After decades of an overwhelming lack of regulations in the United States, the Personal Care Products Safety Act is poised to strengthen federal regulations on the cosmetics we use every day. As a company that cares deeply about the ingredients we put into our products and use on our bodies, Madison Reed is a true leader in this cause.

An Under-Regulated History
A lot has changed since World War II, but one thing that hasn’t changed is federal protections on consumer products, which were last updated in 1938. To date, the EU has banned or restricted over 1,400 ingredients in cosmetics while the United States has taken action on only eleven ingredients. This disparity is shocking, and means that many consumers have been unknowingly using potentially harmful products, or have had to do their own research to find safe alternatives. 

After increased public concern, two senators—Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Susan Collins (R-ME)—have worked together to create the Personal Care Product Safety Act. This bill is designed to bring the U.S. cosmetic industry into the 21st century, ensuring that products will be safer for consumers.

Personal Care Product Safety Act Basics
A principle focus of the bill is amending the existing Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which will require cosmetic companies to register their facilities with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and submit all of their ingredients to the FDA. As a result, the FDA will become significantly more involved with the cosmetic industry by developing and enforcing cosmetic manufacturing standards and inspecting a company’s safety records. With these new standards, the FDA will be able to recall cosmetics that are likely to cause adverse health and encourage safety testing that minimize the use of animals. Additionally, the FDA will also review the safety of at least five cosmetic ingredients each year and determine whether they are safe or unsafe, require limitation of use, or need a warning label on a product. This will ensure that cosmetic products will not be sold if they contain ingredients that are unsafe, are unsafe under the recommended conditions of use, or are unsafe in the amount contained within the product. 

What Does This Mean for Cosmetic Brands?
From the inception of this bi-partisan bill, Madison Reed has supported Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), signed on to sponsor the bill, and will continue to lobby for the bill to be passed. For us, the bill mirrors the mission on which Madison Reed was founded—to offer the best hair color and care products with ingredients that we feel good about. 

Even before the bill was created, we took the lead on upholding and enforcing the highest formulation standards in everything we do, despite the lack of existing regulations in the cosmetic industry. Because our color is crafted in Italy according to strict EU standards which bans chemicals not proven to be safe, we have taken out some potential ingredient offenders, including ammonia, PPD, resorcinol, parabens, phthalates, gluten, SLS, and titanium dioxide. In doing so, we created the first Smart 8-Free permanent hair color. 

From the start, Madison Reed has promoted transparency, honesty, and integrity. With the creation of the Personal Care Products Safety Act, we look forward to the opportunity to work in an industry with other brands that are working to create better products for happier, ultimately healthier consumers.

Color That Cares
The cosmetics industry is a $60 billion-a-year business, but it’s not only about business. Since 2015, there has been tremendous support for the passing of this bill, not only from concerned citizens and politicians, but also from businesses within the cosmetic industry. Ultimately, consumers need products that they feel good about using, and they should be able to buy them without worrying about what’s inside the packaging. As a supporter of the Personal Care Products Safety Act from day one, Madison Reed knows that this is the future of hair care. 

Madison Reed is color that cares, color with a cause, and color with a serious conscience.

Sources:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/1014
http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2016/02/cosmetics-safety-bill-gains-support-industry-and-advocates
https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/opinion/op-ed-its-time-to-end-beauty-as-usual