May 19, 2015
Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced a bill entitled “Personal Care Product Safety Act”. It would strengthen the authority of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the regulation of cosmetics ingredients, requiring a safety evaluation of at least five ingredients per year in personal care products.
The first chemicals to be reviewed include:
- Methylene glycol/formaldehyde, used in hair treatments
- Lead acetate, used as a color additive in hair dyes
- Diazolidinyl urea, used as a preservative in a wide range of products including deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, bubble bath and lotion
- Quaternium-15, used as a preservative in a wide range of products including shampoo, shaving cream, skin creams and cleansers
- Propyl paraben, used as a preservative in a wide range of products including shampoo, conditioner and lotion
The bill covers the following:
- Authorization of FDA to order recalls of certain personal care products that threaten consumer safety
- Authorization of FDA to require labeling of products that include ingredients not appropriate for children and those that should be professionally administered
- Requirement for companies to provide contact information on their products for consumers and report serious adverse events, such as death, hospitalization and disfigurement, to the FDA within 15 days
- Requirement for manufacturers to register annually with the FDA and to provide them with information on the ingredients used in their personal care products
- Requirement for FDA to issue regulations on Good Manufacturing Practices for personal care products
- Authorization of FDA to collect user-fees from personal care products manufacturers