The United States cosmetic industry is one of the most loosely regulated industries. There are about 12,500 ingredients in personal care products, and cosmetic manufacturers may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without an approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).



Under federal law, the FDA:

?Cannot require companies to test cosmetic products for safety before marketing.

?Does not review or approve cosmetic products and cosmetic ingredients before they are sold to the public.

?Cannot regulate cosmetic products until after they are released to the marketplace.

?Cannot require product recalls.

?Cannot require manufacturers to register their cosmetic establishments, file data on ingredients, or report cosmetic-related injuries.

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) panel is a voluntary industry safety committee, funded by the Personal Care Products Council (formerly the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association), which is a national trade association for the cosmetic and personal care products industry. The personal care products industry is a global industry with more than $250 billion in annual retail sales. Since it's establishment in 1976, the CIR has reviewed only 1320 (2007 Annual Report) of the 12,500 personal care ingredients. What about the other 11,280 ingredients?

Thankfully, we have the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Founded in 1993, the EWG is dedicated to exposing threats to your health and the environment, and to find solutions. EWG performed a safety assessment of 7,500 personal care product labels. They developed an Online Rating System that ranks products on their potential health risks, cross-referencing product ingredients with known carcinogens and other harmful agents. EWG found that:

?Only 28 of the 7,500 products analyzed were fully assessed for safety by the CIR. All other products contain one or more ingredients never assessed for potential health impacts by the CIR.

?One of every 120 products on the market contains ingredients certified by government authorities as known or probable human carcinogens.

?71 hair dye products contain ingredients derived from carcinogenic coal tar.

?55% of these products contain 'penetration enhancers' - ingredients that increase a product's penetration through the skin and into the bloodstream.

?Nearly 70% of all products contain ingredients that can be contaminated with impurities linked to cancer and other health problems. (FDA shows that these impurities are common.)

?54 products violate recommendations for safe use set by the CIR board.

?In the FDA's 67-year history of monitoring cosmetic safety, it has banned or restricted only 9 personal care product ingredients. The European Union has banned 450 ingredients.

It is time that the personal care industry, their CIR board, and the FDA step up to the plate, putting consumer health before profit. Until there is change in the way personal care products are regulated, your best defense is to read the labels of the products you are using and choose products that are truly natural and safe!

For a healthier alternative in personal care products, please visit http://www.edennaturalproductsresource.com for companies who produce truly natural products.

RESOURCES AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

FDA Authority Over Cosmetics - March 3, 2005 - USFDA, CSFAN, Office of Cosmetics and Colors

Clearing Up Cosmetic Confusion (FDA Consumer Reprint) - August 2000 - FDA

About the Personal Care Products Council

Cosmetic Ingredient Findings: 1976 to Present - CIR

2007 Annual Report - CIR

Cosmetics With Banned and Unsafe Ingredients - September 2007 - EWG

Statement of Jane Houlihan on Cosmetics Safety - May 2008 - EWG

Skin Deep: Report on Skincare and Cosmetics - EWG

Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database - EWG

The Campaign For Safe Cosmetics - SafeCosmetics.Org