The “Safe Cosmetics Alliance” Is Not What It Sounds Like
Cough. Cough. Coughcoughocough.
Look at what now exists? The Safe Cosmetics Alliance. It sounds a lot like the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, right? Except it’s not. It’s an industry-funded campaign that appears to me to be designed to confuse you.
“The cosmetics industry is committed to maintaining its high safety standards (1) by advocating that laws keep pace with science and technology (2). We support new regulations to help strengthen FDA oversight (3), increase transparency (4), and enhance consumer confidence (5).” [Numbers ours.]
Let’s fact check it, yeah?
(1) This is a good time to refresh everyone’s memory about safety testing and the cosmetics industry. Yes, they do test their products’ ingredients for safety. Most large companies have large teams of scientists who do just that, and we believe, as we’ve said in the book, that according to whatever criteria they are using for “safe” that indeed, their products pass the test. “Safe” is a vague word, though. It’s safe because it doesn’t give me a rash? It’s safe now and we just really HOPE it’s safe to use daily for decades? It’s safe because we don’t know that it’s for sure unsafe? It’s safe because we are certain it’s benign to the human body and to nature?
If this said “The cosmetics industry is committed to ensuring that personal care products are free of reproductive toxicants, carcinogens, hormone disruptors and neurotoxins,” I’d feel a lot better about that. Precise language, clear promises, good stuff. But it doesn’t.
(2) As we all know, cosmetics regulations haven’t really changed since 1938, when they were written. Since then, the industry has exploded in size, revenue, ingredients used and certainly technology. So I’m not totally sure what they’re saying here, but it strikes me as completely ludicrous (personal opinion).
(3) As the laws are currently written, the FDA does not have the manpower, legal authority or budget to regulate the cosmetics industry and we have to assume that’s exactly how the Personal Care Products Council wants it, since they spend time and money lobbying against regulation, and have launched impressive, persuasive campaigns throughout history any time anyone has tried. (See our regulation chapter in the book for a refresher on this.) That said, the industry’s counter-take on the Safe Cosmetics Act has been that they agree that it’s time for the laws to change. As you can well imagine, however, the difference between what the Act thinks the laws should say, and what the PCPC (the industry trade group representing the industry) thinks it should say, is gigantic.
(4) The most transparent thing about a beauty product is its ingredient label, with the very important exception of its fragrance—which is in almost all products, including things like blush and eye shadow. Fragrance is at the top of our personal “no exceptions” list, and we think it should at the top of yours too. But hey—if the companies want to go totally transparent and offer up exactly what safety testing they’re doing, for instance, I would love to see that, and I bet you would too. We’d also love to see minutes from their meetings and for them to return journalists’ calls.
(5) This part sounds true! They want you to have faith in their products so that you will buy them. Unfortunately, they’re not meeting any of the criteria that would make us feel better. How about you?
I was wondering, since we currently have this cantalope recall, if there have ever been any cosmetic-related recalls, contaminated ingredients, etc. And, do you think we ever are in a situation where we are purchasing cosmetics that are well beyond their shelf lives. I’m certain we have all kept cosmetics and other products beyond their shelf lives.
I guess I’m a skeptic because of all I’ve experienced in the cosmetics realm, but the 5 points almost make the industry seem MORE scary. Here’s a comforting pat on the head, don’t worry, we’ll take care of you, we’ll be honest and true. Right. If they actually do something significant and positive for points 3 and 4, that will be great – and I’ll believe it when I see it. Basically, I think this is BS. Prove me wrong, cosmetics industry, please!
I agree with your post – the organizationj’s goals are vague and loosely worded, and therefore, offer little in the way of ensuring safety in cosmetics.
I have noticed lately in the mainstream media, commercials and ads have a bit more focus on so called “natural” ingredients, or an ingredient exclusion, e.g., sulfate-free (which is good, but there are a lot more ingredients in the product that are harmful, so just removing sulfates doesn’t really improve the product). I think the industry is trying to take advantage of some interest in safer cosmetics, but, in keeping with their real priorities of profits, sales, bonuses, etc, they are only making small, token (and probably inexpensive) changes.
Like you said, the most important thing to see is the list of ingredients. Thank you for teaching us the importance of that!
This looks analogous to the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance. There’s a NYTimes article about that here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/dining/in-debate-about-food-a-monied-new-player.html?scp=1&sq=food%20alliance&st=cse
Well I guess all the blogs and websites are having an effect. The cosmetics industry is concerned enough to try and spin all the information that you and other sites are exposing. It makes me think that you are really starting something. Lets keep this moving forward. Maybe someday they will have to change their products completely. Here’s to hoping.
For me point number 2 “by advocating that laws keep pace with science and technology (2)” is the scariest as it seems like a way for the industry to hide while giving the illusion of safety.
Right now the industry is claiming that according to their scientific studies everything they use is safe. If you look at the studies that can be done then yes. Though that is because studies right now can only look at “short term” effects. As well currently there is no scientific method that is currently being used that can 100% state that long term low dose exposure to one or a cocktail of ingredients cause certain specific problems. One can argue that studies that use a higher dosage can be an indicator though one could also rightly disagree that many other factors are involved and therefore is not a good indicator. Therefore if the industry pushes for laws that allow them to use the same studies that are currently feasible then there will be actually no progress done.
The other studies/experiments that do show cause for concern focus on exposure at higher dosage (at levels not found in the cosmetics) or do blood work studies on people with certain problems or diseases (and also a control group) and in that way show a link which causes concern. Though the problem is that industry do not and will not do such studies as they claim it is not related to them. As well by using the words “laws that keep pace with” means that industry will impede laws that advocate industry using long term exposure studies as currently the methodology used for such experiments that properly related to their cosmetics do not exist or are not sufficiently tested – at least in the eyes of the industry.
Safe Cosmetics Alliance .org has shielded its ownership identity by going through GoDaddy’s “Domain by Proxy” service which prevents the public from knowing who owns the websites of its clients. ICANN, the internet industry self regulating entity, says this does not violate its fundamental ethic of transparency on the web. If you want to protest this, go to WhoIs and file a petition for inaccurate info for http://www.safecosmticsalliance.org.
My boyfriend’s mom is a chemist for a company contracted by the big cosmetics companies. We’ve had so many arguments with her since switching to clean products. She still insists the ingredients they use are completely safe. I constantly wonder if she wasn’t paid by those corporations if she would have a different opinion, but there is another part of me that thinks she would know better since she is the chemist. Either way I’m still sticking with the product I know are clean.
The fact that it is industry-funded is enough for me. Industry-funded supposedly scientific testing of products is what got us in this mess in the first place. It’s also correct that we can no longer rely on the FDA for testing of all of these products….FDA is quite ineffective for most issues due to workload and outrageous long times for anything to be accomplished. I want known toxins to be removed from cosmetics via legislation and I want transparent labeling!
The thing about it is: we don’t have to buy or use these toxic products, we have choices. There are a lot of safer, more truly natural wholesome personal care products on the market. Consumers need to read labels, do the research on ingredient terms they don’t understand, make educated choices and take care of themselves. Not saying the aforementioned proposal is something not to be concerned about – but fraud is everywhere and it is we who must make ourselves aware. Life Skin Care is a 100% transparent company and a signer of the EWG’s Compact for Safe Cosmetics.
I couldn’t agree more with Life Skin Care. Do you own research. You’ll soon find that these scare stories about cosmetics have no foundation whatever. You can then spend your time and money on something that will actually make a real difference.