We at The Natural Bar Soap Company feel that this topic just cannot get enough attention. Our livelihoods depend on a successful defeat of the atrocious, overburdening, overreaching legislation presented to Congress on July 20, 2010.
Proponents of HR5786, which shadily masquerades under the title, “The Safe Cosmetics Act 2010,” claim that the bill will finally bring regulation to an unregulated industry, and that it will make our products safe, and bring an end to the pandemic use of toxic chemicals.
That’s exactly what EWG, The Environmental Working Group would like us to believe. They are a major supporter of this bill, and along with efforts by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, EWG wants to convince the public that the cosmetics we purchase are not regulated, and teeming with carcinogenic, toxic chemicals. They are doing their best to convince the public that the overreaching monstrosity known as HR5786 will provide the regulation necessary to ensure safe cosmetics for consumers.
Supporters of HR5786 may be interested to know that the FDA already regulates cosmetics. Here are some enlightening facts. FDA requires cosmetic products to not be “adulterated” (contaminated, unsafe, etc), or “misbranded” (falsely, lackingly or misleadingly labeled). They require manufacturers to be responsible for substantiating the safety of their product. Under current FDA regulation, it is illegal to market products that are known to be unsafe.
Under HR5786, manufacturers will still be responsible for substantiating safety…and products will still be required to be labeled in an accurate way. And, as before, the FDA will continue to prohibit the use of chemicals that are known to be unsafe in cosmetics.
So, what exactly is HR5786 doing that is not already being done, aside from creating an overreaching, excessive paperwork load for all cosmetic manufacturers, and increasing costs for everyone?
If we want to effect positive change, then the FDA needs to be given the resources to enforce CURRENT legislation. There is no need for NEW legislation since the requirement for manufacturers to create safe cosmetics already exists.
I’ve been reading quite a bit about the non-profit Environmental Working Group. In addition to being known for their support of this bill, they are also known for promoting bad science and creating media hype and consumer hysteria, as I feel they are doing with HR5786. I find it particularly notable that the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics released their cutesy YouTube video, “The Truth Behind Cosmetics” the same week that HR5786 was released in Congress. Scare tactics and fearmongering are despicable ways to ensnare an uniformed public into supporting legislation that ultimately will profit EWG and CFSC, and drive prices up for consumers.
This is not the first time EWG has resorted to such tactics. Their involvement in numerous bad-science issues can be found all over the internet. Luckily, an equal amount of information can be found which repudiates their dishonest hype. For example, the FDA’s official response to reports by EWG and others about TOXIC LEVELS of LEAD in lipstick is particularly telling. As it turns out, when EWG claimed that lipsticks had toxic levels of lead in them, they were using data on acceptable levels of lead in CANDY (intended to be consumed, and taken internally), as a basis for their analysis of the amount of lead in lipstick (which is applied topically, with minimal ingestion). FDA.gov has the entire report, complete with testing that reveals the truth, and safety of lipstick. Or, read here (http://activistcash.com/organization_overview.cfm/o/113-environmental-working-group) about EWG’s false claims of contaminated tap water in Florida. Turns out that EWG was basing that unnecessary hysteria on a test performed on untreated groundwater. These two examples are only a drop in the bucket representing EWG’s proven track record for junk science.
I do not feel that a complete overhaul of our current cosmetic regulations are necessary. There are certainly ingredients that could be added to the “do not use” database. But, I feel that funding the FDA to enforce the laws already on the books would be a more effective way to ensure safe cosmetics than by incorporating EWG’s junk-science-based Skin Deep Database into our cosmetic laws, and bulking up the salaries of their already over-paid executives.
For more information on this topic, please read our other blog posts HERE, and visit http://opencongress.org to read the full text of HR5786 The Safe Cosmetics Act 2010. There are many great blogs and comments there as well, that help to explain the many negative effects this bill will cause if allowed to pass.
Please also consider opposing this bill, and signing the petition: HERE. And, know that we do NOT oppose safe cosmetics. On the contrary, we oppose over-regulation, unreasonable paperwork loads, and the killing of small business and entrepreneurial spirit.
