“Consumer safety has always been the number one priority of our cosmetics and personal care products companies, and our continued commitment to safety has made cosmetics and personal care products the safest category of products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,” Bailey told the committee.
Of the 11 billion personal care products that are sold annually, an average of less than 150 adverse reactions are reported—most of which are minor skin irritations. Topically-applied and not ingested, cosmetics have the least potential to impact human health of any FDA-regulated product category, according to the Council. Under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) of 1938, it is crime to market an unsafe cosmetic product in the
Cosmetics products imported into the are subject to the same laws and regulations as those produced in the They must be safe and contain no prohibited ingredients, and all labeling and packaging must be in compliance with regulations. All colors must be listed and pre-approved by FDA, and a number of color additives must be batch certified by FDA. If the product has an intended use that causes it to be considered an Over-the-Counter (OTC) drug, it must comply with the regulations for drugs, including establishment registration and drug listing.
“Product safety in a global marketplace is not only a matter of law for our members but also the primary commitment for each of them and for our trade association,” said Ms. Bailey. “The Council is a science-based, safety-first organization with a decades-long track record of product safety initiatives that go beyond the requirements of the law.”
Still, U.S. Democratic lawmakers seeking to bolster Food and Drug Administration oversight of imported products say the agency lacks the money and power to properly regulate them, according to Reuters.The hearing comes as lawmakers consider sweeping legislation that calls for drug and device makers, food manufacturers and cosmetic companies to register with the FDA and pay for mandatory inspections of foreign factories. The proposed bill comes after a rash of tainted goods imported from China, including pet food, toothpaste and the blood-thinning drug heparin.
But Stephen Sundlof, head of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, which oversees cosmetics, urged lawmakers to focus their legislation on more risky products and make greater use of private inspections.