So great to be here with you! Thanks for stopping in for a LIFT.
We get so busy at the start of the year setting goals + laying out plans that we often forget to stop + celebrate the achievements. Let’s not do that this year.
A REALLY BIG THING happened at the end of the year that I did not get to share with you yet because of the timing, but I am not going to let it slip by unnoticed.
I have been on a soapbox for the last seven years + it’s time for a little dance up here.
Will you join me for a little jig?
Welcome to The LIFT
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A LONG TIME COMING
In 2014, I started to catch wind of something that seemed a bit shocking + unlikely, but after educating myself + researching more, it proved to be true.
It all started when everyone in my social circle suddenly seemed to be doing Botox + fillers. Of course, it was also a time when I was really beginning to see the signs of aging in my skin. I certainly didn’t want to miss the boat on any sort of chance to slow the clock, but this whole idea of injecting substances into my skin was problematic for me because I had just spent the last 10 years learning about the connection between what I put in my body + my health.
I had become very cautious about the things I was putting in my mouth. I read labels. I prioritized organic produce as much as possible. I avoided processed foods + certain ingredients. If I was going to inject something into my face, I had to understand it better.
I set out to learn more about these anti-aging options, but I didn’t get very far because I got completely distracted when I started reading labels + learning about the ingredients in the products I was already using at our house (lotions, sunscreen, soaps, deodorant, shampoos, etc.).
I had never stopped to look at that stuff because, frankly, I assumed there was some sort of safety built into those products we grab off the shelf + use on our bodies every day. We used well-known brands + products that were dermatologist approved + natural.
I knew how to read a food label, but I really had no idea what most of the ingredients were in my body lotion or shampoo.
Nor did I realize that personal care products are some of the least regulated consumer products on the market.
The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) authority over cosmetics is VERY different from its authority over drugs, food, medical devices, etc. They can’t require that cosmetic ingredients be assessed for safety before they go to market. They can’t order a recall even if there is a safety issue.
I’ve written about all this in a previous post about Why Skincare Should Not Have to Be Scary. But, it is.
According to the Office of Cosmetics and Colors at the FDA, “…a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without approval from FDA.”
It was also super interesting to learn that while we now have this growing body of evidence around the connection between certain chemicals + health concerns (asthma, ADHD, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, cancer, etc.), we haven’t changed or updated much of anything in terms of safety or regulation in personal care products.
In fact, there has been no meaningful change in cosmetics regulation (which includes personal care products) since 1938 with the passage of the Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetics Act.
That was 80+ years ago!
Women use an average of 12 personal care products a day. Men use about six. Teenage girls average 17 products a day. As a mother of two young women, I certainly bought a lot of them! This can mean exposure to hundreds of chemicals just in the course of a morning beauty routine, and yet, we haven’t given consideration to updating product safety?
The European Union has been working on this for the last couple of decades. They already ban or restrict over 1,400 chemicals of concern from personal care products. Canada bans or restricts about 600. Here in the U.S., we are up to about 30 now. Back in 2014, it was only 11.
I think what bothered me most about all of this is that - no one seemed to know it. I didn’t know it. My friends didn’t know it. And, over time, I came to learn that members of Congress didn’t know it either.
I had to get involved.
The more involved I got, the more passionate I became.
For the last seven years, I have been advocating for better safety + regulation in personal care + cosmetics. I’ve been educating my community about ingredients + how to choose safer products. I have helped my community get involved in taking action by contacting their local representatives about the importance of this issue.
Together, we have participated in text campaigns, made calls, sent emails + letters to members of Congress.
Collectively, as part of the Beautycounter community, we have sent 236,000 emails, made 16,000 calls, held 2,200 meetings with members of Congress.
I have sat face-to-face with my local representatives in their offices to ask for action. I have gone to Sacramento to lobby for specific bills here in California. And, last spring, I went to Washington D.C. to join 200 other clean beauty advocates in a lobby day to shine a light on safer beauty bills that were buried on their desks.
And you know what?
Last month, Congress passed the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) + on December 29, 2022, President Biden signed it into law.
Can we all just do a little jig up on my soapbox for a moment?
Obviously, I don’t get credit for this. I didn’t actually DO anything. I just got on the bandwagon. Shared my voice. Brought people together. But, this is how things get done.
I think we spend a lot of time complaining on social media or with our friends about problems in the world, but we don’t take the extra step to put the issue in front of the people who can do something about it. We also don’t stop long enough to listen to our friends who are showing us how to get involved. How to make a difference.
I just want to give a huge shout-out to the people who have dedicated their lives + careers to this issue. People who raised my awareness + have been out there working hard over the years to help get legislation passed: Lindsay Dahl, Gregg Renfrew, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senator Susan Collins + many others.
NOW WHAT?
Like all big things, this is not the end. It’s the beginning. The legislation isn’t perfect or sufficient, but it’s still a HUGE win for all of us! The first meaningful change in cosmetics regulation since 1938! Wow!
Take a look at what’s included:
Mandatory Recall Authority - HUGE! At the end of this year, the FDA will have the authority to demand the recall of a product known to cause harm. If you recall recent accounts of asbestos found in kids’ makeup, shampoo causing baldness + formaldehyde in hair straighteners. Up until this bill, the FDA could only request a recall + oftentimes companies would choose to keep the product on the shelf. No more!
Adverse Event Recordkeeping & Serious Adverse Event Reporting - Companies will be required to keep records of adverse events on file for six years. It also expands the definition of what is considered a serious event + requires companies to report serious events to the FDA within 15 days.
Mandatory Registration & Product & Ingredient Listing - All domestic + foreign facilities that manufacture cosmetics must now register with the FDA + renew every two years. They also have to submit a listing of what products they are making + what ingredients they are using. (This is so important because can you imagine if there was an e.coli outbreak, but we had no idea who made the product or where it was processed or what was in it? Up until now, that’s been the case for personal care + cosmetics.)
Facility Suspension & Records Access - The FDA will now have the ability to suspend registration at a manufacturing facility + access records when issues arrive.
Cosmetic Safety Substantiation - Companies must now have information on file showing how each ingredient they use is safe + at what levels. The great thing here is that this addresses the current problem that an ingredient is seen as safe just because it has been used for decades.
Updates to Good Manufacturing Practices - The FDA is required to create a rule that updates clean facilities standards. While this doesn’t address ingredient safety, it will make products safer overall by improving cleanliness + manufacturing standards.
Professional Salon Ingredient Transparency - This is similar to the law we passed recently in California that requires all professional salon products to provide a list of ingredients the same as required for retail products. (Up until now, salon products did not have to disclose ingredients. Think about how much this new requirement will help salon professionals in choosing their products!)
Fragrance Allergen Disclosures - This is huge for sensitive populations or people going through chemotherapy, etc. Similar to what the E.U. has done, Congress directed the FDA to create a rule for the disclosure of known fragrance allergens.
PFAS Review & Talc Testing - The FDA must now establish testing methods to be used to detect asbestos in talc-containing cosmetics. This also requires the FDA to issue a report in the next three years that assess the use of PFAS in cosmetics. This is a major step toward banning PFAS outright down the road.
State Preemption - States are prohibited from passing new legislation that is covered in this federal law including: registration + product listing, recalls, adverse event reporting, or safety substantiation. I don’t consider this a win - especially as someone living in California where we have been more proactive to date - but, the good news is that states can continue to pass explicit bans on toxic chemicals like PFAS + pass other legislation for areas not covered by this federal law.
A LITTLE SAFER
Okay, I realize this may be more information than you signed up for on a Sunday morning, but I just had to celebrate. Thanks for geeking out on this with me today. It’s crazy that this stuff wasn’t already standard practice, but it’s such a huge win to finally have some better guidelines + requirements in place.
YOUR MISSION:
With a new session of Congress starting (well, hopefully soon lol), I challenge you this week to find your House & Senate representatives if you don’t already know. Add their names, phone numbers + emails to your contacts. That way, when something comes up this year that you care about, you can take action by contacting them + expressing your concern.
Did you know it only takes about 25 calls on an issue for it to get prioritized + looked into? These little actions add up. And, while everyone else is out complaining about how nothing ever gets done, you can be part of making sure something does.
RESOURCES:
READ: 2023 — The Year “Modernization” Comes to the U.S. Cosmetics Industry
READ: FDA Regulatory Framework for Cosmetics Gets Major Overhaul
READ: Today Marks an Important Step Forward in Beauty Regulation
IN SUMMARY:
I just want to say thanks to all of you who have been with me on this journey. Thanks for your support. For lending your voice when it was time to rally. For helping send me to D.C. For reading + learning along with me.
As I said previously, this is not the end. It’s just the beginning. More work to be done. I’ll keep you posted. But, meanwhile, let’s celebrate progress.
See you next week?
Meanwhile - you can read thru the archives here. And, please reach out to me anytime!
Email: karen@becounter.com
Instagram: @redefiningkaren
So excited that this is just the start to cleaner and safer beauty products!!!
Your Sunday morning "Lift" always gives me a Lift and more to consider. Thanks for being you!