from http://www.safecosmetics.org/

Major loopholes in U.S. federal law allow the $50 billion cosmetics industry to put unlimited amounts of chemicals into personal care products with no required testing, no monitoring of health effects and inadequate labeling requirements. In fact, cosmetics are among the least-regulated products on the market.

This section explores what's being done to change the broken U.S. system, and how other countries are leading the way in smarter laws that protect their citizens.

FDA Regulations The FDA does not review – nor does it have the authority to regulate – what goes into cosmetics before they are marketed to salons and consumers.

Federal Legislation In order for real oversight of cosmetics by the FDA, Congress must change existing federal law.

State Legislation In the absence of federal oversight, states have taken steps to ensure that consumers have access to safer cosmetics and more information about the products they buy.

European Laws The European Union has more stringent and protective laws for cosmetics than the United States.

Canadian Laws The Canadian government recently created a Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist that includes hundreds of prohibited and restricted chemicals and contaminants

The FDA and Lead in Lipstick More than a year after promising to conduct an analysis of lead in lipstick, the FDA has released no information to the public.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is a national coalition of nonprofit health and environmental organizations. Our collective goal is to protect the health of consumers and workers by requiring the personal care products industry to phase out the use of chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects and other serious health concerns, and replace them with safer alternatives.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is working with endorsing organizations, responsible businesses and thousands of citizen activists to shift the cosmetics market toward safer products and to advocate for smarter laws that protect our health from toxic chemicals and encourage innovation of safer alternatives.

Some hidden hazards that may be lurking in products that contain synthetic fragrance include:

• Allergens: Fragrances are considered to be among the top five known allergens and are known to both cause and trigger asthma attacks.

• Phthalates: Product tests conducted by Consumer Reports ShopSmart magazine in January 2007 found the phthalates DEP and DEHP (which is banned in Europe) in each of eight popular perfumes tested. In 2002, the "Not Too Pretty" report from some of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics founders revealed phthalates in more than 72 percent of personal care products tested, including fragrance-containing shampoos, deodorants and hair gels. None of the products listed phthalates on the label. Follow-up testing in 2008, published in the report, "A Little Prettier," indicated that some leading companies are now using fewer phthalates than in 2002, though these companies still deny that phthalates may pose a health risk.

• Sensitizers: One in every 50 people may suffer immune system damage from fragrance and become sensitized, according to the EU's Scientific Committee on Cosmetic Products and Non-food Products. Once sensitized to an ingredient, a person can remain so for a lifetime, enduring allergic reactions with every subsequent exposure.

• Neurotoxins: As far back as 1986, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences identified fragrance ingredients as one of six categories of neurotoxins (chemicals that are toxic to the brain) that should be thoroughly investigated for impacts on human health. However, this research has not been demanded or funded. The FDA has taken no action on a petition submitted to the agency in 1999 requesting fragrance components to be listed on labels.