Maria
Recently, California’s Department of Toxic Substances revealed that nail polishes that labeled themselves as non-toxic still contained harmful chemicals linked to birth defects and asthma.
The battle for real law reform in the realm of cosmetics still wages on. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is fighting on the front lines for change in the cosmetics industry and they need our continued support and voices. We should be able to know what is going in and on our bodies, through labeling, and this recent development has pulled the curtain back even further on big cosmetics. Self-regulation is clearly not working and the only way that real change can be brought about is if the voices and opinions of the consumer is heard.
For the first time in 30 years, lawmakers want to extend the reach of the FDA into the cosmetics industry. Big cosmetics is not too pleased! The introduced bill would ban the use of ingredients that are linked to cancer and reproductive disorders and it also wants to require companies to include full ingredient labels. As it stands now, a cosmetics company could decide to include arsenic in any one of their products and they don’t have to report it to the government. Also, if the government was made aware of such an inclusion it would have no authority to pull the product from the shelves. The cosmetics industry is fighting against the call for safer products and the banning of such harmful chemicals and ingredients.
While we’ve made leaps and bounds by getting lawmakers to address this issue, the battle still continues. Big cosmetics has big money to fight and they will. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is working hard to help keep consumers safe and ensure that companies are accountable for their products and the ingredients they use. Their site is chock full of articles, facts, and news about what’s going on in the cosmetics industry and what we can do to fight against the cosmetics industry and work towards safer products for all.
How do you feel about the government regulating the ingredients in our beauty products? What more can we do to work towards safer products? I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this topic, feel free to leave any comments or questions!
[Nail polish image by EmreKanik via Flickr Creative Commons]
