Stopping Use of Chemicals in Personal Care Products
Sara Frost Azzam
Guest Columnist, The Wellesley Townsman
Since my article
on personal care products appeared two weeks ago, many people have asked me if
there is anything being done to stop cosmetics companies from using untested
chemicals in our personal care products.
Ironically, that was to be the subject of my second article because there
are steps that you, as a consumer and as a citizen, can take.
Over 200
companies have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, a pledge to make safe
cosmetics. By taking this step,
these companies have agreed to use formulations for their products that meet the
standards and deadlines set by the European Union Directive 76/768/EEC, so that
their products are free of chemicals that are “known or strongly suspected of
causing cancer, mutation or birth defects.” In January 2003, the European Union
amended its cosmetics legislation so that
the use of
chemicals that are known or strongly suspected of causing cancer, mutation or
birth defects has been banned, so
that now companies are required to remove such chemicals from their cosmetic and
personal care products. In order
for American companies to sell their personal care and cosmetic products in
Europe, they, too, are required to remove these chemicals. Since these products have been
reformulated for the EU market, there is no reason why these reformulated items
couldn’t be sold in the United States as well.
The European
Union has far stricter standards governing the use of chemicals than the United
States does simply because they follow something called the Precautionary
Principle, a guideline that I have mentioned in previous columns. The Precautionary Principle simply
states that: “When an
activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment,
precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect
relationships are not fully established scientifically. In this context the
proponent of an activity, rather than the public, should bear the burden of
proof.” How this affects
personal care products is that, in order for
a chemical to be used in a product, it must have been determined to be safe
before widespread use, not after.
The United States, however, follows the guidelines of the FDA, which read
as follows:
"The regulatory
requirements governing the sale of cosmetics are not as stringent as those that
apply to other FDA-regulated products. Manufacturers may use any ingredient or
raw material, except for color additives and a few prohibited substances, to
market a product without a government review or approval." (from the FDA
website).
However, when
one reviews the list of the 200 companies that have signed the Campaign for Safe
Cosmetics pledge, familiar names do not really stand out. If you shop at natural food stores, you
may recognize a few names, like Kiss My Face, Burt’s Bees, and Dr.
Bronner’s. One name you will
certainly recognize is the Body Shop, which has been a leader in the campaign
for safer cosmetics products…indeed, that is part of their founder’s
philosophy. But you won’t find the
usual Estee Lauder, Lancome, or Bliss on the list. As a consumer and a citizen, one step
you can take is to write to these companies and ask them to sign the
pledge. By doing so, they promise
to use the EU formulations as well as to aggressively seek alternatives for all
products they make that may not have been reformulated. This past summer, the Wellesley Cancer
Prevention Project wrote a letter to the managers of the Filenes, Macy’s, and
Lord and Taylor stores at the Natick Mall, urging them to contact their
representatives from major cosmetics companies to ask them to
“to
make a commitment to health, product safety, and the planet by signing the
Compact for Safe Cosmetics.” To
date, we have yet to hear back from these managers with any feedback, as we
requested. A more active campaign by
concerned citizens may bring about in Massachusetts the same results as a
campaign in California. A recent
law called the California Safe Cosmetics
bill, signed into legislation in just this past September, became the nation's
first state law on chemicals in cosmetics. Companies will now have to notify the
state of California when they use chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects.
It will come as no surprise that chemical and cosmetic industries
both vigorously opposed the bill, mounting a major campaign to convince salon
owners and stores that they would be put out of business if the new law
passed.
As an interested
citizen and consumer, here’s what you can do: