What is the Compact for Safe Cosmetics?

Do companies have to pay to sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics?

Who is making sure that Compact signers are really making safer products?

I don’t see Arbonne, Avon, Mary Kay, Melaleuca or other similar companies listed on your Web site, even though they claim to be “safe,” “natural” or donate money to breast cancer research. What’s the deal?

How do I purchase products from companies that have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics?

Are parabens among the list of chemicals that Compact signers do not use?

Q. What is the Compact for Safe Cosmetics?

A. Some companies are making safer products today and striving to make even safer products in the future. More than 1,000 companies have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, a pledge to remove hazardous chemicals and replace them with safe alternatives within three years. Click here for the most recent list of Compact signers.


Q: Do companies have to pay to sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics?

A: The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics does not take any money from Compact-signing companies, and there is no fee to sign the Compact.


Q: Who is making sure that Compact signers are really making safer products?

A: When a company signs the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, it is taking a meaningful pledge to use safer ingredients immediately and over the long term. The company agrees to participate in conference calls and in-person meetings about twice a year, and periodic follow-ups to ensure compliance with the Compact. In addition, EWG's Skin Deep database of personal care products will soon show a graphic representation of where signers are in terms of Compact compliance since some companies are newer than others, and others have been more aggressively seeking safer alternatives to toxic ingredients than their peers and should get recognition for their efforts.

The Compact is the closest thing we have to regulation or a meaningful seal of approval for cosmetics in this country. It would be better if there were government regulation, but until then, consumers can use the Compact as a tool in their search for safer cosmetics.


Q: I don’t see Arbonne, Avon, Mary Kay, Melaleuca or other similar companies listed on your website, even though they claim to be “safe,” “natural” or donate money to breast cancer research. What’s the deal?

A: Arbonne, Avon, Mary Kay and Melaleuca are aware of the Compact for Safe Cosmetics but have refused to sign it. If they are truly supporting women’s health and making “safe” products, it shouldn’t be too hard for them to sign the Compact. Hundreds of companies have signed the Compact, a commitment to manufacture personal care products free of known and suspected toxic chemicals.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics does not endorse or hand-pick “safe” companies to refer customers to. The growing list of safer companies on our Web site is comprised solely of companies that have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics. If you don’t see a company on the list, we encourage you to send a letter letting them know about the Compact and urging them to sign it.

For a sample letter to get you started, please check out the Materials section of the Web site.


Q: How do I purchase products from companies who have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics?

A: Click here to search for companies that have signed the Compact by company name, product category or location. We link to each company's Web site (if they have one), where you can find information about purchasing products.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is a non-profit coalition and does not handle any sales.


Q: Are parabens among the list of chemicals that Compact signers do not use?

A: Companies that sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics must demonstrate compliance with the European Union (EU) directive on personal care products. While the EU directive is far more comprehensive than what we have here in the United States, it does not ban parabens and many other potentially harmful ingredients. So, while the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics would like to see paraben-free products and a lot of our Compact Signers are headed in that direction, a company that has signed the Compact isn't necessarily a company that is paraben-free.