The U.S. federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) is a set of laws passed by Congress in 1938 giving authority to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to oversee the safety of those products. Chapter VI of the FDCA governs the way the massive cosmetic industry is regulated in the United States – and it's all of about 2 pages long.

Over its 70-year history, there have been only two attempts to strengthen the federal oversight and regulation of the cosmetic industry: first in 1973 by Missouri Sen. Thomas Eagleton, and then in 1988 by Oregon Rep. Ron Wyden. Both attempts were unsuccessful because of strong industry lobbying against the measures. And it's no wonder the industry is opposed to change in Congress: according to the FDA, "[a] change in FDA's statutory authority over cosmetics would require Congress to change the law."

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics supports efforts to change federal law and mandate the FDA to exert real authority over the safety of personal care products. While some companies are working toward safer products today, and we applaud those efforts, it shouldn't be up to individual consumers to figure out what's safe and what's not.

What You Can Do

Sign our petition urging Congress to make sure products are safe