Cosmetics Company Responses to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

In early 2004, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics sent letters to hundreds of leading cosmetics companies selling products in the US urging them to not use toxic chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects.  A growing number of companies have already signed our pledge  to not use these chemicals. However, many cosmetics and personal care companies have yet to agree to make safer products available to their US customers.

The Campaign has had some big successes! The following large companies are beginning to take action:

L'Oreal
In a letter dated December 21, L’Oréal Senior Vice President for Research and Development Alan J. Meyers wrote unequivocally that his company’s products are in compliance with the EU cosmetics directive “no matter where they are sold around the world.”  Read the entire letter here.

Revlon
Revlon Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications Catherine Fisher wrote on December 20 that “all products sold by Revlon are currently in full compliance with… EU Directives 76/768 EEC.”  Read the entire letter here.

Unilever
The response from Unilever on the company’s reformulation policy was unclear. While Senior Vice President for Research and Development David Duncan wrote that Unilever “does not use [DBP and DEHP] as an ingredient in our products,” the letter of December 15 did not state whether the company’s products sold in the United States and other markets would comply with the EU directive, which also requires elimination of many more ingredients known or highly suspected to be carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxins (CMRs).  Read entire letter here.

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