“Safe Cosmetics Act”

Something new I learned at the project j-o-b. California has a safe cosmetics act: all cosmetics sold in that state MUST disclose the full ingredients of that cosmetic in order to assess risk. How cool is that!

How did I find this out? One of the clients we work with asked us to get our product safety department to disclose the ingredients in compliance with the CA “Safe Cosmetics Act”. The body of the email actually had “allergen-free” embedded, which of course piqued my interest. I wanted to know more so tonight I went to this website to check it out the law:

SB 484 [the law that Gov. Arnold ratified] will:

⎯Require cosmetics manufacturers to disclose to the state any product ingredient that is on state or federal lists of chemicals that cause cancer or birth defects.
⎯ Allow the state Department of Health Services (DHS) to demand manufacturers supply any health related information about cosmetic ingredients.
⎯Authorize CalOSHA to regulate the products to protect salon workers if they determine a safety risk.

In surfing around for more info, I found this Ms article and skimmed this website.

I’m glad to see this company is compliant with CA state law. I’m even gladder to see that at least one state of the union is concerned about women’s health, the ramifications of untested or unregulated products on our bodies, and any potential long term effects.

Does this mean I have to move to CA to get body lotion that hydrates and moisturizes without any toxic ingredients? I don’t think so, or at least hope not. Hmm, perhaps I’ll have an email chat with the product safety dept and see what they can tell me about New York state products.

Comments

Bo said…
If I recall correctly, this law was actually pushed for not so much to protect the day-to-day consumer but really to protect salon workers and those who are exposed to cosmetics products all day long - manicure ladies, make-up artists etc...The fact that the average consumer is protected is a nice by-product. It was actually a workplace safety law akin to banning smoking and minimum wage. Makes for a stronger business case. Maybe you can rally all the nail salon ladies in NYC.
Allergic Girl® said…
really? just for salon workers? not that i'm denying them any aspect of a safe workplace but i was hoping it was all for me and my delicate skin.

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