Legislation May Lead to Personal Care Product FDA Review

New legislation was recently introduced that would require the FDA to evaluate at least five ingredients used in cosmetic and body care products a year to determine their safety. This includes personal care products such as shampoo and skin creams. The personal care ingredients reviews would lead to the agency providing guidance about whether ingredients or certain chemicals in personal care products should continue to be used, and if so, at what concentration levels.

Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein of California and Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, the bill’s sponsors, said that federal regulations of the personal care ingredients used in cosmetics and body care products haven’t been updated for 75 years.

“From shampoo to lotion, the use of personal care products is widespread, however, there are very few protections in place to ensure their safety,” Feinstein states in a news release.

Most bills introduced don’t make it into law. But Feinstein and Collins have support from a wide array of consumer groups and companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Revlon and Proctor & Gamble. A trade association representing more than 600 companies is also supporting the bill.

The Environmental Working Group said that the current regulatory system allows companies to put potentially dangerous chemicals in personal care products without having to prove they are safe. The group, which maintains a database of 68,000 products to help consumers, state the bill is long overdue.

The bill also stipulates that the first five chemicals in personal care products the FDA would be required to review would include a form of formaldehyde used in hair-smoothing treatments and a chemical that mimics estrogen.

Under the legislation, the FDA would have the authority to order personal care product recalls or to require warning labels on personal and body care products. Companies would also be required to provide contact information to consumers and to report any serious adverse events to the FDA within 15 days of receiving a report.

Personal Care Products Lawsuits

In recent years, numerous personal care products class action lawsuits alleging false and misleading labeling and advertising have been filed regarding use of the terms “All Natural” or “100% Natural” on a wide range of food and beverage products. The companies sued in these cases range from major manufacturers to small private label suppliers.

These consumer class action lawsuits typically allege that the all natural products are falsely marketed as “natural” because they contain synthetic, artificial or processed ingredients.

And while the focus for several years had been on products in the food and beverage industry, plaintiffs have recently been targeting other industries as well, including personal care products and cosmetics.

In addition, while past filings focused on labels that marketed products as “All Natural” or “100% Natural,” several cases have been filed against companies regarding cosmetic products that simply contain the term all natural makeup on the label. For instance, an all natural cosmetics class action lawsuit was filed against a major cosmetics company for using the term “Naturals” on its cosmetics line, resulting in a $1.8 million class settlement earlier this year.

If you purchased a personal care product or cosmetic because the label said it was “Natural,” “All Natural,” “100% Natural” or used a similar term, you may be eligible to join a free class action lawsuit investigation and pursue compensation for your purchase(s) due to the potential use of deceptive labels and/or marketing.

Free All Natural Personal Care Products Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

Did you purchase a personal care product because the label said it was “Natural,” “All Natural,” “100% Natural” or used a similar term? You may be eligible to join a free class action lawsuit investigation and pursue compensation for your purchase(s) due to the potential use of deceptive labels and/or marketing.

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