Industry and Public Interest Group Face Off at House Subcommittee Hearing

The CEO and President of the Personal Care Products Council (formerly known as the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association) appeared before the Subcommittee on Health on Energy and Commerce last week. What's going on?

Congress is thinking of passing an FDA Act on Device and Cosmetic Safety, reported Special Chem. Actually, it's the press release from the PCPC, with a bulleted pat-yourself-on-the-back list of all the positive things that personal care companies have done for the public in recent years. Here's another source - this one from the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

They quote EWG Vice President Jane Houlihan's testimony:

“Cosmetics are essentially unregulated under federal law,” she said. “The Federal Food Drug and Cosmetics Act provides the Food and Drug Administration with virtually no power to perform even the most rudimentary functions needed to ensure the safety of an estimated $35 billion of personal care products purchased by consumers annually.”

To regulate the cosmetics industry, the Committee's proposed legislation would enforce the following:

• Registration of all cosmetic company facilities, products and ingredients with FDA
• Reports of serious adverse effects to the FDA
• Good manufacturing practices
  

What do you think? Is it the FDA's job to step in and regulate the cosmetics industry?