Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 :: Statement of Opposition

Much to my surprise the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011 went online today, despite the holiday.  All cosmetic businesses, crafters, soapmakers and consumers should take the time to carefully read the bill prior to throwing their support behind it.  You can read the entire text of the bill here on Open Congress.   

     

I have thoroughly reviewed all of the text of The Safe Cosmetics Act.  I have posted every segment of the bill along with commentary, feedback and the actual text of FDA and OHSA law that is referenced in H.R. 2359. 

Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 :: Cover, Table of Contents and Sec 611. Definitions
Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 :: Sec 612. Registration of Establishments and Registration Fees
Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 :: Sec 613. Ingredients Labels on Cosmetics
Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 :: Sec 614. Safety Standard and Good Manufacturing Practices
Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 :: Sec. 615 Cosmetic and Ingredient Safety Information
Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 :: Sec. 616. Lists of Ingredients and Required Responses
Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 :: Sec. 617. Treatment of Cosmetics Based on Ingredient Lists
Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 :: Sec. 618 Treatment of Contaminants
Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 :: Sec. 619 Cosmetic and Ingredient Statements
Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 :: Sec. 620 Notifications, Nondistribution, and recall of Audulterated adn Mislabeled Cosmetics
Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 :: Sec. 621 Petitions
Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 :: Sec. 622 Mandatory Reporting of Adverse Health Effects
Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 :: Sec. 623 Nonconfidential Information
Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 :: Sec. 624 Animal Testing
Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 :: Sec. 625 Product Testing and Review Audit, Sec. 626 Resources for Small Businesses, Sec. 627 Interagency Cooperation, Sec. 628 Savings Clause
Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 :: Sec. 629 Authorization of Appropriations
Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 :: Sec. 3 Workers Issues

Please take the time to carefully review the bill before throwing the support of small businesses.   IIt is my firm belief that the bill is fundamentally flawed and could not go through enough revisions to gain Essential Wholesale’s support.  For that reason, we oppose H.R. 2359.

Comments

[Playdayaftect]

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[Pandora Beads]

Thanks Brianne -- it must be a typepad problem because I went and fixed everyone of them and they still aren't working...these post are all up in in order today and you will have to follow from www.essentialu.typepad.com until we can fix the problem.

[Dennis Fioravanti]

Essential Oils are well known to be far safer than the chemically synthetic fragrance oils and most essential oils are cold pressed, not solvent extracted. Maybe pointing out just those that are will further your agenda but most Aromatherapists know that solvent extracted EO's or Absolutes only represent 5% or less of the commercially available EO's on the market.

[J. Deliman]

Solvent extraction in essential oil manufacture

Essential oils can be extracted by using solvents such as petroleum ether, methanol, ethanol or hexane and is often used on fragile material such as jasmine, hyacinth, narcissus and tuberose, which would not be able to handle the heat of steam distillation.

Essential oils can be as problematic as other substances.
Light sensitivity, and allergic reactions are common as they are
Plant substances. Many people are reckless with the use of essential oils, that does not mean that by using them they should be considered safe.

[Sue Sawhill Apito]

Facebook page created:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Discuss-the-Safe-Cosmetics-Act-2011-HR2359/134096183338597

[Julie P]

No way am I supporting this! I'm posting links on craftserver and I hope the people there will take the time to get educated and then raise a fuss.

[Margie Lemons]

Thank you for the breakdown, your work made it much easier reading and interpret. A couple of your comments even made me laugh, a lot of thanks for them!

[Anya]

Kayla, the Natural Perfumers Guild, which has over 125 USA- based members (the rest are international) joins you in opposing the SCA that was released today, July 4, 2011. I thought I read somewhere about a petition to sign, but I can't find it. Please let me know if there's anything else I can do.

[Sue Sawhill Apito]

All most people read are the Facebook posts cheering this Bill. It is expertly marketed and advertised as "the" way to make sure we are not being poisoned or exposed to toxic cosmetics by manufacturers - large and small - whose only motivation is to fool us into being customers. According to them.

But the public are being fooled by the advertising and marketing of this Bill.

I believe there are ingredients in some cosmetics that are harmful, either to our health or the environment. But this Bill is NOT the way to eliminate them. This Bill is a perfect example of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Example, I have been outspoken about synthetic fragrances; I think they need to be treated as the pollutant and hazard that they are, regulated and labeled and warned about just like cigarettes are today.

This bill would allow manufacturers to petition to keep things like fragrances as "trade secrets" just like they do now. That is a HUGE loophole!

If the EWG and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics had put their donors funds and grant money (many millions of dollars a year by the way) toward actually testing some of the cosmetic ingredients that they consider to be, to use their words "suspected hazards", why not just fund testing of those ingredients instead of try to overhaul the FDA?

The FDA just had their funding reduced by millions and millions of dollars. The safety of our food is now at risk. I'd rather know my food is safe, than my moisturizer because I know I could die tonight from unsafe food. No one has ever died from using a moisturizer.

But lets say you believe the "suspected hazards" really are hazardous. Don't buy the product. It's that easy.

There are very few cosmetics people "need" to use. Clean with soap. No hazards there even though the SkinDeep database would have you worry about the lye in soap...there is no lye left in soap after it transforms the oils and water into soap and glycerin.

Worried about your shampoo? Buy USDA Certified Organic shampoo. Same for moisturizer. If you really are that concerned about "suspected hazards" then do your research and decide for yourself if you are willing to take the risk.

If not, there are plenty of options. No one "needs" to wear make-up.

But people "need" to eat and the food supply in this country needs to be as safe as possible. I'd much rather see the FDA concentrate on that than cosmetics; because everyone has the right to safe food.

So if you are opposed to the Safe Cosmetic Bill -- speak up. Tell the people at the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics that their Bill is not the answer.

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/ewg.skindeep

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/safecosmetics

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/saferchemicals

[Brianne]

Thank you Kayla, for putting so much of your own time into this. Thank you and the others at personalcaretruth for putting so much work into informing people of the facts. It's value is immeasurable.

[BD....]

Wow...as a homecrafter of artisan soap and skincare using your bases-which are the best in my opinion..this bill has me terrified for myself and other smallcrafters whose love for all things natural and handmade and are responsible crafters. How could this bill possibly help small businesses or anyone at that I hope it never passes and you have my full support Essential Wholesale..please help us small crafters....

[Kayla]

Thanks Brianne -- it must be a typepad problem because I went and fixed everyone of them and they still aren't working...these post are all up in in order today and you will have to follow from www.essentialu.typepad.com until we can fix the problem.

[Brianne]

The links seem to be broken. They are not working for me.