WASHINGTON - Last night, the reality television show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” featured Kourtney Kardashian describing her routine use of EWG’s Healthy Living app and our consumer databases like Skin Deep® to score the personal care products and the food she chooses for her family.
In April, Kardashian joined EWG President Ken Cook on Capitol Hill to brief reporters and congressional staffers on the need for reform of the nation’s cosmetics law, which has remained largely unchanged since 1938.
“Most Americans assume that the personal care products they use every day are safe,” said Nneka Leiba, director of EWG’s healthy living science program. “But the Food and Drug Administration does not even require safety testing of ingredients in personal care products before they are put on the market.”
During the episode, Kardashian revealed that she tried to avoid chemicals of concern after she had her first child, Mason.
“It’s really crazy that it’s up to us to do the research and figure it out,” said Kardashian.
Under current law, cosmetics companies can put just about any ingredient in personal care products.
But many cosmetics companies, large and small, and public health organizations like EWG agree that the FDA should have the power to review ingredients of concern and the tools necessary to oversee the personal care products industry.
Legislation introduced by Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, and by Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., would give the FDA the power to review controversial chemicals and determine whether those ingredients are safe, safe at certain levels or unsafe. The bills also give the FDA the ability to recall and stop production of products that pose serious health risks to consumers. The bills also authorize the FDA to collect industry fees to finance the agency’s safety reviews and oversight.
While at the Capitol, Kardashian met with Pallone.
“You know I have two daughters,” said Pallone. “As they were growing up, they always assumed if they were buying something, somebody had looked at it and said that it was safe. And when I told them, ‘That’s not true,’ they asked, ‘How can that be?’”
In addition, cosmetics companies and EWG believe that companies should take steps to reduce the risk of contamination and report adverse events, and that the FDA should have the power to suspend production and recall products when products pose serious risks to consumers.
“Kourtney reaches millions of Americans who are equally concerned about our chemical safety laws. We are so grateful she lent her voice to this fight,” said Jocelyn Lyle, EWG’s vice president for development.
