WASHINGTON – Scott Faber, EWG’s senior vice president for government affairs, issued the following statement on the introduction of the Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act of 2019 by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.):
Cosmetics companies can add just about any chemical to cosmetics and other personal care products, and many of these chemicals have been linked to cancer and reproductive harm. Cosmetics legislation has not been updated in more than 80 years. Now, thanks to the ongoing leadership of Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Congress has never been closer to reforming our broken cosmetics safety laws.
In particular, EWG applauds Rep. Schakowsky for continuing to make cosmetic ingredients disclosure a priority for the cosmetics reform legislation being developed by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Consumers have the right to know whether these everyday products contain ingredients which may cause allergic reactions or which have been linked to cancer or reproductive harm. As the Energy and Commerce Committee develops cosmetics reform legislation, we hope legislators will make ingredient disclosure a priority.
EWS also applauds Rep. Schakowsky for making the health impacts of cosmetics on people of color a priority for the Food and Drug Administration. As EWG found in 2016, products being marketed to black women are more likely to contain toxic ingredients.
For more information on cosmetics legislation, visit https://www.ewg.org/key-issues/consumer-products/cosmetics
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The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.
