PCPC Publishes a Response to CSC Video

Posted: July 26, 2010

The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) has published a response to "The Story of Cosmetics," a video by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) alleging that cosmetic manufacturers formulate toxic chemicals into consumer products.

The video begins with the host referring to the bathroom as "a minefield of toxins." In response to the video, Kathleen Dezio states, "The content in this harsh and unscientific ‘shockumentary – genre’ video bears no relationship to the ‘real’ story of cosmetics. Our industry employs hundreds of men and women who have devoted their careers to substantiating the safety of cosmetic products. This video is an unfortunate attempt to generate fear about an alleged public health risk from cosmetics that is unwarranted. It is repugnant to suggest that cosmetic companies would manufacture, and the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) would allow them to market, products that are dangerous or contain toxins that cause cancer or any other disease. It is absurd to suggest that the men and women in our industry would market products that could cause harm to themselves and their families."

Throughout the course of the video, a number of large cosmetic manufacturers are referenced. For example, the video references Estée Lauder's cosmetic products that raise money for breast cancer, alleging that these products contain ingredients that cause breast cancer. To that comment, Dezio states, “The cheap attack in the video on industry philanthropy and the efforts of companies to champion various women's health-related causes is offensive. The personal care products industry gives more than $200 million in contributions to charitable causes each year, an amount almost twice that of any other industry in the manufacturing sector. In fact, through its Look Good…Feel Better program, the industry has helped 700,000 women in the U.S. overcome the appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment."

The video also mentions that Procter & Gamble's Herbal Essences brand contains toxic petrochemicals. It uses this point to further that products labeled as organic, herbal or natural often are not what they claim. 

The video continues that less than 20% of cosmetic ingredients have been tested for their safety by the FDA. It explains that while some of these chemicals are not harmful, many of them are carcinogenic or toxic to reproduction.