Staking a Claim

Oct 27th, 2008

R. Rasmussen

The bottom line for any company is to make a profit, and one of the most obvious and visible ways to do this is to claim that their product provides everything the consumer wants.

Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, with a few exceptions, has no requirements for cosmetics to be labeled with either a manufacturing date, “best by” use date or PAO. Manufacturers are held responsible for making sure their products are safe.

Lessons in Labeling from Gefilte Fish

This article discusses manufacturing and expiration date regulations that should be incorporated into the cosmetics industry. The ideas for these regulations are inspired by a jar of gefilte fish eaten by the author.

One guideline is to include quantitative information from control groups; specifically, companies should fully describe the comparator used.

FDA Finalizes Guidance on DTC Drug, Biologicals Promotional Labeling

While cosmetics are not drugs, the industry could take inspiration from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) guidance from the Office of Prescription Drug Promotion on labeling direct-to-consumer (DTC) drugs and biological products.

This article was provided by Chemlinked and compiles information on the major countries that have regulations on fragrance allergen labeling and their specific labeling requirements.

[updated] Fragrance Allergen Labeling Requirements in 7 Regions + 45 EU Additions

This article from Chemlinked compiles information on major regions with regulations for fragrance allergen labeling and their requirements. Legislation in progress also is mentioned. [Update: On July 26, 2023, the EU added 45 new entries to the Annex.]

Sustainable Actives from ICSC’s Certified Precision Climate Farming

Sustainable Actives from ICSC’s Certified Precision Climate Farming

ICSC offers a range of sustainable active ingredients produced from plants grown in certified Precision Climate Farming facility in Denmark with zero chemicals, optimized level of actives, extracted with Greener Technology for efficacy and stability.

Product safety is paramount for fast-moving consumer goods such as cosmetics and personal care products. Recent recalls and class action suits highlight this fact.

Benzene, Methanol and Lead Headline Recent Class Actions and FDA Alerts

Methanol in hand sanitizers and lead in a baby skin care are cited in the latest U.S. Food and Drug Administration recall notices, while benzene content in dry shampoo and spray sunscreens persists among class action suits. Following is a roundup.

'As a leader in cruelty free beauty, we're celebrating this milestone and reflecting on the passionate hard work from our campaign partner, Cruelty Free International, our retail teams and of course, our activist customers.'

Canada Set to Ban Animal Testing for Cosmetics, Body Shop Responds

The Canadian government's proposed amendments in Budget 2023 will prohibit the sale of cosmetics that rely on new animal testing data or display misleading product labeling pertaining to animal testing.

As of March 20, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) final rule goes into effect, tightening the oversight and enforcement of the production, handling and sale of organic products.

Tighter Rules Now in Effect for USDA Organic Seal of Approval

The goal is to protect integrity in the organic supply chain and build trust in the USDA organic label by strengthening organic control systems, improving farm to market traceability and providing robust enforcement of USDA Organic regulations.

While some (if not many) of these allegations may be unfounded or misguided, it underscores the critical role of safety and toxicity testing even under non-typical product use conditions.

Unilever, J&J, Olaplex and L'Oreal Still Treading Legal Waters Over Lilial, Benzene

Olaplex, Redken, OGX, Dove, Nexxus, Suave, Tigi and Tresemmé brands are still making headlines as they tread legal waters over alleged Lilial and benzene content. Following are recent updates.

The company maintains it received an exemption from the animal testing requirement. The plaintiffs claim no records of such have been located.

John Paul Mitchell Hit with Suit Alleging False 'No Animal Testing' Claim

John Paul Mitchell Systems is facing a class action suit alleging its "no animal testing" promise was broken to meet regulatory requirements in China to gain access to the market.

These examples clearly call into question what it means to consumers when they see the 'reef friendly' claim on a label.

'Reef Friendly' Claims Put Hain Celestial, Hawaiian Tropic in the Hot Seat

While Edgewell's Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen was dismissed from the alleged deceptive claim of "reef friendly," Hain Celestial's Alba Botanica is still in the hot seat. How are reef safe claims being interpreted?

Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have submitted a proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under REACH. The ECHA will publish the detailed proposal, reportedly one of the broadest in the EU’s history, on Feb. 7, 2023.

ECHA Adds to Hazardous Chemicals List, Reviews PFAS and Classification Proposals

The ECHA has added one cosmetic-related ingredient to the "hazardous" list, and received a five-nation proposal to restrict PFAS and three intentions/proposals to harmonize classification of cosmetic-related substances. See which ones are named.