Environmental Working Group: Cosmetics and personal care products exist in a 'regulatory black hole'
This week, the influential watchdog organization's senior vice president for government affairs implored the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to increase FDA's authority in the personal care sphere.
The stark lack of regulatory practices keeping U.S.-manufactured and imported cosmetics and personal care products safe to use would horrify many consumers. After all, these are the products they come into direct contact with daily—and repeated exposure to even the smallest amounts of toxic chemicals and contaminants can lead to serious health problems such as cancer in the long run.
With this in mind, the Environmental Working Group's Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Scott Faber faced the Subcommittee on Health on the morning of Dec. 4 to argue that the Federal Drug Administration needs to be empowered to crack down on the wild, wild West that is the U.S. personal care products industry. Summarized below are his main arguments.