Cosmetics safety policies: How 8 retailers measure up
![Cosmetics safety policies: How 8 retailers measure up Cosmetics safety policies: How 8 retailers measure up](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt09e5e63517a16184/bltafc06db067aebac6/64cbf83cdb0bcc7a8de33eaa/NewHopeNetwork_Horizontal_RGB.png?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Ranking: 9 kisses Between its extensive list of prohibited ingredients, Premium Body Care Standards, safe private label value brand and transparency, Whole Foods was hands down the leader of the pack. The only areas for improvement, according to the report, are price point and Premium Body Care Standards consistency (requiring all products to meet them in order to avoid confusion). "The report really very deliberately focused on mainstream retail outlets with the exception of Whole Foods," said Janet Nudelman, one of the report’s authors and the director of program and policy at the Breast Cancer Fund. "Whole Foods was so clearly the leader in regards to the cosmetics safety issue that we felt okay holding up the mainstream retail outlets to the Whole Foods standard and the high bar they’ve raised."
Ranking: 5 kisses Leading the way for the mass retailers, CVS publicly recognizes that current FDA legislation is inadequate and the retailer continues to build space for safe alternatives. Plus, the retailer recently reformulated its private label baby products to eliminate common chemicals of concern. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics hopes CVS will improve all of its private label products and expand on its store-wide safety standards.
Ranking: 4 kisses With the launch of its new Ology line, Walgreens is showing awareness about safe cosmetics, and its shelves include a small selection of safer alternatives. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics hopes to see more transparency, more safe alternatives at all locations and an improved private label brand.
Ranking: 4 kisses Target's strength is in variety: It offers a range of natural brands, many of which have worked with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Many of its baby products are paraben free and the retailer seems to be moving towards improving overall safety of its products. However, it still hasn't made any public statement abut such efforts and hasn't eliminated chemicals from its private label brand, Up & Up.
Ranking: 3 kisses Walmart has made some significant efforts to clean up other product categories, particularly in household cleaning products and plastic products (such as water bottles and baby bottles). It uses a tool called GreenWERCS to evaluate chemicals in some consumer products but it hasn't addressed such issues for personal care with its private label products or other personal care product offerings.
Ranking: 3 kisses Some Kroger stores offer a variety of safer alternatives. However, the stores are not consistent, Kroger lacks a safety policy and its private label manufacturing does not address chemicals.
Ranking: 3 kisses Although Costco has limited natural offerings and an inadequate product safety policy, it has phased out chemicals of concern, including parabens and fragrances, from its private label offerings.
Ranking: 1 kiss With very few safer alternatives and no policy for screening products, Macy's has made the least progress of all retailers in the report. The department store even maintains that FDA's regulations are enough to protect consumers.
Ranking: 1 kiss With very few safer alternatives and no policy for screening products, Macy's has made the least progress of all retailers in the report. The department store even maintains that FDA's regulations are enough to protect consumers.
In its new report, Retailer Therapy, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics ranked some of the country's largest retailers for their safe-cosmetics practices based on three areas: policies and processes to eliminate chemicals of concern; availability of safer alternatives; and transparency. Each retailer is ranked on a scale of one to ten kisses.
Leader: 8 to 10 kisses
Making progress: 5 to 7 kisses
Shows potential: 3 to 4 kisses
Getting started: 2 kisses
Falling behind: 1 kiss
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