Schakowsky Leads Lawmakers in Letter to FDA Requesting Status of Regulations from Landmark Cosmetic Law

Full Text of Letter (PDF)

WASHINGTON - Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), author the Safer Beauty Bill Package, led seven lawmakers in a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), requesting updates on the status of three regulations the agency is required to promulgate by the Modernization of Cosmetic Regulation Act, which include the draft rule titled Testing Methods for Detecting and Identifying Asbestos in Talc-Containing Cosmetic Products and the yet-to-be-released draft regulations on fragrance allergen disclosure and good manufacturing practices.

"We write today to ask about the status of various rules the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is required to issue by the Modernization of Cosmetic Regulation Act (MoCRA), passed as part of the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act," the lawmakers wrote. "By enacting the first major reforms to cosmetic regulation since the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act was signed into law in 1938, MoCRA should be a meaningful step to protecting consumers."

The average American adult uses about 12 personal care products a day, with ten percent of adults using more than 25 products a day. Children are also exposed to products containing risky chemicals during critical stages of childhood development. As these products range from toothpaste to makeup, it is easy for companies to conceal harmful chemicals that risk American livelihoods. Chemicals in beauty and personal care products have been linked to cancer, infertility, poor infant and maternal health outcomes, asthma, and many other serious health concerns. Women of color are disproportionately exposed to these harmful chemicals due to workplace conditions. The delays in implementing MoCRA allows companies to continue marketing products with concerning ingredients.

For over a decade, Congresswoman Schakowsky has fought tirelessly to pass further legislation that creates a robust regulatory framework for cosmetics and personal care products. The efforts focus on closing major loopholes in federal law that allow companies to use nearly any ingredient in these products-even chemicals that are known to harm human health and the environment like coal tar dyes, formaldehyde, lead acetate, parabens, and phthalates.

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