Cosmetic and Personal Care Products Companies Are Committed to Upholding Strict Regulations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Consumer safety is a top priority for cosmetics and personal care products companies, and manufacturers are committed to upholding strict FDA regulations as required by the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). The long-awaited Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) of 2022 adds significant new authorities to the FD&C Act, advances product safety and innovation for the science-driven beauty and personal care industry and reinforces consumer confidence. As a result, the FDA will have new tools to regulate cosmetics and personal care products consistently.
Cosmetics companies take their safety responsibility very seriously and often surpass the requirements of the law with additional consumer safety measures such as ingredient/formula selection, consumer and clinical evaluations, stability testing, labeling, quality control and secure packaging choices.
Consumers must have confidence in the products they use and trust every day. The U.S. cosmetics industry invests millions of dollars in scientific research and development to support the safety and efficacy of approximately 2,000 new products introduced each year. Companies employ thousands of medical and scientific professionals – including chemists, toxicologists, biologists, environmental scientists and other experts – to evaluate, substantiate and ensure product and ingredient safety.
Science and safety are the cornerstones of the industry.
As a result, of the billions of personal care products sold each year in the United States, there are very few adverse experiences reported to the FDA in a typical year. Of those reported, most are related to rashes or allergies. Cosmetics companies’ strong commitment to safety makes cosmetics and personal care products one of the safest product categories regulated by the FDA.
Cosmetics and personal care products companies have long provided more product, safety and technical information than required by law. Voluntary industry programs to support the FDA’s regulatory work included:
- The CIR: Cosmetic Ingredient Review
- Cosmetics Industry Consumer Commitment Code
- FDA/Company Registration Program
- Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary
The enactment of the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) of 2022 makes many of the industry’s voluntary activities mandatory, increasing transparency and giving greater assurance to consumers that their products are safe.