Bill would amp up regulation of shampoo, deodorant and lotions

by Lydia Wheeler - 04/21/15 10:53 AM ET

Lawmakers introduced a bill this week that would require the Food and Drug Administration to investigate ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products to ensure their safety.

The Personal Care Products Safety Act, which Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) unveiled Monday, would force the FDA to review five potentially risky ingredients each year.

The first five ingredients to receive safety assessments include Diazolidinyl urea, which is used as a preservative in deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, bubble bath and lotion; lead acetate, which is used as a color additive in hair dyes; methylene glycol/formaldehyde, which is used in hair treatments; propylparaben, which is used as a preservative in shampoo, conditioner and lotion; and quaternium-15, which is used as a preservative in a shampoo, shaving cream, skin creams and cleansers.

The personal care product industry is projected to exceed $60 billion in U.S. revenue this year, but it has been 75 years since federal regulations on these products have been updated, Feinstein’s office said in a news release.

“From shampoo to lotion, the use of personal care products is widespread, however, there are very few protections in place to ensure their safety,” Feinstein said in a news release. “Europe has a robust system, which includes consumer protections like product registration and ingredient reviews.”

The bill would give the FDA the authority to stop companies from selling unsafe products and recall any products it deems dangerous. The agency would be able to require warning labels on products not suitable for children and those that should be professionally administered.

With approximately 40 percent of all personal care products purchased over the Internet, manufacturers would be required to post complete label information, including ingredients and product warnings, online. Manufacturers would also be required to register annually with the FDA and provide the agency with information on the ingredients used in their personal care products.