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Most Cosmetics Sold In the U.S. Contain Toxins
Californians Deserve the Right to Know
Many cosmetic products contain chemicals known to cause cancer and birth defects. In 2002, a major national laboratory found phthalates (tha'-laytes), a class of chemicals linked to a variety of human health problems, in 52 of 72 cosmetic products tested, even though the chemical was not listed on the product ingredient labels. Senate Bill 484 (Migden), the California Safe Cosmetics Act of 2005, will establish a set of regulations to minimize the exposure to these chemicals that are known to cause birth defects, reduced sperm count, premature breast development, damage to the male reproductive system, asthma, and cancer.
People are estimated to use a range of from 9 to 25 cosmetic products per day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have consistently found that women of all ages are more heavily exposed than men, though these toxic chemicals can be found in a variety of cosmetic products from nail polish to deodorant. In recent tests of 2,450 people, the CDC found phthalates in the body of every woman of childbearing age who was tested. Fetuses exposed to phthalates through their mother’s exposure can have damaged reproductive systems, with the male reproductive system being particularly sensitive. Beauty care workers are the subpopulation most exposed to carcinogens and reproductive toxins in cosmetics. A 2001 study by the USC School of Medicine estimates that 19 percent of bladder cancers in Los Angeles County may be attributed to the use of permanent hair dyes that contain cancer-causing coal tar.
How SB 484 helps reduce Californians’ exposure to toxins in cosmetics:
- Requires the manufacturer of any cosmetic product made or sold in California to disclose to the Department of Health Services (DHS) any ingredients in their products that are known or suspected of causing cancer or reproductive toxicity.
- Authorizes DHS to investigate the health impacts of chemicals in cosmetics that are linked to cancer or birth defects.
- Requires DHS to investigate, when resources are available, the presence of chemicals in cosmetics that have been declared unsafe by the Cosmetics Ingredient Review panel.
There is no federal program to review cosmetic ingredients for safety prior to market and no system for establishing safe levels, as there is for prescription drugs or pesticides. Federal law technically requires cosmetic ingredients to be “substantiated for safety,” meeting that requirement is a responsibility of the manufacturer alone. Over the last three decades the European Union has developed a comprehensive list of chemicals in commerce that cause or are likely to cause cancer, mutations, or reproductive toxicity, known as CMR chemicals. In recent years EU health officials became alarmed at the number of CMR chemicals being used in cosmetic products, and the EU banned the use of any CMR chemicals in cosmetics. The California Safe Cosmetics Act is the first step toward reducing the exposure to toxic chemicals in cosmetics.
