The Personal Care Products Council Statement on Plastic Microbeads in Cosmetic and Personal Care Products

“Today, the Illinois Environmental Council, the Alliance for the Great Lakes, the Chemical Industry Council of Illinois and the Personal Care Products Council, along with a large group of environmental, business and public interest groups announced an agreement to support Illinois Senate Bill 2727 sponsored by Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago), Vice Chair of the Committee on the Environment and Senator Linda Holmes (D- Aurora), Chair of the Committee on the Environment.  This bill will require a phase out, and ultimately, a ban in Illinois on the manufacture and sale of plastic micro beads used in personal care products.

“The nation’s personal care products companies have a longstanding commitment to environmental stewardship and the safety of their products.  Today’s announcement reflects our industry’s desire to work with all stakeholders on environmental concerns that are identified.

“Plastic micro beads are used in personal care cleansing products because of their exfoliating properties and excellent safety profile.  However, our industry shares a common interest with other stakeholders in protecting the environment, and we take questions regarding the presence of plastic micro beads in our waterways very seriously. While we believe plastic micro beads in personal care cleansing products are not a significant contributor, our industry is demonstrating leadership on this issue by publicly announcing plans to phase out the use of these ingredients.

“We are pleased to highlight our work with numerous stakeholders in the state of Illinois who are also committed to protecting the environment through responsible action, including state and local government officials, the Illinois Environmental Council, the Council for The Great Lakes and the Chemical Industry Council of Illinois.  Together, we are supporting legislation that will phase out the manufacture of personal care cleansing products containing plastic micro beads by December 31, 2017.

“We urge policy makers who are considering similar legislation in other states to review the work we have accomplished in Illinois with all sectors of the business community, including personal care product manufacturers, as we have sought to identify effective and realistic solutions.   

Our industry remains firmly committed to producing products that are safe for consumers, their families, and the environment.  We look forward to continuing this important dialogue with policy makers and other groups that share in our commitment to establish a plastic micro beads phase-out plan that is acceptable to the Illinois legislature while minimizing marketplace disruptions for consumers.”

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Study Demonstrates that Antibacterial Soaps Can Reduce Risk of Foodborne Illness– Research in Journal of Food Protection Finds Antibacterial Soap Significantly Reduces Risk of Illness Compared to Non-antibacterial Soap

Newly published research shows that the use of antibacterial soaps can reduce the spread of harmful bacteria – that often leads to foodborne illness – more effectively than using non-antibacterial soaps.

The research, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Food Protection (Vol. 77, No. 4, 2014, pp. 574-582), used new laboratory data, together with simulation techniques, to compare the ability of non-antibacterial and antibacterial products to reduce the risk of the infectious disease shigellosis, which is often spread during food preparation.

Lead researcher Donald Schaffner of Rutgers University’s Department of Food Science says the data show that the use of three antibacterial wash products result in a statistically significant reduction in the presence of Shigella (the bacterium that causes shigellosis) compared to the use of the non-antibacterial soaps.

“This exciting research blends quantitative microbial risk assessments with an impressive set of laboratory data to show that antibacterial treatments are more effective than non-antibacterial treatments in reducing disease,” said Dr. Schaffner.

In the study,163 subjects were used to compare two non-antibacterial products and three antibacterial products, with a study design intended to simulate food handling.   The participants’ hands were exposed to Shigella and then treated with one of the five products before handling food melon balls. The resulting levels of Shigella on the food were then measured.

The levels of Shigella were then used to predict the outcome from an event in which 100 people would be exposed to Shigella from melon balls that had been handled by food workers with Shigella on their hands.

The data show all three antibacterial treatments significantly lowered the concentration of Shigella compared to the non-antibacterial treatments. Based on this model, the paper predicted that by washing with the antibacterial treatments, the number of illnesses could be reduced tenfold.

“This research provides strong evidence that antibacterial soaps are significantly more effective than non-antibacterial soaps in reducing Shigella on the hands and its subsequent transfer to ready-to-eat foods,” the authors write.

The American Cleaning Institute and the Personal Care Products Council provided funding for the research as part of the groups’ ongoing commitment to product and scientific stewardship to affirm the safety and benefits of these products.

An abstract summarizing the paper, “Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment of Antibacterial Hand Hygiene Products on Risk of Shigellosis,” can be found online.

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Personal Care Products Council Announces Launch of the Personal Care Manufacturing Assessment Program (PCMAP)–Association Demonstrates Industry’s Continued Commitment to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)

The Personal Care Products Council (the Council) is pleased to announce the launch of a unique program specifically designed to assess the manufacturing processes for cosmetics and personal care products.   The Personal Care Manufacturing Assessment Program (PCMAP) was developed by the Council in partnership with SAI Global, an independent organization which provides conformity assessments for driving business improvement.  PCMAP offers the industry a unique tool to verify GMP conformance and a means for qualifying supplier capability.

The new, voluntary program demonstrates industry’s continued adherence to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).  Based on ISO 22716, the program covers quality aspects relating to production, control, storage and shipment of cosmetic products, ingredients or packaging components with the objective of meeting defined specifications at all stages of product development.

PCMAP is a diverse program.  Six categories have been created to provide assessment guidelines to the characteristics of the following business groups:

Category 1 – Manufacturer of Over the Counter (OTC) Drug Products

Category 2 – Manufacturer of Cosmetic Products

Category 3 – Manufacturer of Active Ingredients

Category 4 – Manufacturer of Excipients

Category 5 – Manufacturer of Cosmetic Ingredients

Category 6 – Manufacturer of Packaging Components

A PCMAP white paper is now available on the Council’s website which describes how the program works.  PCMAP is the result of a collaborative effort to manage supply chain integrity led by a working group within the Council’s Quality Assurance Committee.

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