Personal Care Products Industry Shares Goal with Governor Brown to Protect Consumer & Animal Welfare in California

For Immediate Release

Contact:       

Lisa Powers, (202) 466-0489, powersl@personalcarecouncil.org
Jewel Jones, (202) 454-0302, jonesj@personalcarecouncil.org

Washington, D.C. – The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) appreciates Governor Brown’s signing of Senate Bill 1249 (Galgiani), the California Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act – another step forward in product safety testing that considers consumer protection and animal welfare.

“On behalf of the 415,000 Californians employed by the personal care products industry and our coalition of health, labor, science, and business organizations, we thank Governor Brown for signing this important bill into law. The California Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act is pragmatic legislation that balances animal welfare, regulatory requirements, and decades of science,” said Lezlee Westine, President and CEO of the Personal Care Products Council.

SB 1249 bans the sale of personal care products developed using animal testing by the manufacturer or their direct suppliers after January 1, 2020. The bill makes important exemptions, including for products and ingredients already available for sale in California, for example, or those that need to comply with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or foreign governments’ testing requirements.

“The Personal Care Products Council and its member companies have worked with policy makers to achieve regulatory and scientific advancements that will move the world closer to eliminating the need for animals in product safety testing. For nearly four decades, both in the U.S. and globally, our companies have been at the forefront of the movement to develop viable alternative safety assessment methods, and we will continue to work towards this important charge,” Westine added.

When advocating for this legislation that advances animal welfare without sacrificing jobs and public health, PCPC was joined by a broad coalition, which included the United Food & Commercial Workers, California Retailers Association, California Chamber of Commerce, California Teamsters Public Affairs Council, California Manufacturers & Technology Association, the Congress of California Seniors, and the California Life Sciences Association, among many others.

Governor Brown’s signature on the final version of the California Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act achieves critical goals to:

  • Keep existing products on California’s shelves by applying the law only to new products and ingredients that come to market after January 1, 2020;
  • Protect public health by making select exemptions for products that undergo animal testing mandated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or other regulators;
  • Hold personal care products manufacturers accountable for ensuring animal testing is not performed by their direct suppliers;
  • Allow California companies to continue operating in international markets;
  • Protect 415,000 California jobs in the personal care products industry; and
  • Allow Californians to continue using the personal care products they rely on every day.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

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Based in Washington, D.C., the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) is the leading national trade association representing global cosmetics and personal care products companies. Founded in 1894, PCPC’s approximately 600 member companies manufacture, distribute and supply the vast majority of finished personal care products marketed in the U.S. As the makers of a diverse range of products millions of consumers rely on and trust every day – from sunscreens, toothpaste and shampoo to moisturizer, lipstick and fragrance – personal care products companies are global leaders committed to product safety, quality and innovation.

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Statement by Alex Kowcz, Chief Scientist Personal Care Products Council On Breast Cancer Prevention Partners’ New Report

For Immediate Release 

Contact: 

Jewel Jones, (202)454-0302, jonesj@personalcarecouncil.org
Jamie Kurke, (202)454-0316, kurkej@personalcarecouncil.org

Washington, D.C. – “Contrary to claims in this report, all cosmetic and personal care products manufacturers are required by law to demonstrate the safety of their products and the ingredients in those products before they are available for purchase and used in the homes of millions of families.  Our member companies take this responsibility for safety very seriously and safety assessments are grounded in the best science available.

“The Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP) report is one more example of misleading information presented as scientific data and taken out of context. It misrepresents the properties of many of the ingredients cited in the report when they have been safely used for decades. The report further neglects to mention reviews that have been conducted by authoritative bodies in the U.S. and around the world that have determined safe levels of use for these ingredients.  Examples of well-studied ingredients that the report identifies as ‘hazardous’ include tocopherol (vitamin E) and oleic acid (a fatty acid occurring naturally in animal and vegetable fats and oils).

“Consumers have a right to know the facts about the products and ingredients they use but they also have a right to understand.  We share the full list of ingredients used in personal care products and we include safety information on our consumer website www.cosmeticsinfo.org.  Our strong belief in right to know and right to understand is also why many of our member companies share fragrance ingredient information on their websites – we believe people need to make informed choices about their products. It is wholly inaccurate to conflate ingredient labeling with toxicity.

“BCPP’s report reinforces its lack of understanding of the rigorous scientific processes used by our member companies to assure the safety of personal care products. Many ingredients can be linked to adverse conditions if present in very high amounts.  This does not mean the presence of that same substance at very low levels in a product poses a health risk; no information on levels of ingredients or impurities in the tested products is provided in the BCPP report.  Other critical factors that would provide consumers with the proper perspective are glaringly absent from this report.

“It’s unfortunate that the Breast Cancer Prevention Partners use misinformation and false allegations to needlessly scare consumers.  Consumers should feel confident that the ingredients used in the products they enjoy have been thoroughly assessed by both industry safety experts and independent scientists around the world.  Families can continue to enjoy these products as our industry remains committed to safety, quality, and innovation.”

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For more information on cosmetics and personal care products, please visit www.CosmeticsInfo.org.

Based in Washington, D.C., the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) is the leading national trade association representing global cosmetics and personal care products companies. Founded in 1894, PCPC’s approximately 600 member companies manufacture, distribute and supply the vast majority of finished personal care products marketed in the U.S. As the makers of a diverse range of products millions of consumers rely on and trust every day – from sunscreens, toothpaste and shampoo to moisturizer, lipstick and fragrance – personal care products companies are global leaders committed to product safety, quality and innovation.

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Statement by Francine Lamoriello, EVP, Global Strategies Personal Care Products Council Regarding the Impact of Additional Tariffs on Imports from China on the Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Industry

September 18, 2018

Contact: 

Lisa Powers, (202) 466-0489, powersl@personalcarecouncil.org
Jewel Jones, (202) 454-0302, jonesj@personalcarecouncil.org

Washington, D.C. – “Following the Administration’s announcement about imposing additional tariffs on imports from China, the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) and its member companies remain strongly opposed to any policy that results in increased tariffs on cosmetics and personal care products. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) proposed list of tariffs, as it currently stands, will severely undermine U.S. interests and do nothing to advance the Administration’s policy goals. This is particularly true for the personal care products industry.

“Open markets help companies develop and provide the innovative products that consumers around the world trust and enjoy. These actions by the U.S. Administration against China would undermine the long term competitiveness of our industry, which is significantly dependent on global trade. This will not only hurt our industry but U.S. consumers as well.

“We urge the Administration to engage in discussions with the Chinese Government at the earliest possible date to resolve outstanding issues and to dismantle the increased tariffs that have been announced by both sides.”

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Based in Washington, D.C., the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) is the leading national trade association representing global cosmetics and personal care products companies. Founded in 1894, PCPC’s approximately 600 member companies manufacture, distribute and supply the vast majority of finished personal care products marketed in the U.S. As the makers of a diverse range of products millions of consumers rely on and trust every day – from sunscreens, toothpaste and shampoo to moisturizer, lipstick and fragrance – personal care products companies are global leaders committed to product safety, quality and innovation.

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Personal Care Products Council on California Assembly Bill 2775 Regarding Professional Product Labeling

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:   

Lisa Powers, (202) 466-0489, powersl@personalcarecouncil.org
Jewel Jones, (202) 454-0302, jonesj@personalcarecouncil.org

Washington, D.C. – “The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) and its member companies were early supporters of legislation in California (Assembly Bill 2775) that would require professional cosmetic products, manufactured for sale in salons in California, to include labeling that satisfies all of the requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the federal Fair Packaging and Labeling Act.  PCPC and its member companies are pleased that it will soon be enacted into law.

“Our members have a long-standing commitment to safety and transparency, and informing product users about the ingredients in professional products is yet another step in our effort to live up to this continued commitment.

“Providing ingredient information on the label will allow easier access to this information and will essentially codify what the industry has been doing for more than two decades. Nearly 20 years ago, PCPC instituted a voluntary program to provide the same ingredient information available to retail consumers to professional use products.

“We appreciate Assembly Members Kalra, Carrillo, Maienschein, Waldron, and Gonzalez Fletcher, for their leadership on this issue and thank Governor Brown for signing the bill into law.”

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For more information on cosmetics and personal care products, please visit www.CosmeticsInfo.org.

Based in Washington, D.C., the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) is the leading national trade association representing global cosmetics and personal care products companies. Founded in 1894, PCPC’s approximately 600 member companies manufacture, distribute and supply the vast majority of finished personal care products marketed in the U.S. As the makers of a diverse range of products millions of consumers rely on and trust every day – from sunscreens, toothpaste and shampoo to moisturizer, lipstick and fragrance – personal care products companies are global leaders committed to product safety, quality and innovation.

 

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