Statement by Lezlee Westine, President and CEO, Personal Care Products Council, on the U.S. House of Representatives Passage of H.R. 5, The Equality Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS:     

Lisa Powers, (202) 297-1232, powersl@personalcarecouncil.org 
Stefanie Harrington, (202) 615-6558, harringtons@personalcarecouncil.org
Jamie Kurke, (202) 258-5285, kurkej@personalcarecouncil.org

Washington, D.C. – “The Personal Care Products Council applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the Equality Act. This legislation sets a clear federal standard that enables individuals to succeed based on their abilities and qualifications to perform a job. It also amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to affirm explicit protections for sexual orientation and gender identity — a critical step toward ensuring LGBTQ Americans equal treatment with dignity and respect.

“The cosmetics and personal care products industry believes that every LGBTQ American deserves the right of equal opportunity and should never be discriminated against in the workplace or community.

“We urge the U.S. Senate to follow the House’s lead and pass this critical legislation as quickly as possible, making these protections the law of the land.”

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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 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, makeup and fragrance – personal care products companies are global leaders committed to product safety, quality and innovation.

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Let’s Do Better

By Esi Eggleston Bracey
Chief Operating Officer, EVP Beauty & Personal Care for Unilever North America
Board of Directors Member, Personal Care Products Council

Over the past year, we’ve seen a societal outcry for racial justice like we have never seen in our lifetimes. And as we reflect on the importance of Black History Month, it’s a reminder that we all have a role to play in creating a more equitable society and helping to end systemic racism. Actions speak louder than words and people are demanding that brands take action. People are taking notice and voting with their dollars. Consumers are looking to buy brands that take a stand and act on issues that are important to them.

Often, I receive questions from brand leads like, “When is the right time to act?” or “Do I have my house in order?” If we waited for everyone to get their houses in order before taking action, we would be waiting a very long time. My perspective is no, brands do not need to wait to have their houses in order before taking action. You can multitask – commit to taking meaningful action and work on your internal changes at the same time.

At Unilever, we know that our portrayals of beauty, the ecosystem of developing products, creating content and sharing stories can change lives – negatively and positively. We want to make a positive impact in the world. We want to be the beauty company that makes the most impact on people, communities and planet, and we know we have a critical role to play in creating an equitable society which is intolerant of intolerance. We know that beauty and race have a long, intertwined history, which gives us the extraordinary opportunity to evolve how we reach, impact, serve and represent beauty in our brands. It has always been something at the core of what we believe in at Unilever. That’s why our work on Dove and its co-founding of the CROWN Coalition in support of the CROWN Act, Vaseline’s work to improve skin equity, and Shea Moisture’s commitment to invest in the Black community and Black female entrepreneurs is more important than ever before. 

The first step is acknowledging where your brand sits on this journey. It’s important to own your current state – wherever you are on your journey. This requires being brave and risking being vulnerable. Truly commit to doing better and use it as an opportunity to commit to what the future looks like and build a specific and transparent plan to get there.

When it comes to products, think about what you are creating or putting out into the world. It is one thing to make something that is intended to show your stance, which can be perceived as performative. It’s another thing to develop products that are intended to actually serve the Black community.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed so many areas of inequity. Brands should ask themselves how they can help and where they have the right to play. Get specific about where racism is showing up. There are so many areas that the pandemic has illuminated: images and stereotypes, health inequities, economic inequity and disparity. Break down the problems that need to be solved and assess where your brand can make a meaningful difference. Not all brands can have the same impact in all areas.

As we look to the future, we need to evaluate how we can make the biggest impact and more fully address the needs of the Black community, which has been marginalized. Also, let’s actually move a step beyond being allies for the Black community and actually become active advocates for equity and systemic change through meaningful commitments and deliberate action. Making this change will require each of us to grow and evolve together. We are stronger together. I truly believe that together we can change the world. Let’s do it. 

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Message from President & CEO Lezlee Westine about COVID-19, Feb. 16, 2021

For more than a year, the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged all of us in unprecedented ways, but we can see a light at the end of the tunnel with the development and distribution of multiple vaccines. Our industry, our nation and indeed our world will continue to persevere and endure until the last traces of COVID-19 are gone.

The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) and its member companies worked together to respond to the virus and ensure families have access to the safe, essential products they trust and rely on every day. 

PCPC’s Board established a COVID-19 Task Force to provide strategic direction and guide priorities in the following areas:  

  • Business Continuity: Advocated with global, federal, state and local governments to designate our industry and supply chains as “critical” and our workers as “essential,” and addressed a national shortage related to hand sanitizer manufacturing;
  • Communications Strategy: Provided updated resources and information about the virus and industry’s response to members, consumers and other key stakeholders through our online COVID-19 Command Center; and
  • Call to Action: Encouraged and coordinated charitable monetary and in-kind donations from member companies to hospitals, community clinics, medical and emergency professionals, first responders and industry employees. 

On behalf of its member companies, PCPC secured “essential” designation of personal care product manufacturers or products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and advocated with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Critical Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA) for the designation of “personal care and hygiene products” as COVID-19 critical infrastructure, which most states and localities across the country adopted. PCPC advocated these same principles globally with our international sister associations. These designations are critical and helped many of our members maintain operations and production.

To address the national shortage of hand sanitizers, PCPC worked with FDA and members of Congress to allow non-traditional manufacturers to convert manufacturing lines to produce hand sanitizer and address the critical shortage, producing and donating more than 20 million units. To connect buyers and sellers of hand sanitizer materials, PCPC created the Hand Sanitizer Connection program, a program with more than 193 companies and nearly 4,000 matches.

PCPC advocated for business economic assistance for its member companies, and shared information about federal government programs including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Federal Reserve lending programs and Economic Injury Disaster loans.

As circumstances evolve, PCPC continues to monitor and communicate updates to its members on changes in U.S. and global regulations, government policies and other information necessary for business continuity. We continue to engage with government agencies and other trade associations to promote uninterrupted critical infrastructure, active and safe supply chains, and availability of important products.  

The COVID-19 Command Center, members-only section of PCPC’s website, and our science and safety website, Cosmetics Info.org, provide up-to-date information including a comprehensive FAQ.

In addition to PCPC’s resources, the following organizations provide information on ways to protect your health and well-being and alleviate financial concerns: 

Health & Wellness Information 

 Business & Finance Information 

We hope you, your families and your communities continue to stay healthy and safe.  And we will continue to work together toward recovering from this crisis.

Read more from Lezlee Westine

April 2, 2020

March 20, 2020

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Study Demonstrates Environmental Risk Assessments on Coral Reefs Are Insufficient

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS:     

Stefanie Harrington, (202) 615-6558, harringtons@personalcarecouncil.org
Jamie Kurke, (202) 258-5285, kurkej@personalcarecouncil.org

Study Demonstrates Environmental Risk Assessments on Coral Reefs Are Insufficient
Researchers Find Lack of Evidence that UV Sunscreen Filters are Significantly Impacting Corals

Washington, D.C. – A newly published critical scientific review by environmental scientists from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) Chesapeake Biological Laboratory and the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) shows that ultraviolet (UV) sunscreen filters pose a minimal risk to coral. In addition, it underscores the need for further research to allow the scientific community to form a consensus based on reliable studies.

Carys Mitchelmore, Ph.D., professor, UMCES; Emily Burns, Ph.D., environmental scientist, PCPC; Andrew Heyes, Ph.D., associate research professor, UMCES; Annaleise Conway, graduate research assistant, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory; and Iain Davies, Ph.D., director of PCPC’s environmental science programs, co-authored the study, “Organic UV Filters in the Marine Environment: A Critical Review and Analysis of Coral Exposure, Hazard and Risk,” published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.

Degradation of the world’s coral reefs is a serious concern and evaluating the impact of UV filters is critically important. This comprehensive review of coral toxicity data and environmental monitoring of UV filter levels near coral reefs suggests that these filters do not pose a significant risk to corals residing in marine habitats, based on current data.

“Corals are faced with multiple physical, biological and chemical stressors, and currently there is very limited scientific data on the role that UV filters have on causing harm to the reefs,” said Mitchelmore. “That is why this review is so important. Scientists from academia, government and industry need to work together to best determine which stressors are most damaging to reefs to prioritize the most effective management and regulatory actions at the local through global scales.”

The review highlights major data gaps and also data reliability issues with several high-profile coral toxicity studies that have been used to justify several recent state sunscreen/UV filter restrictions. It is important that policymakers and regulators are aware of such data deficiencies before making any future environmental management decisions. Given the limited body of science currently available, the UMCES and PCPC authors provide research recommendations that will help to provide the data needed to conduct a conclusive risk assessment and help the scientific community reach a consensus on the environmental safety of UV filters.

“It is crucial to conduct robust environmental risk assessments for UV filters, and a key part of this work is ensuring the scientific community has comprehensive, reliable datasets. PCPC’s scientists are committed to working with experts from industry, academia, government and NGOs to achieve this goal through innovative environmental research,” Davies stated.

To date, there is no convincing scientific evidence that under naturally occurring conditions, UV sunscreen filters contribute to the degradation of coral reefs. According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Coral Reef Conservation Program, coral reefs are threatened by an increasing array of impacts – primarily climate change, disease, coastal development, and a number of chemical contaminants from agricultural and other land-based sources.

Finally, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer, with one in five people in the U.S. expected to be diagnosed within their lifetime. Ninety percent of non-melanoma skin cancers are associated with exposure to UV radiation from the sun. Sunscreens are a proven preventative barrier to the harmful effects of solar radiation. Making environmental impact decisions on sunscreens based on insufficient scientific data can lead to unintended health consequences, such as fewer available sunscreens and an increase in the prevalence of skin cancer.

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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 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, makeup and fragrance – personal care products companies are global leaders committed to product safety, quality and innovation.

More from PCPC