Statement by Lezlee Westine, President and CEO, Personal Care Products Council, on the Congressional Passage of INFORM Consumers Act


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS:     

Lisa Powers, powersl@personalcarecouncil.org, (202) 297-1232
Stefanie Harrington, harringtons@personalcarecouncil.org, (202) 615-6558      

Statement by Lezlee Westine, President and CEO, Personal Care Products Council,
on the Congressional Passage of INFORM Consumers Act

Washington, D.C. — “The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) and our member companies applaud Congress for passing legislation that addresses the critical and growing risk posed by online sales of stolen and counterfeit consumer products, including cosmetics and personal care products. The Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers (INFORM Consumers) Act protects consumers by verifying the identities of high-volume sellers.

“We commend Sens. Bill Cassidy and Dick Durbin, along with Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Gus Bilirakis, for their leadership and commitment to producing a bipartisan bill that limits the online sale of stolen, counterfeit and dangerous consumers products in online marketplaces, requiring them to collect information of high-volume, third-party sellers and disclosing it to shoppers and law enforcement. 

“PCPC’s member companies invest substantial resources to ensure the safety and quality of their products and that those products meet federal and state safety and quality requirements. Counterfeit cosmetics and personal care products are fraud — they damage businesses, drain the economy, and most importantly, threaten consumer health and safety. We strongly support best practices for online platforms to help ensure that products sold are authentic and safe.

“We look forward to continuing our engagement with Congress and other stakeholders to advance solutions designed to protect consumers when purchasing products from online marketplaces.”

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

Founded in 1894, the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) is the voice and advocate for 600 member companies representing the $484.1 billion global cosmetics and personal care products industry. PCPC’s members represent approximately 90% of the U.S. beauty industry and are some of the most beloved and trusted brands in beauty and personal care today. As the manufacturers, distributors and suppliers of a diverse range of products millions of consumers rely on every day – from sunscreens, toothpaste and shampoo to moisturizer, makeup and fragrance – PCPC’s member companies are global leaders committed to product safety, quality and innovation.

Personal Care Products Council Applauds Inclusion of Cosmetics Regulatory Reform in Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS:     

Lisa Powers, powersl@personalcarecouncil.org, (202) 297-1232
Stefanie Harrington, harringtons@personalcarecouncil.org, (202) 615-6558                      

Personal Care Products Council Applauds Inclusion of Cosmetics Regulatory Reform in Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 

Washington, D.C. — The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) and its member companies applaud Congress for including legislation that modernizes federal regulatory oversight of cosmetics and personal care products and creates a comprehensive and uniform national framework for cosmetics regulation. The long-awaited legislation advances product safety and innovation for the science-driven beauty and personal care industry and reinforces consumer confidence.

“We greatly appreciate Chairwoman Patty Murray, Ranking Member Richard Burr, Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr., and Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers for their leadership. This truly historic moment took over a decade, bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders to support a contemporary approach to cosmetics oversight and further strengthen consumer trust in the products they use every day,” said PCPC President and CEO Lezlee Westine. “This landmark legislation would not have been possible without their leadership and commitment.”

PCPC Executive Vice President of Government Affairs Karin Ross added: “We entered this process advocating for well-crafted, science-based federal reforms to enhance our industry’s ability to innovate and to modernize regulation that has largely been unchanged for 80 years. These members of Congress guided that process. Thanks to their leadership, the Food and Drug Administration will have the necessary tools to ensure consistent regulation of cosmetics and personal care products.”

Consumer and product safety are top priorities for the beauty and personal care industry. PCPC looks forward to working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and key stakeholders to implement this important legislation.

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Founded in 1894, the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) is the voice and advocate for 600 member companies representing the $484.1 billion global cosmetics and personal care products industry. PCPC’s members represent approximately 90% of the U.S. beauty industry and are some of the most beloved and trusted brands in beauty and personal care today. As the manufacturers, distributors and suppliers of a diverse range of products millions of consumers rely on every day – from sunscreens, toothpaste and shampoo to moisturizer, makeup and fragrance – PCPC’s member companies are global leaders committed to product safety, quality and innovation.

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

Op-Ed by Lezlee Westine, President and CEO Personal Care Products Council, on Cosmetics Reform


This op-ed originally appeared in The Opinion Pages on Dec. 1, 2022.

The Time for Cosmetics Reform is Now

Every day, millions of Americans use a variety of beauty and personal care products to enhance their lives — from sunscreen, toothpaste and shampoo to moisturizer, makeup and fragrance. The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) and its member companies are proud of the trust consumers place in our products. We take our responsibility to provide safe, high-quality products very seriously. Consumer and product safety are our top priorities, with careful and thorough scientific research and development serving as the foundation for everything we do.

Our sector has a long history of going above and beyond what is required by law. However, we recognize that the current oversight of our industry by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was created more than 80 years ago under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938.

It is time to bring personal care products regulation into the 21st century to reflect our dynamic, innovative and science-based industry. We firmly believe that well-crafted reforms, grounded in the best available science will provide the FDA with the appropriate tools to oversee our rapidly growing industry, help us continue innovating, and further strengthen consumer confidence in the products they trust and enjoy every day.

For more than a decade, PCPC and its member companies have worked with members of Congress, consumer and health care advocates, and other key stakeholders to reach bipartisan consensus to support a contemporary approach to cosmetics oversight. We applaud members of Congress for their work on the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA). This legislation will create a legislative framework that will bolster companies’ ability to innovate and enhance consumer confidence in the products they use and love.

Additionally, our sector contributes significantly to the U.S. economy. The beauty and personal care products industry provides 3.9 million domestic jobs and touches nearly every state, city and county. Women compromise 77% of our workforce. Our industry employs and consults with thousands of scientific, medical and technical experts devoted to studying the human and environmental impacts of our products and their ingredients. An updated, sensible regulatory approach can give these companies — 70% of them small businesses — the regulatory certainty they need to compete, grow and contribute to our nation’s economy, while ensuring consumers that their safety is protected and providing full transparency about the manufacture of their products.

We urge Congress to pass legislation to create a more modernized regulatory system for the beauty and personal care sector — one that will advance product safety and innovation and reinforce consumer trust. Now is the time to act.