Message from President & CEO Lezlee Westine about COVID-19, April 2, 2020

As the COVID-19 emergency continues to affect us all, the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) and its member companies are working together, around the clock, to help mitigate the virus and ensure people have access to the safe, essential products they rely on. We know individuals and families trust and use our products every day – our brands provide a sense of comfort and normalcy in these challenging times.

PCPC serves as the industry’s voice with federal, state and local officials. We also are engaging with other organizations – such as the American Chemistry Council, American Cleaning Institute, Consumer Brands Association, Consumer Healthcare Products Association, Distilled Spirits Council, Fragrance Creators Association, and others – to ensure critical infrastructure remains uninterrupted, and supply chains remain active and safe.

As the cosmetics industry worked to address the nationwide hand sanitizer shortage, we successfully advocated for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow non-traditional manufacturers to produce hand sanitizers. Cosmetics and personal care products companies are refitting their factories to increase production and supply of products to help combat COVID-19. Over the next several weeks and months, our member companies will produce, among other items, more than 20 million units of hand sanitizer to be donated to hospitals; community clinics; medical and emergency professionals; first responders; industry employees; and made available to retail customers.

PCPC also advocated for key states to include the personal care and hygiene industry as essential businesses. California Governor Gavin Newsom updated the state’s guidance to identify personal care and hygiene product manufacturers as “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers.” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Empire State Development updated the essential business guidance to include products regulated by FDA. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Critical Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA) updated their COVID-19 critical infrastructure guidance to include “hygiene products.”

We are working with our members, through educational webinars and other communications vehicles, to share best practices and learn from those who experienced COVID-19 in other parts of the world. PCPC staff continually monitor and communicate changes in regulations, government policies and other information critical for our members to maintain business continuity.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was recently signed into law, providing significant economic relief opportunities for individuals and businesses, including new loan programs for small businesses. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will administer approximately $350 billion in loans, which can be forgiven if used for qualifying purposes, through the existing small business 7(a) loan program. If your company is interested in applying for these loans, or for any relief, you should contact your bank or learn more by visiting the Treasury Department’s website here.

To ensure consumers are kept up to date about the impact of COVID-19 with credible, factual information and recent actions we are taking, both the PCPC website and CosmeticsInfo.org, our science and safety website, now feature extensive COVID-19 sections, including a comprehensive an FAQ.

The following resources provide information on the best way to protect health and well-being and alleviate some of the financial concerns resulting from this emergency.

Health & Wellness Information

 Business & Finance Information

We will provide regular updates on this page and in the Members Only portion of the website as the situation changes.

We hope you, your families and your communities stay healthy and safe during these very difficult times.

Read more from Lezlee Westine

March 20, 2020