Statement by the Personal Care Products Council on Benzene and Body Spray Products
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACTS:
Lisa Powers, powersl@personalcarecouncil.org, (202) 297-1232
Stefanie Harrington, harringtons@personalcarecouncil.org, (202) 615-6558
Jamie Kurke, kurkej@personalcarecouncil.org, (202) 258-5285
Washington, D.C. – “The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) is aware of the study reporting the presence of benzene in some antiperspirant and deodorant body spray products. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), benzene is formed from both natural processes and human activities and can be present at low levels in the environment. Benzene is not an intentionally added ingredient in body spray products; however, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as product manufacturers, are aware that it may be present in food and drug products at very low levels. The FDA offers guidance on the level of residual benzene in drug products in its companion document for the International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH), and PCPC strongly supports the FDA’s guidance and activities in monitoring for conformance to these recommendations.
“PCPC and its member companies are firmly committed to ensuring consumers have access to cosmetics and personal care products with ingredients that have been thoroughly tested for safety and follow the requirements of the law. There is nothing more important than safety. If our consumers can’t believe in a product and rely on it to do what it says, then nothing else matters.
“Deodorant and antiperspirant products and their ingredients must be shown to be safe before they can be marketed to consumers, like all cosmetics and personal care products. In the U.S., cosmetics are regulated by the FDA under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) and the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA). All cosmetic products and ingredients are subject to the same safety requirement under the FD&C Act: They must be safe for consumers under labeled or customary conditions of use. In addition, antiperspirants are regulated by the FDA as over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and must comply with all other requirements listed in the OTC antiperspirant monograph. Companies and individuals have a legal responsibility to ensure their products and ingredients are safe for the intended use.
“For more information about our industry, our products and the ingredients used in them, please visit www.cosmeticsinfo.org.”
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Founded in 1894, the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) is the voice and advocate for 600 member companies representing the $499.6 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.