How Will The Natural Cosmetics Act Define “Natural” Beauty?

On November 5th, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney introduced the Natural Cosmetics Act. The landmark bill will ensure that cosmetics labeling their products as “natural” must contain “70% percent natural substances, excluding water”. The bill will hold suppliers accountable through Carbon-14 testing. And, the FDA would have the authority to recall misbranded products.

“Right now, the FDA doesn’t consider it misbranding for companies to label products as ‘natural,’ even if they contain toxins like coal tar, asbestos, and other harmful chemicals. That’s just not right.”

Representative Sean Patrick Maloney

There Is No Definition of “Natural”

The word “natural” on personal care or cosmetic products can be confusing to consumers. There isn’t a concrete definition for the term. Under the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act the FDA has no authority to take a product off of the shelves if products are found to contain harmful chemicals. The Natural Cosmetics Act aims to change that. Brands labeling themselves as “clean”, “natural”, and “organic” should meet a clear set of standards to ensure that their labeling isn’t misleading.

“While words like ‘natural’ can signal a safer product, there are currently no industry standards.

Gregg Renfrew, Found of Beautycounter

The History Of Cosmetic Regulation…

There hasn’t been a major federal update to cosmetic regulation in more than eighty years. Under the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act mislabeling products as natural isn’t considered misleading.

At the time, the 1938 Act replaced a 1906 bill. That law came into effect after a series of products caused series illnesses in the early 1900s. One of them was Lash-Pure, an eyelash dye, that caused blindness in several women. Other products questioned for their safety were ‘wonder elixirs’ that promised to cure everything from diabetes to tuberculosis.

The same thing happened again in 1937 when a drug company added antifreeze to a product that killed 100s of people. Sadly, most of them were children. A year later, the 1938 bill, which had been languishing on the floor, was passed. The bill required that drugs to be labeled correctly. Food packaging had to meet enforceable safe standards. And, poisonous substances that were unsafe for human consumption were addressed.

All Americans deserve nothing less than full transparency and accountability from companies that market their products as ‘natural.’ 

Representative Grace Meng