For the second time in 40 years a House subcommittee is holding a hearing centered on personal care product safety, and Beautycounter founder and CEO Gregg Renfrew is testifying as an expert witness. Personal care products are still largely unregulated–with the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act of 1938 being the most recent major legislation–despite beauty being a $90 billion industry.
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Beautycounter supports legislation allowing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to screen personal-care product ingredients, recall dangerous products and require more transparency on labels. Since launching the company in 2013, Renfrew has advocated for cosmetic reform in Washington D.C. and state capitols.
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The hearing, entitled, “Building Consumer Confidence by Empowering FDA to Improve Cosmetic Safety,” will explore consumer protection in connection to the FDA’s role in the personal-care product safety arena.
It will be held by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Health and led by chairwoman Anna Eshoo and ranking member Michael Burgess.
“Today's hearing marks a monumental day for consumers,” said Renfrew. “When I launched Beautycounter, my goal was to get safer products into the hands of everyone. After nearly seven years of advocating for better beauty laws in both Washington, DC, and state capitols, Beautycounter is proud to share why cosmetic safety reform is so important for today's consumer, the beauty industry, and future generations.”
Renfrew continued, “It's been over 80 years since Congress has passed comprehensive legislation that would protect consumers from harmful ingredients in personal-care and beauty products. As the CEO of a manufacturer of products, I believe it's our duty to use the safest ingredients possible. In today's under-regulated beauty market, however, doing so is extremely challenging. We applaud the leadership of chairman Pallone, ranking member Walden, and representative Shimkus in taking steps to allow the FDA to review ingredients for safety before they make their way into beauty products.”
She added, “Beautycounter looks forward to partnering with the members of the Energy and Commerce Committee to pass bipartisan legislation. I, on behalf of Beautycounter, our advocates, and our clean beauty movement, commit to mobilizing our community of millions to support this important public health issue.”
