The FDA, Beautycounter, and the House Energy & Commerce Committee

Whew. When I say our voices matter, let me tell you… OUR VOICES MATTER. 

A large part of the reason Gregg, the CEO of Beautycounter, went the direct seller route was because of the impact individuals can have. Personal education and word of mouth is often more impactful than a giant corporate company’s message. 

As consultants we are proving that every day. This is such a powerful movement and Clean Beauty for Black Girls could not be more proud to be a part of that influence.

As a company that is only 6 years old, and one with a direct selling model, having the CEO testify as an expert witness at such a pivotal congressional hearing on cosmetic reform is HUGE. Period. 

The point of the hearing, held by the House Energy & Commerce Committee (Sub Committee - Health) was to review the crucial role the FDA stands to play in the protection of consumers when it comes to personal care product safety.

We’re talking about oversight of a fiercely growing $90 billion industry.

Empowering the FDA to improve cosmetic safety is a movement & it’s being fueled by every day humans, like you & me, who’ve decided we deserve better.

Beautycounter (and other companies like them) simply decided to take it a step further and create products as proof that you don’t have to give up functional, luxury, and/or beauty products in order to get safer. The truth is, that lie is dated.

And now Beautycounter is putting their money where their mouth is for everyone to see.

To put it frankly, if you honestly (I mean HONESTLY) thought this was about pushing another skincare line or a tube of lipstick, you could not have been more wrong.

And if you still don’t get it, you’re NOT paying ATTENTION.

This is not fear mongering. This is not scare tactics.

This is exposure of FACT. Listen, this is straight from the FDA during the hearing…..

Congress: Can the FDA require a review of baby lotion safety before it comes to market?

FDA: NO

Congress: Can the FDA require the manufacturer NOT to use toxic ingredients, for example Formaldehyde, in its baby lotion?

FDA: NO

Congress: Is the manufacturer required to register with the FDA before selling its baby lotion?

FDA: NO

Congress: Once the baby lotion comes to market, does the FDA require safety information about the baby lotion?

FDA: NO

Congress: If that baby lotion has caused bad reactions in babies, can the FDA require a recall?

FDA: NO

Congress: If the manufacturer is aware of a baby's bad reactions will the manufacturer be required to report that to the FDA?

FDA: NO"

One would have thought that baby products would be under more scrutiny.

Thoughts? Because you can’t not know this stuff now. 

Here are a few things that stuck out to me as I listened to the almost 3 hour hearing: 

• The FDA was first given authority (over this industry) in 1938 & that was also the last time legislation was passed
• The FDA does not (necessarily) know who manufacturers products.
• Like, how do you have authority & yet have NO clue where or how products are coming to be?! 
• The FDA has no authority to issue a mandatory recall (like they do with food - hello romaine lettuce)
• For example, after the talc issue recently, the FDA sent 4 voluntary recall requests, and while 3 complied, 1 company refused and there is nothing the FDA can do other than attempt to tell consumers
• The FDA has NO sense of the percentage of products that use ingredients from out of the country. They have zero information on supply chains, so they are clueless as to WHAT ingredients are used and WHERE they come from.
• Yeah, so…..
• A company can use any ingredient as long as it doesn’t alter a finished product.  
• I don’t know about you, but “any” is a huge red flag to me...
• In the new legislation, it is proposed that the FDA conduct an official review of products. The FDA has said that NO official review (like what is being proposed) has been done of products to date.
• Do you find it concerning products have never been officially reviewed for safety?! I sure do.
• Less than 1% of imported cosmetics have ever been tested. Of (only) that 1%, 23% had adverse findings.
• If you’re good at math, you can crunch the numbers to determine how unfortunate this is.
• This is the 2nd time in 40 years there has been a hearing.
• Where have we been this whole time? When did we become so trusting?! 
• Talcum powder has talc (a known carcinogen) and skin lighteners has mercury (known to cause issues with kidneys & liver), and while the FDA knows this and knows the harm of these ingredients, they can’t stop companies from putting them in their products.
• You know, the ones we rub on our skin...repeatedly….
• Companies target vulnerable communities, like women of color. This is fact. The FDA is responsible for safety (well, hopefully going forward) & not marketing.
• So while this is an important step, we can’t stop here.
• Women believe the products they use have been cleared by the FDA. NOPE This matters when you consider the average woman uses 12 products a day & the average teenager uses 14. That’s an average of 168 chemicals we are putting on our skin daily.
• Teflon is used in cosmetics.
• The stuff they put on your nonstick cooking ware. This is the shit companies are getting away with.
• Approx 1/3 of manufacturers have registered with the voluntary program with the FDA.
• That’s all. To me that says some of y’all got a lot to hide.
• And yet, companies have admitted to using 93 different chemicals linked to cancer & reproductive harm.
• They do not care. As long as people buy it, they do NOT care.
• Companies can put any chemicals in any amount into ingredients.
• It’s literally up to them. With no consequences. 
• Companies can conduct their own studies on the chemicals they use AND they can refuse to disclose these self-done studies to the FDA. This INCLUDES when a contamination happens.
• This is laughable. Honestly.
• On average we are putting around 168 chemicals on our skin every day. 
• Even though formaldehyde has officially been declared a human carcinogen (as in causes cancer) it is still used in ⅕ of cosmetics on the market
• Despite the FDA banning the use of phthalates and parabens from hand soap - due to their link to both cancer and neurodevelopment in children, both ingredients are still often used in makeup and moisturizers.

The panel did ask why Beautycounter, a for profit company, is pushing for stricter legislation. And the fact of the matter is simple. Gregg said she is here to prove that having success and doing the right thing can go hand-in-hand.

You can read more here. GMA also posted an article.

And if you’re interested in watching the hearing yourself - here is the link.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback.

Let’s have that conversation.