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Men's Products Risky, Too

Products for men may contain harmful ingredients Don't think men use cosmetics? Think again. Aftershave, shampoo and cologne are cosmetics. And just like personal care products marketed to women and kids, men's products are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or any other government agency. As a result, they often contain chemicals linked to serious health problems. Look, for example, at safety ratings for men's fragrances and aftershaves, including well-known brands Calvin Klein, Burberry and Stetson.

It's perfectly legal for many of the products men use daily to contain chemicals with health risks, chemicals that have never been tested for safety, or chemicals that are not on product labels. Among the troubling products in men's bathrooms:

• Just for Men hair color gel for facial hair contains P-phenylenediamine, which even the industry-funded Cosmetics Ingredient Review board – a panel that's allowed to make safety determinations because the FDA isn't – classifies as a known skin toxicant, but claims is safe for use in cosmetics.

• Everyday products like Gillette shave gel and Head & Shoulders shampoo contain ingredients linked to cancer, hormone disruption and nervous system effects.

It's time for Congress to empower the FDA to regulate the cosmetics industry so that products marketed to men (and everyone else) are free of unsafe and untested ingredients. We want this $50 billion cosmetics industry to be honest about what's in products, and required to make products safe before they hit store shelves.

November 21, 2009

Subject:

The incidence of serious health problems like breast cancer, prostate cancer, infertility, behavioral disorders and obesity have been on the rise in the U.S. at a rate that cannot be explained solely by genetics or increased diagnoses. The use of untested and unregulated chemicals in consumer products like cosmetics has also increased dramatically, and many scientists and environmental health professionals are pointing to a link between chronic exposure to chemicals and these adverse health outcomes. Most Americans believe that personal care products have been tested for safety before they reach store shelves, and that the Food and Drug Administration or some other government agency is protecting consumers. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Major loopholes in federal law allow the $50 billion cosmetics industry to put unlimited amounts of chemicals into personal care products with no required testing, no required monitoring of health effects and inadequate labeling requirements. Many of these chemicals have been linked to cancer, birth defects or other adverse health outcomes. And, the FDA cannot require companies to do pre-market safety testing. The industry is self-regulated, and only an industry-funded panel called the Cosmetics Ingredient Review determines the "safety" of ingredients—only assessing a small fraction (400) of the more than 7,000 ingredients used in personal care products for short-term health effects. When it comes to personal care products, the fox is guarding the henhouse. Chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects do not belong in products we use on our bodies. I urge you to protect my health and that of my family by taking immediate action to regulate the $50 billion cosmetics industry that sells American consumers baby shampoo that contains carcinogens, lipstick that contains lead and cologne that contains hormone-disrupting chemicals. We need a government that protects Americans and our environment from unnecessary exposure to toxic chemicals by empowering the FDA to ensure that cosmetic ingredients and products are safe before they reach store shelves. I hope that you will work with your colleagues to set these wheels in motion as soon as possible. Thank you.
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