The Beauty Industry In America

Lack of Regulation in the cosmetic world is a very big issue. There is very little regulation by the FDA in the US compared to many other countries such as Canada and many other countries in Europe. There are ingredients that the US uses that other countries don't, also many cosmetic brands are still testing on animals however there are some brands that are starting to make a switch and use cleaner ingredients and don't test on animals.

There is a long list of ingredients that are banned in many other European countries along with Canada. The toxic ingredients can cause harm to the body and can even cause some cancers. There is an article about these chemicals called The Toxic Twelve Chemicals and Contaminants in Cosmetics, in this article it said “Since 2009, 595 cosmetics manufacturers have reported used 88 chemicals, in more than 73,000 products, that have been linked to cancer, birth defects, and reproductive harm.” Congress has not given the FDA the authority to regulate the toxic ingredients in the cosmetic industry. In the article “The Twelve Chemicals and Contaminants in Cosmetics” it states “Congress has not given the agency the same authority to regulate the chronic risks posed by chemicals and contaminants in cosmetics. Instead, the FDA largely relies on the personal care products industry to regulate itself as a way to address the risks its products pose.” There are many chemicals that beauty brands have been using and are still currently using that have been linked to rashes, burns and infections. Keratin treatments have had some side effects that include hair loss, rashes, blisters, nose bleeds, bleeding gums and even loss of taste and smell. It is very scary that the US congress has banned the toxic chemicals that US cosmetic brands are using to this day. There are over 10,000 chemicals used in cosmetics, just 11 have been banned or restricted by the FDA. Although the FD&C prohibits any misbranded cosmetics in the cosmetic industry. Under the FD&C Act a product is misbranded if its label does not include all of the ingredients or if the label is false. Some of the common ingredients you should look out for are formaldehyde, commonly used in hair straightening products, nail polish and eyelash glue. Another ingredient is Triclosan. It is used in antimicrobial hand sanitizers and soaps, however the US has banned it from soaps but watch out because it may be in your deodorant, mouth wash, and toothpaste.The last ingredient to look out for is talc is used as a smoothing ingredient it is known to be linked to carcinogen and an instigator of lung disease.

Animal Testing

Animal testing is when manufacturers test a product on an animal to see if its safe for humans to use. There is no ban to stop animal cruelty in the cosmetic labs but there are some companies that have banned the testing on animals. In an article called “The Cruelty of Lab Animal Testing” it states “Chemical, pharmacuetical, and medical research labratories use live animals to test everything from shampoo to surgical procedures… For research and teaching labs, animals are merely disposable tools.” In other words animals are used to be tested on with cosmetic products, medicines all the way to surgery procedures. In the testing labs animals are abused with many different chemicals to make sure that the cosmetic or surgical procedure is safe and effective. In the same article “The Cruelty of Lab Animal Testing” it states “Animals endure chemicals being dripped into their eyes, injected into their bodies, forced up their nostrils or forced down their throats. They are addicted to drugs, forced to inhale/ingest toxic substances, subjected to maternal deprivation, deafened, blinded, burned, stapled and infected with disease viruses.”

Clean Beauty Brands

However there is a shift in the cosmetic world as more and more people are bringing awareness to toxic ingredients and animal cruelty. There are many brands who are 100% vegan and animal cruelty- free such as E.L.F., Cake Beauty, Human + Kind, and Pureology. Vegan products are products that are not produced from an animal or an animal byproduct. Many cosmetic brands have been cruelty- free and vegan ever since the brand was established. One of those brands is E.L.F., this brand has committed to 1005 clean beauty, which means that all of the brands products meet the highest standards of clean by complying with the European Union Cosmetics Regulation and FDA regulations. There are many websites that you can use to see if a cosmetic or body product is vegan and cruelty free. Some of the most popular websites are ethicalelephant.com and peta.org, these websites are very informational and stand against animal cruelty and toxic ingredients.

Work Cited

Elephant, Ethical. “2022 Cruelty-Free Brand Directory + Vegan Options!” Ethical Elephant, 2 Feb. 2022, https://ethicalelephant.com/cruelty-free-brand-list/.

Unregulated Cosmetics are Unfortunately Unsafe until Proven Toxic

Lauren McCormack | Special to the Daily Cal, and Lauren McCormack. “Unregulated Cosmetics Are Unfortunately Safe until Proven Toxic.” The Daily Californian, 28 Apr. 2020,

https://naturallysavvy.com/live/there-is-a-serious-lack-of-regulation-of-u-s-cosmetics/#:~:text=The%20%2471%20billion%20cosmetics%20industry,the%20Campaign%20for%20Safe%20Cosmetics.