On December 29, 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law the Omnibus Reform package, which included the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA). This reform brings more regulations to the cosmetics industry that has faced scrutiny for decades and was recently highlighted in a large-scale investigative documentary by HBO, Not So Pretty.
Compared with other countries, the US is lagging. Over 80 other countries have made efforts to eliminate chemicals that have been linked to cancer and reproductive harm.1
This act will require the cosmetics industry to align its practices with other FDA-regulated consumer products to address widely used chemicals that slowly break down over time, create standardized tests for asbestos and talc, and require companies to register their facilities and maintain safety records. When there is probability of adulteration or health consequences, the act allows the FDA to have mandatory recall authority.2
NOTES
1. Environmental Working Group. “EWG Welcomes Cosmetics Law Reforms in End-of-Year Spending Bill,” accessed January 2023, ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2022/12/ewg-welcomes-cosmetics-law-reforms-end-year-spending-bill
2. Faye Brookman, CEW.org, “What the Passing of the Latest Reform Act Means for the Safety of Cosmetics,” January 4, 2023,cew.org/beauty_news/what-the-passing-of-the-latest-reform-act-means-for-the-safety-of-cosmetics/
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