U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is sponsoring bipartisan legislation to make it easier for people to know whether their makeup, sunscreen, shampoos and lotions contain harmful, potentially cancer-causing chemicals.
Luna, a Republican, just filed a bill to ban the use of chemicals called parabens from skin products. The bill (HR 8360), which she's carrying with Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo of Maryland, is called the "No Toxic Chemicals in Cosmetics Act."
Parabens are chemicals found in nature in produce such as cucumbers and cherries, but they're exclusively synthetic in commercially used products.
They're most commonly used as preservatives in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. Studies show they can disrupt hormones, harm fertility, affect birth outcomes and increase cancer risks.
"The parabens lurking in our products are causing a lot of damage. They're in our sunscreens, our lotions, makeup especially, and yet we're doing nothing about it, which is completely outrageous," Luna said in a video Friday, when she and Caraveo filed the measure.
"Americans are being poisoned. Organizations like the (Food and Drug Administration) approve these products, and yet women, children and men are suffering the consequences."
She added, "For far too long, our government has ignored these health consequences. This bill is a no-brainer."
While not federally restricted from consumption in the U.S., parabens are banned in California, where state lawmakers last year passed legislation similar to the one Luna and Caraveo are carrying.
The chemicals are also banned in the European Union and in 10 Southeast Asian countries, according to a press note from Caraveo's office.
Caraveo, a physician in private life, had disconcerting things to say about how prevalent parabens are today.
"The dire reality is that nearly every adult in the U.S. displays traces of paraben contamination," she said in a statement. "This bill would help reverse that trend and help ensure that Americans can safely use makeup, sunscreen, and hair care products without having to worry about how it might impact their health."
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has regulatory jurisdiction over cosmetics under the 1938 Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. However, the agency says products and ingredients intended to cleanse or beautify — including skin moisturizers, perfumes, lipstick, fingernail polishes, makeup, shampoos, permanent waves, hair dye, toothpastes and deodorants — are not subject to FDA premarket approval, except color additives.
"Cosmetic companies have a legal responsibility," the FDA said on its website, "for the safety of their products and ingredients."
On Dec. 29, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act to establish new requirements for cosmetics manufacturers and FDA enforcers. Among other things, the measure required reports of serious adverse events within 15 days, registration of new cosmetic manufacturing facilities and re-registration every two years, and a list of marketed cosmetic products and their ingredients that companies must update with the FDA annually.
But according to the FDA, "Neither the law nor FDA regulations require specific tests to demonstrate the safety of individual products or ingredients."
HR 8360 awaits a hearing before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
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