Hi from DC! It’s been a jam packed day. I can’t even convey how much work, how much energy and how much commitment everyone that is here with me has to this issue of ‘Safe Cosmetics.’ If you are unfamilar with bill H.R. 5786, the ‘Safe Cosmetics Act’, you can familiarize yourself with it here (Soap Guild Site). Here’s what we told the offices we met with:
1. Small Business will be negatively impacted – Regulatory issues around cosmetics cannot be more stringent than than are with food (as they will be with this bill). Small business especially will bear the brunt of this regulatory climate.
2. Trace elements are not feasible to include on labels – This is what a label will look like for a lotion bar with Cocoa Butter, Olive Oil and Lavender Oil
Ingredients: Olive Oil (Tri-Glycerides of Palmitic, Di-Glycerides of Palmitic, Palmitoleic, Stearic, Oleic, Linoleic, Arachidic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Squalene, Beta Carotene, Campesterol, Methylenecholesterol, Stigmasterol, Sitosterol, Fucosterol, 28-Isofucosterol, Stigmadienol, Brassicasterol, 7-Cholestenol,Ergostadienol, Avenasterol, Triterpene Alcohols, Tirucallol, Taraxerol, Dammaradienol Beta-Amyrin Germanicol, Butyrospermol, Parkeol, Cycloartenol, Tirucalladienol, 24-Methlene 24-Dihydroparkeol, 24-Methlenecycloartanol, Cyclobranol, 4-Methyl Sterols, Esters of Tyrosol, Esters of Hydroxytyrosol, Vitamin E (Tocopherols), Carotenoids, Oleuropein) Cocoa Butter (Tri and Diglycerides of Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Lead, Oleic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Isoleic Acid, Beta Carotene, p-Hydroxybenzoic Acid, Vanillic Acid, Ferulic Acid, Syringic Acid, Phenylehtylamine, Theophylline, Aliphatic Esters, Aromatic Carbonyls, Caffeine, Theobromine, Diketopiperazines and Alkylpryazines), Lavender Essential Oil ( Cineole Octanol, Octanone, Alpha Bisabolol, Alpha Cadinol, Alpha Humelene, Alpha Phellandrene, Apha Pinene, Alpha Terpinene, Alpha Terpineol, Alpha Terpinyl Acetate, Alpha Thujene, Alpha Thujone, Beta Bisabolol, Beta Pinene, Beta Thujone, Borneol, Bornyl Acetate, Camphene Camphor, Cineolealpha Terpineol, Carvone, Caryophyllene, Carophyllene Oxide, CIS Alpha Terpineol, CIS Alpha Bisabolene, CIS Carveol, CIA Linalol Epoxide, CIS Ocimene, Citronellal, Citronellol, Coumarine, Cuminaldehyde, Eugenol, Furfural, Geraniol, Geranyl Acetate, Geranyl Butyrate, Hexanol, Hexyl Tiglate, Isoborneol, Lavandulol, Lavandulyl Acetate, Limonene, Linanlol, Linalyl Acetate, Methyl Heptenone, Myrcene, Nerol, Neryl Acetate, Oleanolic Acid, P Cymene, Rosemarinic Acid, Sabinen, Terpinenol, Terpinolene, Trans Carveol, Trans Epoxy Linalyl Acetate, Trans Linanol Epoxide, Trans Ocimene, Ursolic Acid)
3. Reporting requirements are draconian. This bill requires you report when you hire someone (to the FDA), when you change suppliers (like when you switch to Bramble Berry from another vendor), who your distributors are (hello? competitive advantage out the window) and all of your ingredient formulations (without guaranteeing your confidentiality).
4. This bill is based on bad science – Cosmetics are not killing you. Diet, lack of exercise, obesity, smoking, and excessive drinking are positively linked to cancer. Cosmetics have no conclusive link. Yes, 1,4 Dioxin is terrible (in high doses, ingested by rats). Yes, Formaldehyde is bad if you are massively exposed to it (in 100% concentration high doses, bathing in it) but small businesses are trying to formulate with natural ingredients and yet they are the ones that will be most affected by this.
The meetings were our opportunity to express how small business would be affected. We were thankful to have the time and understand that there is more time for us to comment, educate and share how small business will be affected before a bill is passed.
There is still time, Soap Queen Readers and Bramble Berry Customers – keep up on OpposeSCA.com, write your Representatives, sign the petition and vote your opposition to the bill here.
The most important thing? Your Representatives are on BREAK right now. They are likely visiting/staying in your district (where they live). CALL THEM! Visit them while they are home. You have thirty days starting now. You can do it! Call me if you want talking points – 360-734-8278 or email me. I will help you talk to your Representatives and tell your story in a way that makes an impact. We can do it – we can educate and inform lawmakers on how this bill (as currently written) affects us.
A-M thank you SO MUCH for standing up for us and having our voices heard! I am so grateful to you for taking time out from your busy schedule to do this. Thank you, thank you to each and every one of you:)
I surely hope we small indie beauty businesses can keep growing.
Thank you so much for representing us!!! We are all so appreciative for what you’ve done in the past and continue to do.
Thanks Donna Maria. We do appreciate the work you, Leigh, Kayla, Anne Marie & Lela are doing.
Indies, please visit the blogs that are pushing adoption of this bill and provide an counterpoint to the topline benefits they are touting. Through commenting encourage the readers to consider the outcomes for small producers in reduced choice and increased cost. Anne-Marie’s post has all the elements you need to get the this information across. Mine follows, but the truth will have more impact in your words. Calling our legislatures is not enough. We need to shape opinion as well. Look for “The Story of Cosmetics” it’s being shared across the web.
Louise
There are elements to the Safe Cosmetics legislation that need a closer look. You may know someone that makes soap or lotion. Someone who only uses the most natural products she can find. These folks will become subject to truly draconian reporting requirements… like reporting every supplier that they purchase from, no matter how minor. Disclosing formulations without any guarantee of confidentiality as well as reporting every company/mom and pop who re-sells their products.
On top of that, the bill requires labels to include every element that is in the product…..a product with Cocoa Butter, Olive Oil and Lavender Essential Oil would look like this:
Ingredients: Olive Oil (Tri-Glycerides of Palmitic, Di-Glycerides of Palmitic, Palmitoleic, Stearic, Oleic, Linoleic, Arachidic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Squalene, Beta Carotene, Campesterol, Methylenecholesterol, Stigmasterol, Sitosterol, Fucosterol, 28-Isofucosterol, Stigmadienol, Brassicasterol, 7-Cholestenol,Ergostadienol, Avenasterol, Triterpene Alcohols, Tirucallol, Taraxerol, Dammaradienol Beta-Amyrin Germanicol, Butyrospermol, Parkeol, Cycloartenol, Tirucalladienol, 24-Methlene 24-Dihydroparkeol, 24-Methlenecycloartanol, Cyclobranol, 4-Methyl Sterols, Esters of Tyrosol, Esters of Hydroxytyrosol, Vitamin E (Tocopherols), Carotenoids, Oleuropein) Cocoa Butter (Tri and Diglycerides of Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Lead, Oleic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Isoleic Acid, Beta Carotene, p-Hydroxybenzoic Acid, Vanillic Acid, Ferulic Acid, Syringic Acid, Phenylehtylamine, Theophylline, Aliphatic Esters, Aromatic Carbonyls, Caffeine, Theobromine, Diketopiperazines and Alkylpryazines), Lavender Essential Oil ( Cineole Octanol, Octanone, Alpha Bisabolol, Alpha Cadinol, Alpha Humelene, Alpha Phellandrene, Apha Pinene, Alpha Terpinene, Alpha Terpineol, Alpha Terpinyl Acetate, Alpha Thujene, Alpha Thujone, Beta Bisabolol, Beta Pinene, Beta Thujone, Borneol, Bornyl Acetate, Camphene Camphor, Cineolealpha Terpineol, Carvone, Caryophyllene, Carophyllene Oxide, CIS Alpha Terpineol, CIS Alpha Bisabolene, CIS Carveol, CIA Linalol Epoxide, CIS Ocimene, Citronellal, Citronellol, Coumarine, Cuminaldehyde, Eugenol, Furfural, Geraniol, Geranyl Acetate, Geranyl Butyrate, Hexanol, Hexyl Tiglate, Isoborneol, Lavandulol, Lavandulyl Acetate, Limonene, Linanlol, Linalyl Acetate, Methyl Heptenone, Myrcene, Nerol, Neryl Acetate, Oleanolic Acid, P Cymene, Rosemarinic Acid, Sabinen, Terpinenol, Terpinolene, Trans Carveol, Trans Epoxy Linalyl Acetate, Trans Linanol Epoxide, Trans Ocimene, Ursolic Acid).
Is this an ingredient statement that anyone can really understand? Unfortunately it all adds up to stricter reporting requirements than those that exist for our food supply and illustrates a case of using a nuclear bomb to kill an ant. And, as always, there will be increases in cost for all of the reporting to the government, a cost that will be transferred to the consumers of cosmetics.
Beautiful, natural and safe alternatives are out there…vote with your dollars and teach those that make cosmetics with offensive chemistry a lesson that you have a choice.
The Safe Cosmetics Act could work for all who make these products, but it doesn’t work the way it is written. Independent, natural product producers will be in trouble. You may be accustomed to seeing a soapmaker at your local farmers market, but it’s likely she won’t be in business long if this bill passes as written.
Thanks for reading my comment. When you take action, please consider that this bill is like the cosmetics you have concern over…the bill has some good ingredients, but contain many that are truly toxic.
Thanks for the update, A-M! I’ve signed the petition and will go vote.
great tips! this is advocacy at it’s finest. bravo to you and what a fantastic example of female leadership you all exemplify!
Anne-Marie, you’re my hero! Thanks for all your hard work on our behalf.
Thanks so much Ann-Marie for taking the time and effort to write these blogs and take the trip to DC. Your efforts are very much appreciated. I especially love the example you give in number 2. I have a hard enough time getting the ingredients to fit on my labels, the example in number 2 would be a nightmare!
I included that example as well as some of the links in my comment on this article I ran across this morning:
http://www.ecosalon.com/what-y…
Unfortunately sites like these are just using scare tactics to get people on board with H.R. 5786. I am so glad you, the soap guild and the indie beauty network are on our side!
Thanks so much,
Selena Franklin
http://www.soapbyselena.com
A-M, you are my hero…! 🙂
Thank You guys for all your Hard Work!
This bill is ignorant. In a down economy we need all the help we can get. My husband is an architect and that industry is out the window. We are considering seriously investing in my soap company, but now we are worried. We need to fight this battle so us little guys have a chance at a decent life. Thank you for all your information, battling and help!!!
Thanks Anne Marie!
Thank you all so much!!!
What great arguments you made! Way to go. We couldn’t ask for better representatives for our cause. Thanks SO much!!
Thanks from myself and fellow soapers for representing us on the hill. I believe that regulation is good, but this bill doesn’t seem to address it in a realistic fashion.
You guys are total stars. Thanks so much for everything you all are doing for us.
Thank you all. Thank you so much.
– kim
http://www.pepopark.com