FDA Deputy Commissioner Michael R. Taylor last week addressed a letter to the PCPC expressing his "profound disappointment" over a proposal for a cosmetics regulatory overhaul.
According to Taylor, the recent industry set of counterproposals are not consistent with the framework agreement the bodies reached last July and posed real and substantial risks to consumers.
In response the Council’s Lezlee Westine says: "We are extremely disappointed that FDA has indicated they will not participate in further discussions with the cosmetics industry regarding cosmetic legislation and have taken such a hard line approach to our efforts to operate in good faith.”
Necessary discussions
The PCPC boss states that the FDA's response misrepresents the intent of its legislative proposals and that the Coucil strongly disagree with their allegation that the proposed legislation would weaken their regulatory oversight of cosmetics.
"We urge the Agency to return to the table so we can continue to work together to build consensus that is necessary to these discussions,” adds Westine.
“We all share in the common goal of protecting consumers – in fact; product safety is the cornerstone of all that this industry represents."
The FDA and the cosmetics industry continuously work to create a contemporary regulatory system for the industry to ensure safety and strengthen consumer confidence.
The PCPC maintains the long-standing commitment to product safety and scientific innovation in the industry, which it claims is one of the safest.
"Despite continued erroneous reports questioning the safety of cosmetics and personal care products, the fact remains that these products are among the safest category regulated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA),” says Westine.
Safe market
The most recent statistics from 2012 show that there were 381 adverse reactions reported by consumers to the FDA out of the more than 11 billion products sold in the U.S., and majority of those were due to mild allergic reactions.
“To infer that cosmetics are dangerous is both reckless and counter-productive to addressing public health concerns," continues the PCPC president.
"Regardless of whether the FDA chooses to return to the table, the personal care products industry will continue to work diligently to ensure that the families who trust and use our products continue to have the choices they want, the products they trust, and the confidence in their safety. We will work with Congress to pursue meaningful solutions." she further adds.