Purely cosmetic changes?

If the FDA follows through, it would mean that more than 99 per cent of personal care products on the US market could be forced to carry a caution stating: 'Warning: the safety of this product has not been determined.' It's a big 'if'. A law requiring this kind of warning on products has been in place in the US for some time. But the FDA has tended to turn a blind eye to transgressions, partly because of consumer disinterest and lack of understanding, and partly because the chemical industry, which generates so much profit and employs so many people throughout the
world, is politically very powerful. More lapdog than lion, the FDA has for years deferred to the 'safety' reports
generated by the Cosmetics Ingredient Review (CIR). Variously described as an independent review panel and an industry watchdog, the CIR is neither. It was established by the industry lobby the Cosmetics Toiletry and Fragrance Association and continues to be funded by the companies it is supposed to be policing.
Even so, the FDA relies on the CIR's yearly ingredient safety reviews as a core component of the public health safety net. As does the EU. Indeed, because cosmetics require no review or approval before they go on sale anywhere in...

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