No PFAS in Cosmetics Act
At a Glance
The No PFAS in Cosmetics Act of 2023 (H.R. 6519), introduced by Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Rep. Annie Kuster (D-NH), would ban the entire class of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ (per- and polyfluorinated substances) from personal care and beauty products sold in the United States. See their press release here.
PFAS chemicals are extremely toxic to people, wildlife, and our environment. Several PFAS chemicals, especially PFOA, have been linked to increased risk for breast cancer. Due to their widespread use, CDC biomonitoring detected PFAS in the bloodstream of 97% of Americans.
Five states have already enacted legislation to ban intentionally added PFAS from cosmetic products. We need federal legislation to protect everyone, regardless of where they live, shop, or work.
Summary
The federal No PFAS in Cosmetics Act of 2023 (H.R. 6519), authored by Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Rep. Annie Kuster (D-NH) would stop cosmetic companies – as well as ingredient and packaging suppliers – from intentionally adding any of the 9,000-12,000 PFAS chemicals to personal care and beauty products sold in the United States.
PFAS chemicals are linked to breast cancer, as well as numerous other negative impacts on human health. They pollute our drinking water and persist in the environment, where they continue harming wildlife and ecosystems – forever.
This important legislation would stop the use of intentionally added PFAS in products threatening our health and contaminating the drinking water of hundreds of millions of Americans.
Background
PFAS (per and poly-fluorinated substances) are synthetic chemicals that are often called ‘forever chemicals’ because due to their strong carbon-fluorine bond they do not break down in the environment, and because they are bioaccumulating in humans and other animals, as well as in our food supply.
Today, the presence of PFAS chemicals is ubiquitous. Given their widespread use, one report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), found PFAS in the blood of 97% of Americans.
Manufacturers have used PFAS in a wide range of over 200 applications and products since the 1940s, including:
- personal care products
- food packaging
- children’s products
- furniture and textiles
- non-stick cookware
- fire-fighting foam
- electroplating
- ammunition
- climbing ropes
- guitar strings
- artificial turf
- ski wax
- soil remediation
What does the science say?
A growing body of science is showing clear links between PFAS and a wide range of chronic diseases and negative health impacts, including:
- breast cancer
- testicular and kidney cancers
- elevated cholesterol
- liver disease
- decreased fertility
- thyroid problems
- hormone disruption
- adverse changes to the immune system including decreased vaccine effectiveness
- adverse developmental effects in children.
Scientists worldwide have called for ending the use of PFAS, except where essential, and regulating all 9,000–12,000 PFAS collectively as a common “class” to protect public health. Also, they have called for avoiding “regrettable substitutes,” i.e., replacing a banned, toxic chemical with an equal or more toxic alternative.
What cosmetics contain PFAS?
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), manufacturers add PFAS to personal care products such as:
Lotions, shampoo, cleansers, nail polish, shaving cream, foundation, lipstick, eyeliner, eyeshadow and mascara.
The FDA names these commonly used PFAS cosmetic ingredients:
PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), perfluorooctyl triethoxysilane, perfluorononyl dimethicone, perfluorodecalin, and perfluorohexane.
A big part of the problem are entities along the cosmetic industry supply chain that add PFAS chemicals to a product’s ingredients or packaging without the knowledge or consent of the manufacturer, including to:
- pigments to make them colorfast;
- ingredients to make them water resistant; and
- packaging, so the products don’t stick.
The public’s exposure to the PFAS in these products can happen through:
- ingestion (lipsticks)
- absorption (mascara through tear ducts)
- skin (for lotions and creams)
- inhalation (spray-on products, powders)
What will the No PFAS in Cosmetics Act do?
1. Ban intentionally added PFAS from beauty and personal care products by deeming these cosmetic products with PFAS as adulterated.
2. Ban the entire class of PFAS to stop companies from replacing one toxic PFAS chemical with another equally or more toxic PFAS chemical.
3. Strike the section in the Modernization of Cosmetic Regulations Act of 2022 (MoCRA) that directs the FDA to study the safety of PFAS cosmetic ingredients.
4.Prohibit ingredient, raw material, product, or packaging manufacturers and suppliers from intentionally adding PFAS that have a functional or technical effect to a cosmetic product or packaging.
Existing regulations
Five states have already banned intentionally-added PFAS from cosmetics – California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Minnesota – and other states have regulatory frameworks that could phase out the use of PFAS in cosmetics. In 2020, BCPP championed the successful passage of the PFAS-Free Cosmetic Act (AB 2771-Friedman), which banned personal care and beauty products containing any PFAS from being sold in California.
Passage of the No PFAS in Cosmetics Act will protect everyone from harmful PFAS exposures in beauty and personal care products, regardless of where they live, shop, or work!
Endorsing organizations
NGOs
- Able Differently
- Alaska Community Action on Toxics
- Beyond Pink TEAM
- Black Women for Wellness
- Breast Cancer Action
- Breast Cancer Over Time
- Breast Cancer Prevention Partners
- California Black Health Network
- California Brain Tumor Association
- California Health Coalition Advocacy
- California Healthy Nails Salons Collaborative
- California Nurses for Environmental Health and Justice
- California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG)
- California Safe Schools
- Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
- Center for Environmental Health
- Clean + Healthy New York
- Clean Beauty for Black Girls Co
- Clean Production Action
- Clean Water Action
- CleanEarth4Kids.org
- Defend Our Health
- Ecology Center
- Families Advocating for Chemical and Toxics Safety
- Friends of the Earth US
- GMO/Toxin Free USA
- Great Neck Breast Cancer Coalition
- Great Neck Breast Cancer Coalition
- Green America
- Green Science Policy Institute
- Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition
- Informed Green Solutions Inc
- Just Transition Alliance
- Learning Disabilities Association of America
- Learning Disabilities Association of Arkansas
- Learning Disabilities Association of Delaware
- Learning Disabilities Association of Georgia
- Learning Disabilities Association of Illinois
- Learning Disabilities Association of Iowa
- Learning Disabilities Association of Maine
- Learning Disabilities Association of Michigan
- Learning Disabilities Association of Minnesota
- Learning Disabilities Association of New Jersey
- Learning Disabilities Association of New York
- Learning Disabilities Association of Ohio
- Learning Disabilities Association of Oklahoma
- Learning Disabilities Association of Pennsylvania
- Learning Disabilities Association of South Carolina
- Learning Disabilities Association of Texas
- Learning Disabilities Association of Utah
- Learning Disabilities Association of Virginia
- Learning Disabilities Association of Wisconsin
- Los Jardines Institute
- MASSPIRG
- Moms Advocating Sustainability
- National Association of Environmental Medicine
- National Wildlife Federation
- North Carolina Conservation Network
- Oregon Environmental Council
- Pesticide Action Network
- PfoaProject NY
- Plastic Free Future
- Safer States
- Toxic Free NC
- Toxic-Free Future
- U.S. PIRG
- Vermont Conservation Voters
- WE ACT for Environmental Justice
- Women’s Voices for the Earth
- Worksafe
- Zero Waste Washington
Businesses
- Beautycounter
- Beauty Heroes
- California Baby
- Clearya
- Credo
- CRUNCHI
- deClarity
- Dr. Bronner’s
- Earth Mama Organics
- EcoC2S
- Eighty2degrees LLC
- Elavo Mundi Solutions, LLC
- EO Products, LLC
- Grassroots Environmental Education
- Grove Collaborative
- Harrington Investments, Inc.
- In the Limelight Media
- Innersense Organic Beauty.com
- Intelligent nutrients, LLC
- Juice Beauty
- just the goods
- MADE SAFE
- Mamavation
- Naturepedic Organic Mattresses
- NIEHS/NTP and Duke University
- OSEA Skincare
- River Oak Center for Children, Inc.
- Seventh Generation
- Sprout San Francisco
- W. S. Badger Company
For more information, contact:
Janet Nudelman, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
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