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◼ AGENDA
● Asbestos-taintedcosmeticsshouldleadtonew
oversightpowersfortheFDA◼BLOOMBERGOPINIONWrittenbytheBloombergOpinioneditorialboardThebeautyindustryhascomea longwaysincethedaysof
arsenicscrubsandlead-basedfacecreams.Butmaybeit hasn’t
comefarenough.EarlierthisyeartheU.S.FoodandDrug
Administrationconfirmedthatasbestos—aknowncarcinogen
that’sunsafeatanylevel—hadbeenfoundineyeshadow,foun-
dation,andothermakeupproductsmarketedtopreteengirls.
Evenworse,becausetheFDAhadnopowertoforcearecall,
sometaintedproductsmayhaveremainedonsaleacross
Americalongafterthedangerwasreported.
Thetaleoftheasbestos-taintedmakeupshinesa bright
lightonthefailuresofcosmeticsregulation,whichis solax
eventheindustryitselfispushingforstrongeroversight.
WhileFDAregulationsforbid“poisonous”and“filthy,putrid,
ordecomposed”substancesincosmetics,theagencyknows
littleaboutwhat’sinthem.Beautycompaniesaren’trequired
todiscloseingredientsorwheretheirproductsaremade.
Exceptforcoloradditives,theFDAneithertestscosmetics
beforetheygotomarketnorrequirescompaniestodotheir
owntesting.Thesituationmighthavegoneundiscoveredhad
a RhodeIslandmothernotsenther6-year-olddaughter’sglit-
termakeupkittoa lab.
What’s more,oncethe FDAlearned of thetaintedDangerousBeauty
makeup,it hadnoauthoritytoforcea recall.It couldonly
requestthatretailersdoit themselves.Onechain,Claire’s,
“refusedtocomply”withtherequest,theagencysaidina
remarkablename-and-shamepressreleaseinMarch—more
thana yearaftertheindependentlabfirstidentifiedprob-
lems.Claire’sissueda recallshortlyafter,butit wasnotto
bethelast.Thechainpulledanotherchildren’smakeup
kitfromshelvesearlierthismonthafterFDAtestingagain
foundasbestos.
Self-policingisn’tgoodenough.TheFDAhaslongcalledfor
strongeroversight—andnowCongressmaybewillingtoact.
ThebipartisanPersonalCareProductsSafetyAct,introduced
by Senators Dianne Feinstein and Susan Collins, would require
companies to submit ingredient lists to the FDA. Feinstein says
the bill would also “require complete label information to be
posted online, including ingredients and product warnings.”
Leading cosmetics firms such as Estée Lauder Co. are backing
the bill, alongside the American Academy of Pediatrics and the
Environmental Working Group.
Some advocates wish the bill went further. The measure
wouldn’t require all cosmetics to undergo premarket test-
ing, as it should. The reformed system would still be far less
stringent than the European Union’s, which has banned more
than 1,000 ingredients in personal-care products. And the
law would prevent states from adopting stricter laws (though
current state standards would be grandfathered in). For now,
however, compared to almost no oversight at all, the bill is a
big step forward. It deserves support. <BW>Leaders of the biggest economies convene on June 28-
29 in Osaka, Japan, for the Group of 20’s annual summit.
President Trump has floated having an extended meeting
with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to look for ways to
defuse the trade war between the two countries. ▷ 42▶ Pope Francis receives
Russian President Vladimir
Putin for an audience on
July 4, their third meeting, as
the Vatican and the Russian
church seek to improve ties.▶ NATO defense ministers
meet on June 26-27 in
Brussels. Among the hot
topics: Turkey’s planned
purchase of a Russian
missile system.▶ OPEC+ (the oil cartel plus
10 other producers, notably
Russia) will meet on July 1-
to discuss output cuts,
possibly prolonging curbs till
the end of the year.▶ Indonesia’s Constitutional
Court will rule on June
on opposition candidate
Prabowo Subianto’s petition
challenging the reelection of
President Joko Widodo.▶ On June 27, Mexico’s
central bank reviews its
interest rates. They stand
at a decade high of 8.25%
and will likely remain there
through 2019.▶ The Glastonbury music
festival kicks off on June 26,
with performances from
The Cure, Janet Jackson,
and Miley Cyrus—and a
sunny forecast.▶ Trade War Tête-à-Tête
Bloomberg Businessweek June 24, 2019ILLUSTRATION BY ALICE MONVAILLIER