Plenty Magazine has more on the proposed Washington Safe Cosmetics Act of 2007 with Baby Steps Toward Beauty Product Safety Regulation. Here’s a snippet:

[T]he freshly minted Washington Safe Cosmetics Act of 2007 had its first public hearing by the House Committee on the Select Committee on Environmental Health. Rep. Maralyn Chase is lead sponsor of the proposed law, House Bill number 2166.

According to the Seattle Post Intelligencer, HB2166 would require cosmetics manufacturers to disclose to the state Department of Health all ingredients known or suspected to cause cancer or reproductive damage. It would also allow the health department to investigate products, and to require manufacturers to provide data on health effects of the chemicals they use. Lastly, HB2166 would allow state or federal agencies to actively protect consumers and workers when toxic chemicals are found in products, or to:

“Take steps to protect consumers and workers—including women working with artificial nail chemicals, many of whom are immigrants and may have difficulty understanding the risks because of language barriers.”

If passed, HB 2166 won’t go into effect until January 1, 2009, so until then, do your homework. Read ingredient labels, and visit sites like the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database to learn more.

Although January 1, 2009 is almost 2 years away, we are recommending to our cosmetic company clients that they follow these developments closely. Nexreg is working with companies to develop a plan of action to deal with these and other proposed regulations. To speak to a Nexreg representative please call or e-mail Nexreg at:

Nexreg Canada: (519)488-5126 (London, ON)
Nexreg UK: +44 020 7993 5893 (London, UK)
Nexreg USA: (206)418-6663 (Seattle, WA)
E-mail:info@nexreg.com

SeattlePi: State mulls cosmetic safety law on a potential new cosmetics law for Washington State:

But what’s in that stuff and is it safe for consumers, children and the environment?

The federal government doesn’t know. Scientists have linked some of the ingredients to developmental defects and cancer. Even if shoppers want to avoid potentially dangerous chemicals, manufacturers don’t have to list all of them on the label, instead using vague terminology such as “fragrance.”

So state lawmakers are following California’s lead and taking the matter into their own hands with the Washington Safe Cosmetics Act of 2007.

We will be watching the development of this law closely, to see how it impacts our clients.

To speak to a Nexreg representative about cosmetics labeling law in the United States, Canada, or Europe, please call or e-mail Nexreg at:

Nexreg Canada: (519)488-5126 (London, ON)
Nexreg UK: +44 020 7993 5893 (London, UK)
Nexreg USA: (206)418-6663 (Seattle, WA)
E-mail:info@nexreg.com