I have decided to oppose the legislation recently introduced entitled the “Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010″. How could I possibly not want safe cosmetics? I have listed some of my reasoning below.

Specific objections to this legislation as currently written:

• It requires the same regulation requirements for small businesses as it does for large corporations. This includes listing all products and ingredients in the FDA database whether we sell 12 or 12 million. Why do we need to do this? If anyone wants to know they can look at the label.
• It would require telling the FDA income and number of employees and requires constant updating of this information. What does this have to with increasing the safety of cosmetics?
• The definition of “ingredient” as “any chemical” blurs the line between what is an ingredient and what is not. Does this mean that we need to list all of the chemicals in Lavender Essential Oil?

General objections to this legislation:

• It would further increase the national debt at a time when the debt is already increasing exponentially.
• Current FDA regulations already require ingredient listings, including preservatives. The only item that is not listed individually is fragrance because it is considered proprietary and listing all the ingredients would be space-prohibitive and incomprehensible.
• Current FDA regulations prohibit the use of “unsafe” chemicals and the marketing of unsafe cosmetics.
• It decreases personal responsibility. The information is already there. We can choose to read and understand personal care ingredients in the same way that we can choose to read and understand food labels.
• This bill would make the cosmetic industry (which has not been specifically tied to cancer and other major health problems) more regulated than than our food, water and air that have been specifically tied to cancers, obesity and heart problems.
• The few chemicals that are named (such as lead and parabens) are found in higher concentrations in our water (lead from our pipes), air (lead in the dust from paint), and in our food (parabens – soy is very high in these compounds but they are in many vegetables).
• This legislation will not really change very much in the large players because the industry is already one of the safest.
• It would cause increases in cosmetic costs due to increased expenses for testing and registration costs at every level of the industry.

I believe that we as consumers have a powerful voice. Let’s make our voices heard with the choices that we make instead of more regulation. Support small businesses, independent cosmetic manufacturers and the natural ingredients that you love before regulations take them away. Talk to your representatives and let them know what you think.

Here are some relevant links from both sides that might help you decide to form your own opinion.

• Susans Soaps and More - a fellow handcrafted soapmaker: it also has lots of good links to the original bill
• About.com – This one is fairly balanced and has quite a few links including the video that launched the bill.
• Safetec – an unbiased assessment
• Beauty Bunch Blog
• Safer Chemicals Healthy Families – an alternative viewpoint with lots of links to support their cause.
• The Story of Cosmetics, the Critique – if you watched the original you should watch this one, too.

In summary, while the current FDA regulations are not perfect, they provide for proper labeling and do not allow harmful ingredients to be added to cosmetics. They have served to protect consumers well and the FDA has even taken steps to further protect consumers. This introduced legislation would over-regulate the industry and make consumer choices much slimmer by making it too hard for small businesses to keep up with the regulation requirements.

A couple of days ago I tried a new formula for Body Mudd that was posted by one of my suppliers, Wholesale Supplies Plus.  This recipe uses oil instead of water to make the mud.  This means that you can make it in bulk and don’t need to add any preservative.

Original Body Mudd formula

• 32 oz grapeseed oil
• 16 oz sea clay
• 2 oz Vit E
• 4 oz Essential oil blend

I substituted some oils on hand for the grapeseed oil and Dead Sea Mud for the sea clay. I also felt that 4 oz of essential oils (8% by weight) was a little high.

Modified Body Mudd Formula

• 16 oz Dead Sea mud
• 16 oz almond oil
• 16 oz sunflower oil
• 2 oz Vit E
• 2.5 oz Essential oils (I used Grapefruit)

I just blended all of the ingredients and put them in a jar.   As is the recipe will make 10 – 4 oz jars.  I used it in the shower before getting wet.  I just applied it – it took about 4 ounces – and let it sit for awhile.  I then took my shower as usual.  It did make the shower slippery, but it didn’t stain or make it dirty.  Next time I might try it after getting wet to see if that makes any difference.

It was an interesting texture.  The Dead Sea mud was grainy and the oil made everything slick.  It wasn’t like a traditional water-based mud at all.  It was thinner and it didn’t dry out.  The Dead Sea mud provided a nice, light exfoliation.  Overall it was a pleasant experience.  I think it helped with the after-sun peel that I had on my shoulders.

I also made a face version.  I will write another post about that after I have used it a few more times.

Scent of the month – Lime Ginger: A wonderfully light and refreshing scent perfect for the start of summer. 

Get 25% off Simple Pleasure Lime Ginger Soap, Lime Ginger Bath Salts and Lime Ginger Salt Glows through July 10th.

Java Lip Balms 25% off until July 10th.

I am really excited about these new lip balms. They are made with beeswax, coffee butter and kukui nut oil. Coffee butter is a rich, creamy vegetable butter with a strong rich coffee scent. Kukui nut oil is smooth and silky. The combination of these two mixed with beeswax makes a wonderfully moisturizing lip balm that will leave your lips soft and silky.

• Coffee
• Mocha
• Orange Mocha
• Vanilla Latte