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California has a well deserved reputation for extraordinary efforts to protect consumers.  While the goals behind the regulations may be laudable, California’s many requirements impose enormous burdens on companies doing business in the state, often with questionable public benefit.  Proposition 65 is a familiar example of a regulation that requires elaborate warnings, but does not actually regulate the use of any chemicals.

There are many other examples, including a “sleeper” called the Safe Cosmetics Act.  Enacted in 2005, the Safe Cosmetics Act was heralded by its supporters as a landmark law that would protect the health of millions of Californians who use cosmetics.  In reality, the Safe Cosmetics Act is just another glorified reporting statute, requiring manufacturers of cosmetic products sold in California to file with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reports of information that is already on product ingredient labels.

But the Safe Cosmetics Act takes the idea of the consumers’ “right to know” to an extreme by imposing a precautionary rather than risk-based approach.  Unlike Prop 65, the Safe Cosmetics Act requires manufacturers to report use of chemicals that are not just “known” to cause cancer or reproductive harm, but also chemicals that are “suspected” to cause cancer or reproductive harm.  In addition, the Safe Cosmetics Act does not recognize any “safe harbor” levels for reporting – any amount of a “suspect” chemical must be reported.  Finally, cosmetic products that contain a reportable chemical must be reported regardless of whether the likely mode of exposure to the chemical by use of the product differs from the route of exposure identified by the authoritative scientific body as a pathway likely to cause cancer or reproductive harm.  For example, a chemical that has only been identified as “suspected” of causing cancer or reproductive harm when ingested must be reported even if it is contained in a skincare product.

In future blog posts, we’ll address why the Safe Cosmetics Act could become much more significant to personal care products manufacturers beginning in 2014, the risks of liability to manufacturers posed by the Safe Cosmetics Act, and how manufacturers can know if their products contain the regulated  chemicals.  At Conkle, Kremer & Engel, we help our clients meet compliance requirements, despite constantly changing state and federal laws.  With proper counseling, clients can avoid potential liability and minimize disruption to their businesses.