The Truth About FDA Regulation and Beauty Product Safety: What You Need to Know

Does the FDA regulate the beauty industry?

Very minimally. The FDA has shown us time and time again that it moves too slowly and conservatively when it comes to banning harmful chemicals in everyday products. Case in point: to date, the EU has banned over 1300 chemicals in beauty products, while the FDA has only banned 11.  

Are beauty brands legally required to have their products be approved by the FDA?

Unfortunately, beauty companies in the US are not mandated by law to have FDA approval before putting products on the market. This means that ingredients used in cosmetics (except color additives) DO NOT need FDA approval. There are also zero regulations requiring beauty companies to do product or ingredient safety testing. So any safety testing that does happen is completely voluntary on the part of beauty companies. This doesn’t mean there aren’t companies out there doing the right thing - there are certainly reputable brands that are 100% transparent about their ingredients and safety testing. But, it’s hard to wade through all the noise to correctly identify the brands that are actually clean. This is a big reason why I started Clean Beauty Tips -- to help regular people like you and me easily discover the cleanest and most effective beauty brands.

How do I know if my beauty products are safe?

You don't... until you start educating yourself. Just because products are available on the market doesn't mean that they are safe (see section above!) One of the easiest ways to start educating yourself is by using an ingredient checker,which will give you helpful safety information. I'm personally a fan of EWG's Skin Deep Database,which provides an easy-to-digest safety ranking (i.e., a low, moderate, or high score on a product's toxicity) of over 100K products. I also use the Think Dirty app, which allows you to scan the barcode of the product you're seeking information about when you're shopping in person.

It can feel daunting to think about replacing your entire collection of beauty products with cleaner alternatives, but it's easier than you think! I've shared my list of quick tips to get started here.

At the end of the day, the best thing we can do is rely on ourselves and our wallets to keep beauty brands honest. The data has shown that consumer pressure works! For example, in 2019, 60% of sunscreens contained oxybenzone (a harmful ingredient known shown to disturb your body's endocrine system and potentially even your fertility). In 2023, only 13% of non-mineral sunscreens had oxybenzone as companies succumbed to pressure from consumers.

It’s up to us - as consumers - to encourage manufactures to use safer ingredients by prioritizing cleaner beauty products, thereby creating a virtuous cycle of cleaner demand.