Major loopholes in U.S. federal law allow the $60 billion cosmetics industry to put unlimited amounts of chemicals into personal care products with no required testing, no monitoring of health effects and inadequate labeling requirements. In fact, cosmetics are among the least-regulated products on the market. Many companies knowingly formulate pink ribbon cosmetics, personal care and beauty products, and kids' personal care products with toxic chemicals.
Consumers can learn which ingredients should be avoided. As consumers and citizens, individuals can wield great power at the store level, the local government level and the national government level to reform the flawed chemical policies in the U.S. and the market that uses toxic chemicals.
Mia Davis, MA, is the National Grassroots Coordinator of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition of over one hundred organizations working to protect consumer health by calling on the cosmetics industry and the US government to eliminate chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects and other health problems from all personal care products. Mia is also the co-leader of the Workgroup for Safe Markets, a national coalition working to reform the market and reduce exposure to harmful chemicals, such as reproductive toxins in baby bottles, toys and household items.
Mia completed her MA in International Development, Community and Environment from Clark University in 2003, and BA in Geography from Clark in 2001. At university Mia focused on brownfield remediation, corporate accountability and the damaging environmental policies of the World Trade Organization, which she reported in the book Unholy Trinity: the IMF, World Bank, and WTO. She currently lives in Boston with her cats and dog.
