Founded by the Personal Care Products Council during a rebrand, is CosmeticsInfo.Org an unbiased cosmetics ingredient resource?
Formerly the Cosmetic Toiletry & Fragrance Association, the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) rebranded in 2007 and created an ingredient database called CosmeticsInfo.org. I have found this website helpful in gathering basic information about ingredients and an overview of regulations in different countries. However, I have noticed they gloss over or dismiss public concerns over certain ingredients. The PCPC, which represents manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers of beauty products, sometimes speaks out against organizations like the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and Campaign For Safe Cosmetics. For instance, this statement takes a broad aim at EWG’s recommendations on certain sunscreen ingredients. They claim that EWG repeatedly unfairly criticizes oxybenzone without getting into the details of which form of oxybenzone is a problem, what concentrations are safe, and why.
Additionally, the council spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to oppose the California Safe Cosmetics Act of 2005.
My question is, why would you take a stance against someone attempting to inform consumers about the potential dangers of certain ingredients?
Cosmetics Info is a helpful database, and I use it to gather information about ingredients. However, I always consult other sources to make sure I am getting a well-rounded picture of possible risks that may come with some of these ingredients.
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