Government Documents

U.S. General Accounting Office. (1987). Report to Congress: Lack of Authority Hampers Attempts to Increase Cosmetic Safety. (GAO Publication No. HRD-78-139). Washington D.C.: GPO., August 8, 1978, pp. 1070-111. Retrieved from Ohio University ALICE Library: http://alice.library.ohiou.edu.

In 1987, the General Accounting Office released a statement that harmful cosmetics were being marketed in the United States. According to this GAO document, 125 ingredients available for use in cosmetics are suspected of causing cancer, 25 were suspected of causing birth defects, and several others may have adverse effects on the nervous system. This document encourages uniform FDA regulations on the minimally regulated safety standards regarding cosmetics. Although this document was reported to Congress 21 years ago, very little changes have been made by the FDA since. Since then, the harmful ingredients list has continued to grow and this document is an important source to show the growing concern, and long over due need, for cosmetics safety.

Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007, H.R. 2900, 110^th Cong. (2007). Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Lexis/Nexis Congressional database.

This amendment required drug companies to pay the FDA a fee so that they could further research the new drugs and products that were released onto the market. This act was originally enacted in 1992 to help the FDA review products. This amendment was important because it enabled shorter review times and created a more predictable review process, while still maintaining high-quality reviews for consumers. This act, along with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938, gave government more control to oversee the safety of cosmetics. This act is important to investigate because it actually defines cosmetics as products for "cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance." Therefore, the FDA can classify cosmetics without actually checking their safety or regulating them. Although this information is hard to understand, it’s an important source to recognize that this gap in the definition gives a manufacturer the ability to use ingredients or raw materials and market the final product without government approval or safety investigations.