Dear Representative, Dec 14th 2023
Cosmetics are basically anything that you put on your body. There are many people who don’t check what is in their products. There are many ingredients and chemicals in cosmetics that are proven to cause health problems and defects. 80% of the time products aren’t tested for safety before put on the market.
Many of these chemicals have been banned in European countries, over 1,000. In the US only 10 chemicals have been banned as of 2017. The United States should be doing more research and action on these chemicals and these companies that are producing the chemicals. The companies that produce these chemicals care solely on the fact that they are making money. They want a cheaper, more effective product for them, and don’t care so much about their customers.
One ingredient that is used nationwide in many cosmetic products is Fragrance. Fragrances can contain carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxic chemicals, and environmental toxicants. Some effects of using products with fragrances is sensitization and allergies, respiratory diseases, and irritation.
One action that you could take would be to simplify your products. There are many products out there that have simple ingredients, so that companies cannot hide any chemicals in the ingredients. You should choose products that have no fragrance. Another action you could take would be to not buy products that have these chemicals in them. If there is less demand for the products, eventually companies will stop using them, or they will go out of business.
Companies should have to display the health effects of ingredients on the product. Consumers should have the right to know the ingredients and effects it will have on them, and the known carcinogens. Overall, cosmetic companies should have to prove a product safe before it enters the market. There would be less products on the market if that were the case.