Why I Oppose the Safe Cosmetics Act

When the Safe Cosmetics Act first came out, I was definitely in agreement with it. Who would not be in favor of safe cosmetics?  One of the reasons I began making natural soaps and body care products was because I strongly believe in ethical products that are healthy not only for people but for the environment. I try and practice what I preach.  I use fair-trade shea butter in all of my products and buy organic whenever I can. I am a vegetarian not only for health reasons, but more importantly for the sustainability of our planet.  Even my business cards are made using recycled paper. With that being said, I have some real issues with the Safe Cosmetics Act. They have a top-notch website with all the bells and whistles (http://www.safecosmetics.org/index).  They have a really nice video featuring Annie Leonard - who reminds me of a modern-day June Cleaver. Who wouldn't believe June Cleaver?  However, just like June Cleaver is a fictional Hollywood character, this bill is also filled with fiction.

The bill sounds great on the surface but once you dig a little deeper you find many discrepancies.  The first question I ask myself after I read something is "Who is the author?" and, "What is in it for them?".  One of the founders of the Compact for Safe Cosmetics (CSFC) is Stacy Malkan, author of "Not Just a Pretty Face".  On the Skin Deep website their is a link to her website if you care to purchase the book for $15.95 - not including shipping. The bill is being backed by some powerful tax-exempt organizations including the Environmental Working Group (EWG). The EWG has not filed a tax return since 2008. Even though they are considered a charitable organization they are still required to file taxes.  The president of the EWG is Ken Cook. In 2008 (the last year a tax return was filed) his salary was listed as $219,401.00 along with an additional "estimated" $21,295.00 for other compensation.  You can read the entire article at "The Revealing Truth of the Money Trail of EWG".  If you are like me you will be amused - if not amazed - at the salaries of some of the members including Richard Wiles, Jane Houlihan, William Walker, Susan Comfort, Sandra Schubert, Alexander Formuzis and Christopher Campbell.  The combined salaries of these top 8 employees alone was $1,185,775.00.

One of the major reasons I do not support this bill is that it will require small businesses to conduct "safety" testing on all of our finished products.  This does not seem like a big deal, but it can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 just to test one product! Of course I would need to get my product tested in a "government approved" testing facility. So, when I change the name of "Apple Jack" to "Celtic Christmas" sometime in October, I can expect to pay an exorbitant amount of money to get my new soap tested.  When I decide that I would like to introduce a nice autumn fragrance like "Pumpkin Harvest", guess what?  Kaching, kaching, kaching..... another $8,000 to get it tested!  My annual "gross" income from my soap business in 2009 was $12,667.00.  I currently have 36 soaps, 12 flavors of lip balms, 8 lotion scents, 2 facial toners, 6 body sprays (give or take)....well, you get the picture!

The Safe Cosmetics Act is just another form of regulation that small business owners do not need. I already list all of my ingredients on my product labels. I file my taxes and pay them. This bill will bog me down in excess government paperwork and is just another form of censorship by the government. I urge people to read this bill between the lines!  Who benefits from this bill?  Big businesses that can afford to file all of the paperwork and pay for the filing fees.  Stacy Malkan who promotes her book on the Safe Cosmetics website. Ken Cook and his cohorts who collect huge salaries and don't file taxes.

This bill is not what it seems and I hope you will take a few minutes to read this petition and sign it.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/oppose-hr-5786-safe-cosmetics-act-of-2010