South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration will transition from ICCR observers to full members, joining regulatory authorities from the US, Europe, Japan, Canada and Brazil. PCPC’s Francine Lamoriello, EVP of global affairs, discusses.

Designating new “critical habitats” off US shores, as proposed by the National Marine Fisheries Service, would require federal agencies “to ensure that actions they plan to undertake, fund, or authorize do not destroy or adversely modify that habitat.” That could factor in the US FDA’s OTC sunscreen review program and potential follow-up on a 2018 citizen petition calling for a ban on "coral-killing" UV filters.

The CARB's latest draft moves it closer to amending the state’s Consumer Products Regulation to mandate further reductions in volatile organic compounds in selected personal-care products. Personal fragrance products are targeted for steep cuts, but feasibility questions have the board exploring options.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, powered by Breast Cancer Prevention Partners and the Environmental Working Group, intends to present the 117^th Congress with links between cosmetic ingredients and increased COVID susceptibility as part of its push for tighter cosmetics industry oversight.

In an open letter to the European Commission, Parliament and Council presidents, more than 400 cosmetics companies and animal-rights groups accuse the European Chemicals Agency of effectively “shredding” the animal testing ban on cosmetics by requiring testing for certain chemicals under REACH.

The Environmental Working Group and Scientific Analytical Institute say inadequate testing of talc-containing personal-care products is to blame for findings of asbestos in cosmetics, including three of 21 powder-based cosmetics SAI analyzed at EWG’s request. They continue to push for updated testing standards that include electron microscopy as a core component.