Farah Ahmed, president and CEO of the Fragrance Creators Association, discusses the trade group’s expansion in recent years beyond immediate regulatory and legislative concerns to a platform for robust member collaboration in the name of positively impacting the world.

Cannabidiol (CBD) represents an intriguing opportunity for cosmetics, without the statutory obstacles faced by food and dietary supplement companies. Cosmetics marketers are taking advantage, but the FDA’s recent warning letter blitz is a reminder that CBD-infused beauty products are bound by the same rules that apply to other cosmetics.

Federal preemption of state and local requirements that differ from federal mandates came up repeatedly at the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee’s 4 December cosmetics hearing. Meanwhile, both NGO and industry stakeholders generally support FDA review of cosmetic ingredients, but the details of such a framework likely will be contentious as work progresses.

House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone underscores FDA’s lack of resources and insufficient “regulatory tools” in a memo to Health Subcommittee members going into a 4 December hearing on cosmetics safety issues. The committee’s last hearing on the subject was in 2012 when Pallone unveiled the first version of his Cosmetics Safety Enhancement Act.

CHART: The agency sent out 15 warning letters on 25 November, citing companies in 10 states for selling unapproved and misbranded CBD drug products in the guise of dietary supplements and cosmetics.

The agency announces that it cannot conclude cannabidiol is GRAS, potentially heading off GRAS notifications and making NDI notifications a likelier future for CBD use in the supplement sector if any “lawful pathway” is to be found. In addition to a barrage of warning letters to marketers of CBD products, the FDA issued a stark warning to consumers about potential hazards.