The history of US cosmetic regulations and the impact of top toxic ingredients on human health

There has been considerable coverage on the link between chemicals in processed foods and cancer. However, it’s crucial to recognize the harmful effects that other consumer goods can have on human health.

Until recently, there has been minimal regulation by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States concerning the types of ingredients used in cosmetic products. It has been up to the company or individuals who manufactures to ensure the health and safety of the product.

To gain a comprehensive understanding of the cosmetic industry and advocate for stricter regulations on product ingredients, it is essential to examine human history in the US and our evolving relationship with cosmetics.

To first introduce the timeline of the United States’ relationship with cosmetics, it is important to mention that a form of ‘cosmetic’ has been dated back all the way back to 10,000 BCE. In ancient times, Egyptians developed scented oils and ointments for body use, practices that later influenced cultures like the Chinese and Japanese, who crafted face powders from rice, and Indians, who utilized the henna plant for skin dyeing as an art form.

By the 1400 – 1500s, Italy and France were the largest manufacturers of cosmetics and only the aristocrats had access to it. The ingredients that the Europeans widely used for their cosmetic mixtures were made from lead, and other modern day toxic ingredients.

Cosmetics gradually arrived in the United States, eventually becoming an integral part of celebrities’ lifestyles (e.g. the flapper look). Modern day American women began to formulate their own mascara by the early 1900s. By the 1920s, American manufacturers recognized the growing demand for cosmetics and began to mass market beauty products and fragrances. By 1938, the FDA started to regulate the cosmetic industry which was largely influenced by a mass poisoning of an untested antibiotic, containing the toxin diethylene glycol, killing over 100 people in 1937.

The US regulations on cosmetics are outlined in the following chronological order: