FDA Globalization Act of 2008
**Will you please sign our Indie Beauty Network petition?**

I haven't had the desire to write about this because it's not light and fluffy and has disturbed me.  Introduced through the House Energy & Commerce Committee in April is a draft discussion that directly affects my business because of proposed blanket (annual) registration fees ($2000-$12,000) and onerous reporting requirements.  The stated purpose of this draft is to help empower the FDA to regulate food, drugs, medical devices, and cosmetics in the global economy we now enjoy.  A congressman from Michigan was concerned because of the recent problems we've seen--like the contact solution and tainted peppers, onions, and/or tomatoes.  There may be other concerns that have to do with the financial interests of the overall larger industries, but we have no information on that.  The House goal is to pass legislation by December 2008.  Our existing cosmetic laws were implemented in 1938 and have been changed little since then, and the cosmetics industry has been a relatively safe one.  When Congress asked the FDA how many cosmetic manufacturers there are in the US, the FDA could not answer.  The new legislation is meant to be for consumer safety but, guess what?  It will require that people like me--even if I make one bar of soap a year--pay a $2000 annual registration fee to the FDA along with completing mandatory paperwork requirements like registering every single ingredient, any change in ingredients, what the adverse effects are of the product, and what we think might be an adverse effect of the product in the future.  If we import an ingredient, then there is an additional registration fee of $10,000 per year.  A small business like mine cannot pay $12,000 in annual fees.  As a consumer, you will not have the choices you have now in cosmetic products if small businesses die.  Only the Estee Lauders and large companies will be able to pay these fees.  Right now, registration of a cosmetics manufacturing company is voluntary.  Registration of cosmetic ingredients is voluntary.  I belong to the Indie Beauty Network, an organization of independent cosmetic makers and suppliers.  We were organized in 2000 and now have 700 members.  However, two of our members who are supplies of raw ingredients have 30,000 customers between them.  That means a lot of other people who are not part of our organization are making cosmetics.  If you want to continue to have a choice in what you buy and you want to support small businesses, please visit our website and sign our petition opposing the FDA Globalization Act of 2008:

http://www.indiebusinessblog.com/indie_business/2008/06/stop-the-fda-gl.html

To sign the petition, scroll to the bottom of the page and fill in your information.  To hear our Indie Beauty Network position, you can listen to the video by our president, Donna Maria Coles Johnson.

Our president, Donna Maria Coles Johnson, and several members of the Indie Beauty Network have already met with Congress.  Obviously, Congress and the FDA were not aware that there is a cottage industry of cosmetic makers in the US or they would not have proposed such exorbitant fees for small businesses.  Many of us make our living creating unique, made-by-hand products with natural ingredients rather than an onslaught of chemicals mixed in vats by machine.  In general, we don't make a lot of money because our work is labor intensive and we use quality ingredients that are expensive.  We do this because it is important to us to have a choice, we value our health, and we love what we do.  Our purpose is to make a safe product.

Like the pesticide industry, we may be given a list of FDA-approved ingredients that we can use.  Just to let you know what I think about that, I would never use FD&C colors in my products.  FD&C colors are colors considered safe by the FDA for use in food, drugs, and cosmetics; most of the colors are derived from coal tar and must be certified by the FDA not to contain more than 10ppm of lead and arsenic; certification does not address any harmful effects these colors may have on the body; most coal tar colors are potential carcinogens, may contain carcinogenic contaminants, and cause allergic reactions.

As our IBN president points out, "The existing laws have allowed free entry into this industry.  Small businesses have been able to thrive and make significant contributions to the industry.  We want to operate without unduly prohibitive fees and regulations.  We support a vibrant, robust marketplace where consumers have choices."

This treatise was powered by dark chocolate & Yogi chai black tea.

Diane Seago Atkins
DSA Aromatherapy