The California Safe Cosmetics Act, which took effect on Jan. 1, requires cosmetics companies to tell state health authorities if a product contains any chemical on several government lists covering possible cancer-causing agents or substances that may harm the reproductive system.
State Senator Carole Migden, Democrat of San Francisco, said that such chemicals, even in trace amounts, should be removed from beauty products because they have been found to cause cancer or hormonal changes in lab animals.
Beauty manufacturers are required to ensure the safety of their cosmetics before they go on sale, but the federal agency has never defined safety, according to an agency spokeswoman. That has left it to the beauty industry to settle on a definition, with the overall standard being that products are safe for use if they do not irritate the skin when applied as directed.
By that standard, the industry has a long record of safety, with about six billion products manufactured annually worldwide, and only rare reports of problems like allergic reactions.
Some health groups have raised questions about the possible long-term or cumulative effects of exposure to all the chemicals in everyday products. In response to their concerns, the European Union imposed new regulations on the industry in 2004, banning more than 600 chemicals from use in cosmetics. 一些健康小组对人体曝露于日常用品中的化学物质的长期结果或累积效应深表担忧。作为响应，欧盟2004年实施了新的工业标准，禁止600多种化学物质用于化妆品生产。
