Impact of the 2008/2009 State Budget on the Safe Cosmetics Program

Questions have been raised recently regarding the impact of the new 2008/2009 State budget on the reporting requirements for cosmetic manufacturers under the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2005. The Governor's 2008/2009 budget reflects a cut within the California Department of Public Health's Food and Drug Branch to the "Cosmetics Safety Program." However, there is no impact on the reporting requirements for manufacturers of cosmetics products as specified in California law. A company is still required to report if all of the following conditions are met:

1. It has a total of at least $1 million of cosmetic product sales both within and outside of California (according to previous year tax records);
   
2. It is the manufacturer, packer, and/or distributor named on the label of a product which contains an ingredient known or suspected by an authoritative body cited in the Act to cause cancer or reproductive harm;
   
3. That product meets the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (U.S. FDA) definition of a cosmetic (see Definitions Informational Sheet);
   
4. That product was sold in California on or after January 1, 2007.

At this time, the California Safe Cosmetics Program is in the process of developing the online reporting system. Once the system is operational, reporting will begin. Please check this Web site periodically for further updates and related news. 

Information Sheets Released

The California Safe Cosmetics Program (CSCP) has developed three information sheets to provide more information about how the program works and how companies can comply with reporting requirements.  The information sheets were developed with input from the CSCP Stakeholder Planning Committee and approval by CDPH’s Office of Legal Services.  The information contained in these documents was taken from the law that created the California Safe Cosmetics Act of 2005 and the federal rules referenced in the Act.

View Information Sheets:

Reporting Under the California Safe Cosmetics Act of 2005 (PDF) - companies and products subject to reporting provisions, information that must be provided, reporting process and schedule, confidential information, etc.

Chemical and Product Lists (PDF) - chemical list sources and posting schedule, product list description, ingredient verification, trade secrets, etc.

Definitions (PDF) - explains terms related to reporting, products, and ingredients.

Chemical List released to assist companies with reporting

The California Safe Cosmetics Act of 2005 requires cosmetics companies to report products that contain chemicals known or suspected to cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm. This information will be reported to the California Department of Public Health. To assist companies with reporting, the California Safe Cosmetics Program has compiled a list of these chemicals using reports and lists from authoritative bodies..

View Chemical List (PDF, English, 29 pages) … Spanish … Vietnamese

California Safe Cosmetics Program main page 

Occupational Health Branch home page