Safe Skin Care - Cosmetic Safety

There are two federal laws pertaining to cosmetic safety, including safe skin care, in the United States: the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act.

In this article, we will look at both acts and discover what they control, how they control, and why the consumer should be concerned. The conclusion will leave you surprised to learn that the burden of cosmetic safety, in the end, will rest on you, the consumer, to decide what is and what is not safe for you and your children to use daily.

First up is the FD&C Act. This law prohibits the marketing of mis-branded cosmetics in interstate commerce. Violations due to product ingredients cause cosmetics to be subject to regulatory action. To enforce the law, Congress authorizes an agency, in this case the FDA, to police the regulations, but only as authorized under the law. The problem is this. Under the law the FDA's legal authority over cosmetics is different than its legal authority over drugs and medical devices that are subject to pre-market approval. Cosmetics are not subject to pre-market approval, with one exception, color additives. If cosmetic products are not subject to pre-market approval, one must ask how effective the FD&C Act really is in protecting the consumer? It would appear the proverbial cow can leave the barn before the door is closed, that is, the products can reach the market and be consumed without the consumer being aware of whether these presumably safe cosmetics products are, in fact, safe.

One might ask then, who is responsible for the safety of cosmetic products? The answer, believe it or not, is the cosmetic companies themselves are held responsible for the safety of their own products, including the ingredients. And, unless this warning statement appears prominently on the label, "Warning-- The safety of this product has not been determined." (21 CFR 740.10), the product can be distributed and will not be considered to be mis-branded, leaving the decision to buy or not to buy solely up to the consumer. Therefore, generally speaking, other than color additives, a cosmetic manufacturer can use any ingredient it so desires provided it determines the product to be safe. Again, with no one really watching, it leaves discretion as to what is safe cosmetics, or safe skin care, totally up to the cosmetic company. Even recalls of products are voluntary actions and up to the manufacturer and/or distributor.

Couple the above with the following statistic: of the 10,500 chemicals used in the manufacture of cosmetic products, only 11% have been screened safety tested.

Now let's look at the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act. Although it reads "improperly labeled or deceptively packaged products are considered mis-branded and subject to regulatory action", the process is cumbersome, at best, and the FDA takes regulatory action based on agency priorities, and these must be consistent with health concerns and available resources. The agency must use the federal court system and pursue action through the Department of Justice. Once again, it appears the Cosmetic Industry, generally speaking, can police itself as to what it places on its packaging and labels.

Does the FDA test cosmetic products before distribution. The answer is no. The agency does not function as a private testing lab, and to avoid conflict of interest, does not even recommend private labs where product and ingredient analysis can be performed to address safety concerns.

Lastly, do cosmetic manufacturers register with the FDA? The answer again is no. Cosmetic manufacturers are not required to register their companies with the FDA. However, what is most disturbing, is that cosmetic establishments are not even required to register the ingredients used in the manufacture of their products, nor are they expected to file consumer complaints with the FDA. The registration process is completely voluntary.

The bottom line is simply that the law is really not going to protect the consumer against using products with ingredients that have proven to be dangerous to one's health. Safe cosmetics and safe skin care, in the end, is the consumer's responsibility, and to do that, the consumer must make themselves aware of those products that have been determined to be toxic, and, if used daily, can have a cumulative negative effect on one's health.

* Cheap Branded Cosmetics
* Boots No7

Cosmetic Products Free - How You Too Can Get Top Brand Cosmetic Products Free

You've often heard the phrase "there is no such thing as a free lunch", right? Right. But I can tell you there is such a thing as "free, top brand, cosmetic products".

You see, many of the brand leaders provide some free cosmetics for certain reasons that I explain below. And this is your opportunity to get your favorite luxury brands free of charge.

OK, first "why" and then "how". Well, there are three main reasons for the "why":

1- Market Testing

They may be "market testing" a new range. Who better to tell them what they think of the product than *you*. Think about it.

If you don't take a free bag of cosmetics or a high quality bag for say $1, then you are unlikely to go and buy the same products. But if you do take the products they provide for free or for $1, then you are more likely to later buy the product.

After testing, if you intend to buy the products later, then you obviously like the products. They will want to know what exactly you like about the products.

If you decide you won't be buying the cosmetics in the future, again they'll want to know how they can improve their cosmetics range. In short your opinion matters.

2- Market Stimulation

The cosmetics firm may be stimulating the market for a new product. So you will get a whole bunch of small samples or may be even full sized products. And if you're happy with the products, you will of course rave about it to all your frineds. Hey look, we all like to talk about the latest, biggest, best, most unusual, luxurious, etc, experiences we've had.

This is an age old technique used in marketing and you can benefit by knowing where to look and getting a regular supply of top brand cosmetics. Sometimes all it will takes is giving your opinion.

There are even times when the cosmetics firms will invite you to take part in their focus groups. In return for your detailed opinions the benefits can be huge.

When I say detailed, I mean you may have to fill in a 5 page form for example. They'll want to know what you thought of everything. The packaging, the product and even the way the cosmetics range was presented to you. Your rewards can be significant.

3- Marketing Boost

There are times when a cosmetics range has been around for a while and is well established. Even thought this cosmetics range is well liked, the newer competition and competitive marketing may be taking some customers away.

Many cosmetics firms run campaigns to give a bit of a boost to their existing ranges. This is why you often see TV and billboard advertisements for products that have been around for ages. But in those ads, they can offer free cosmetics to everyone nor can they let you touch, feel and sample the cosmetics.

Therefore the free offers are made through other means and the Internet has made this much easier and cheaper than ever. The result is that you too can benefit significantly as I will show you next.

How? Well, the free cosmetics products aren't advertised on the TV but they are widely publicized on the web. This makes it really easy for you to find them. There are specialist web sites that will list these offers for you.

Some offers last a long time and others come and go quickly. But by looking at these specialist sites you can pick and choose what you want when you want it.

All you need do is to conduct a search for the following terms: "free cosmetics", "cosmetics offers", "free cosmetics offers". But also try two variations:

A) Try repeating the above searches, each time replacing the term "cosmetics" with your preferred brand name(s).

B) Do as In A) but instead of replacing, try inserting your preferred rand name(s) in between "free" and "cosmetics" or before "cosmetics offers".

I have two more quick tips for you:

A) Firstly, read the details of the terms carefully. If they are asking you to jump through too many hoops and mailing it difficult for you to get the cosmetics then just move on.

"How much is too much" depends on you. You may find 15 minutes of form filling is great for what's being offered or you may hate giving your opinion for even 5 minutes, for $100 worth of products. In the end the choice is yours but read the details first.

B) Secondly, some cosmetics offers require your email address. This is not a bad thing as you may get those invites to participate in their focus groups etc.

Don't worry all the reputable brands will immediately remove you from their list any time you wish. All you do is click the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of their emails.

However, I suggest you set up a separate email account for this purpose. This means your offers are always clearly visible to you all in one place. Also the offers won't clutter your inbox for your private mail.

This also enables you to quickly participate in some offers. After they send you an offer, if the cosmetics offer is good, then you can read the details. This saves you a lot of time wastage before you opt in.

Which ever email address you use, make sure you add the sender's address to your address book or white list so that your ISP doesn't filter the offers into your junk mail folder.

Well, that's about it. By tapping into one of these sites you get a regular supply of your favorite cosmetics free of charge. And at times, all it can take is your valued opinion.

* Cheap Branded Cosmetics
* Boots No7

Private Label Cosmetics - You Need Your Own Cosmetics Brand

Private label cosmetic manufacturing is currently enjoying unprecedented growth. Sales are steadily increasing every year, at a rate which many other industries can only envy.

If you are a salon owner, or in the business of selling skin care, hair care, makeup, toiletries, body and bath products, now had never been a better time to start making your own brand products.

Or, if you are seeking an easy to operate, low risk, high profit business venture, manufacturing private label cosmetic brands has little competition and enormous potential.

Why should every salon, spa, pharmacy and cosmetic retailer have their own brand?

The internet has globalized virtually every industry, and the beauty products business is no exception. Not so long ago, many skin care and cosmetic products could be purchased only from professional spas, salons and authorized retailers. Business owners and their staff undertook special training in the use of these products, in order to give the best possible advice to their clientele and maintain a high standard not only for their own business, but also the brand name they were promoting.

It was impossible to purchase many big brand cosmetics from anywhere but these professional outlets. This offered not only prestige, but a powerful and professional advantage to salon and business owners - it guaranteed them a certain exclusivity over beauty products available in department stores, retail outlets, pharmacies, etc.

Sadly for most salon owners, this is no longer the case. The internet has allowed mass access to these previously professional-only products. That exclusivity that was once the lifeblood of so many salons and spas, has slowly but surely been eroded. After so many years of providing professional recommendations, investing time and money undertaking countless hours of training, and supplying priceless free word-of-mouth advertising for the multi-billion dollar cosmetic manufacturing conglomerates, salon owners have received a rude wake-up call.

The internet has made it easy for their previously loyal clientele to buy major brand skin care, hair care, make up, suntanning products, etc, without leaving home.

Long gone are the days when salon owners could rely on cosmetic manufacturing companies to protect their interests and sales by controlling the distribution of their products. It has proved impossible to control the spread of an ever increasing number of global websites offering major brand name cosmetics.

Private label cosmetics are the answer to this problem - and hence the reason for their surge in growth and popularity like never before.

Most spa and salon owners have stood by and watched helplessly as:

• The professional image of their business is eroded
• Their hard-won role as a provider of an exclusive product is eroded
• Their customer loyalty is declining
• Product sales steadily weaken
• The cosmetic manufacturing conglomerates grow bigger and richer, thanks in no small part to their invaluable recommendations, for which they now receive no compensation

Salon and spa owners, and countless retailers around the world are now recognizing that there is only one brand worth promoting: Their own brand.

The most astute business owners have become aware that the largest slice of the profits is to be made by manufacturing cosmetics, skin care, hair care, bath and body products themselves, or by contracting a private label cosmetics manufacturer.

Private label cosmetics manufacturing does not require expensive equipment or a cosmetic chemistry degree. With professional formulations and manufacturing procedures, it is possible to start a high demand, high profit manufacturing business for very low start-up. Profit margins can easily reach 1000%. With so many businesses, from spas and salons to department stores and pharmacies now realizing the potential of increased profits and customer loyalty, there has never been a better time to start a business as a private label cosmetics manufacturer.

* Cheap Branded Cosmetics
* Boots No7