On May 31, the Personal Care Products Council announced the retirement of a key player in its work promoting the safe use of cosmetics, Chief Scientist John Bailey, who leaves the trade group July 29.

“With his breadth and depth of knowledge, John has made enormous contributions and been a tremendous asset to the Council and industry over the last decade,” says Council President & CEO Lezlee Westine.

“He has managed a talented group of scientists and grown one of our association’s most invaluable and productive areas of member services, and he will be sorely missed,” she adds.

Bailey joined the Council in 2002 as director of cosmetic chemistry, and was named chief scientist in 2006 (Also see "CTFA Veteran McEwen Retires After 25-Year Tenure" - HBW Insight, 23 January, 2006.).

Prior to his role with the Council, Bailey had a 30-year career with FDA, heading up the Office of Cosmetics and Colors from 1991 to 2000.

The Council is expected to announce Bailey’s replacement next week.

Council Chief Scientist John Bailey

In a June 2 interview, Bailey spoke with “The Rose Sheet” about his career, the role of science in the personal-care industry and the current oversight structure for cosmetics in the U.S.

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“The Rose Sheet”: What would you say has been your biggest accomplishment during your time with the Council?

John Bailey: With the Council, we’ve done many, many big projects. One that stands out of course is the website CosmeticsInfo.org. We put a huge amount of effort into that – a lot of it was my time – and I feel like it’s a very good resource. I think it’s very accurate and balanced, which is something that we worked hard to achieve, and I think the fact that it’s as popular as it is … is evidence that we did a good job. At the end of the day, my career’s been oriented towards cosmetics and consumers and safety, and I think [the website exemplifies] that overall goal of what we do.

Rose: What are some of the biggest challenges that you’ve faced in your role?

Bailey: There’s a lot of information out on the internet that is misleading and wrong and maybe even malicious. I think that consumers are getting a very false impression of the science. My [rule] has been: “Be true to the science.” Go with the best information. It’s not good or bad, it’s facts. I can deal with facts in a balanced and scientific way, but a lot of what’s out there is manipulated for some goal.

[Editor’s note: Bailey has come down repeatedly on the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the Environmental Working Group for “distorting” science to advance their agenda ( Also see "Study Identifying "Secret" Chemicals In Popular Fragrances Spurs Legislation" - HBW Insight, 17 May, 2010.).]

It applies not only to the internet mix but also to actions that are taken at the legislative level and events that may occur internationally [that] just don’t stick true to the science. We can make rational decisions and work well together even if we have different opinions about something, but you have to be true to the most objective measure that you have, and that’s the science.

Rose: So science should have a pivotal role in cosmetics regulation?

Bailey: Absolutely. It is the tool that allows us to make objective and reasonable decisions. When I was at FDA we relied on and applied the best science that was available, and that’s no different where I am now. I think that we do bring to bear the right information to help us make the right decisions. ... And you’ll see that [echoed] in FDA’s actions today, that they strive to be true to the information [but] sometimes get pulled in different directions because of political agendas.

Rose: Have industry’s and regulators’ regard for science changed from your start with FDA to today?

Bailey: FDA has done a good job of staying true to their fundamental mission and the science, but I think they get criticized a lot for doing that, because sometimes their decisions do not align with some political agendas that may be out there. So I think they do a good job, but they also suffer from the fact that there are people out there that would prefer that they not do that and make decisions that really are not as science-based.

Rose: How has FDA’s approach to cosmetics regulation changed over the years?

Bailey: I think that FDA recognizes that cosmetics are by far the safest products that they regulate, and they tend to focus on where the real problems are, in foods or drugs, medical devices or dietary supplements. But it’s important to maintain a credible scientific regulatory program for cosmetics. What has changed is FDA is stressed more, especially budget-wise. They have to make some very hard decisions, and we as the industry have worked very hard to support the agency to make sure they have the tools and resources they need, but it’s a tough situation. ... The law provides them with some very powerful tools; they just need to have the resources and especially the science base to be able to [exercise them].

Rose: What have been some of the most important scientific advances in cosmetic science over the course of your career?

Bailey: Safety testing has come a long way. The tools that are available and the techniques that are applied are very sophisticated and very helpful in ensuring that products are safe. ... Certainly a big part of this is the Cosmetic Ingredient Review and what they do. And FDA, I think rightfully, is asking more and more for CIR to address important issues because they know they have the credentials to do it and the industry takes this very seriously and provides the information.

There’s still a consideration for updating the cosmetics legal regulatory structure, I think that should happen, but it should happen in a balanced way where the measures are appropriate for the product category and the risk. The thing we always have to pull out is that cosmetics, out of all the different substances we use every day, present by far the least risk. [Editor’s note: The Council is expected to support legislation this year to “modernize” cosmetics oversight ( Also see "Industry Council, Safe Cosmetics Group To Push Separate Legislation In 2011" - HBW Insight, 27 September, 2010. ).]

Rose: Have you seen the overlapping territory between drugs and cosmetics become more of an issue over the course of your career?

Bailey: It’s always been an issue. I know that when I was at FDA I spent a lot of time studying and analyzing that legal, regulatory and scientific history [of those categories], and I don’t think that has changed much.

If you look at the legal [difference] between drug and cosmetic, the line is extremely sharp. A cosmetic is given a certain regulatory structure [versus] the drug legal regulatory structure, and it’s a very sharp line and it’s very difficult to fit in those middle products. And there are legitimate middle products that can provide benefit to consumers but that do need a legal regulatory scheme that can take that into account, and I just don’t think that exists right now. [Editor’s note: FDA does not formally recognize the term “cosmeceutical.” It maintains that if a product has drug-like properties, it must be approved as a drug.]

Rose: Are there any changes you’d like to see in the industry in the coming years?

Bailey: International alignment and international harmonization is extremely important, and I think the work we’ve been doing with [the International Cooperation on Cosmetics Regulation] is potentially very beneficial. But it’s very hard work when you bring together different jurisdictions with different perspectives and different relative priorities for things. [Nevertheless] that’s a really important area and an area that can benefit consumers worldwide, especially I think in the U.S. in that it allows more efficient use of scarce resources by the industry to develop data, and have that data be very portable across different areas or to sort of define a situation that may be somewhat controversial where everybody can agree yes to what would be the best practices.

Rose: Do you feel like you’re leaving behind any unfinished business when you depart from the Council?

Bailey: There’s always unfinished business in jobs like this. And certainly there are many issues that are in play right now that my successor will I’m sure pick up and ably take forward. There’s always a shelf full of issues that we have to deal with and many of those relate to things we’ve already talked about, the proper application of science, the need to have aligned requirements – and I might add that the need for aligned requirements applies not only at the international level but also at the domestic level. The states have been very active and trying to sort of invent their own systems, and it really should happen at the federal level and not the state level. So that’s going to be a challenge because the states are still out there doing things, and we need to be very involved in that to make sure that it fits in a proper way.

Rose: What advice do you have for your successor?

Bailey: My main theme throughout my career has been: “Be true to the science.” And I think that that will always get you as close to the right decision as you can get in any particular setting, so I would say certainly that. I think that working with our members and the experts in the industry is a great resource. These are people who really know their stuff, and I think that’s one of the key approaches that we use and that has worked very well. I would say to get to know them very well.

Rose: Do you plan to stay in touch with the cosmetics industry?

Bailey: I may continue to help out in some areas. ... It’s been an absolutely wonderful experience. FDA was a great agency to work for – great people and great opportunities working with the industry and all stakeholders, consumers. ... The respect that the agency has, has always been a very rewarding thing for me. Then coming to the industry and finding a very similar situation with the people and the companies and the innovation and the good things that they do, and the science they apply – it has just been an absolutely super experience.

By Lauren Nardella

Council’s Science Chief Bailey Reflects On Career “Being True To The Science”

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