In Time For Halloween, FDA Rule Conjures Up Specter Of Renewed Cosmetic Lead Debate

FDA’s final rule is specific to lead acetate’s use in hair-coloring products, but the agency’s recognition of current consensus – “that there is no safe exposure level for lead” – could spook the wider cosmetics industry, particularly given that some of the same NGO petitioners that drove the rulemaking are clamoring for an all-out ban on trace lead in lipsticks and externally applied cosmetics.

Halloween concept, zombie hand rising out from the ground

FDA will prohibit lead acetate’s use in hair-coloring cosmetics under a final rule announced Oct. 30, citing new data that invalidate its 1980 approval of the color additive for those purposes.

At minimum, the action will impact just a handful of hair-care manufacturers. At most, it could have future implications for...

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