CTFA changes name to focus on consumer safety

Announced at the organisation's annual fall meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, the change is being headed up by a new website, www.cosmeticsinfo.org , which will serve as a platform to highlight the new direction.

The on-line service will focus on creating a mouthpiece for the industry, communicating detailed information relevant to personal care products that are widely available in retail channels throughout the US.

Ultimately it will provide access to safety information about cosmetic ingredients and the scientific processes behind formulation development.

In the US there has been increasing pressure from both consumers and lobby groups over the regulation of personal care products, which has led to what the PCPC refers to as a lot of 'misinformation'.

Currently the FDA regulates personal care products in the US, but this arrangement has come under a great deal of criticism, with consumer lobby groups claiming that the process leaves consumers vulnerable.

The new website contains information on 13 personal care categories, which includes the 1,500 ingredients most commonly used in personal care products in the US and will be constantly updated.

It also contains links to other authoritative bodies within the realms of scientific research relating to personal care formulation, enabling consumers to cross-reference specific areas.

"This wide range of beauty and personal care products we represent are essential to today's lifestyles and consumers turn to us for accurate information about them," said Marc Pritchard, president of global strategy at Procter & Gamble and chairman of the PCPC.

"This new website is a fulfillment of that trust and offers consumer the important information they seek about the products and ingredient they purchase for themselves and their families," he said.

Although the organization remains a mouthpiece for the industry, the focus on the consumers is stressed on the new website, by providing them with a clear navigation from the homepage to the Cosmetics and Personal Care Product Safety area.

Once there, the consumer can type any ingredient into the database search engine to find out about the functionality and safety of the ingredient as well as its specific use in finished products.

"We are a science-based, safety-first organization and industry with a long track record of safety initiatives that go beyond the requirements of the law," said Pamela Bailey, president and CEO, PCPC.