Rose Sheet Pharma intelligence rose.pharmaintelligence.informa.com December 2017 informa NSF’s Cosmetics Verification Program Fizzles, While EWG’s Could See Second Boom JAMIE HAMMON [email protected] RYAN NELSON [email protected] SF International has put its cos- The not-for-profit organization plans to metic product verification program conduct research in 2018 “to better under- N on hold less than a year after it stand the market interest in a robust, sci- launched, due to lack of interest. “We developed the ence-based product verification program,” The global independent standards, testing cosmetic product according to Coy. and certification organization introduced the verification service in April 2017. The program verification program earlier ‘EWG VERIFIED’ FLOURISHING was designed to review cosmetics companies’ IN COMPARISON regulatory and good manufacturing practices this year, and we realize The Environmental Working Group has had compliance, subject products to toxicological now that we may have markedly more success with its “EWG Veri- and contaminant testing, vet label claims and fied” platform, with more than 1,000 person- conduct periodic facility audits. been ahead of our time. We al-care products from 75+ brands qualifying Qualifying applicants would have been for the NGO’s mark to date. (Also see “’EWG free to sport the NSF Product Verified mark simply have not seen much Verified’ Personal-Care Safety Seal Builds On on their products, offering an added layer interest in the program,” ‘Skin Deep’ Platform” - Rose Sheet, 4 Nov, 2015.) of assurance to consumers, according to the While Coy suggests that NSF may have group. (Also see “NSF International Launches said NSF Cosmetics jumped the gun, it could be argued that Cosmetic Verification Program For ‘Consumer the group was late getting off the line, an- Assurance’” - Rose Sheet, 18 Apr, 2017.) Manager Casey Coy. nouncing its program some 18 months af- NSF said that “by selecting cosmetic ter EWG’s debuted. products that have been evaluated against From the outset, EWG Verified has proven the rigorous criteria of NSF International’s uct manufacturers. For example, its regula- popular with niche brands built on trending cosmetic product verification, consumers tory consulting team provides registration if ill-defined, largely unregulated concepts can be confident that products bearing the and notification services to help companies – “natural,” “green,” “sustainable.” Such com- NSF mark have been tested to meet the comply with California’s Safe Cosmetics Act, panies tend to cast themselves as uniquely quality and safety consumers expect.” the European Cosmetics Regulation and responsible and transparent, health-con- The group has since pressed pause on other such programs. scious actors and, thus, may have most to the initiative. It’s also available to assist with cosmetic gain from third-party verification in terms “We developed the cosmetic product product safety reports and product infor- of shoring up this positioning in the eyes of verification program earlier this year, and mation files required in the EU, and con- their target audiences. we realize now that we may have been ducts gap audits against other country- EWG lists Dolphin Organics, Aromatica ahead of our time,” said Casey Coy, cosmet- specific regulatory and quality system (touted as “Natural and safe, our promise to ics and personal care manager at NSF, in a standards, according to its website. you”), Cocoon Apothecary (“Nature makes Dec. 11 email to the Rose Sheet. Further, NSF reviews product labels and a comeback”), Davids Premium Natural “We simply have not seen much interest website claims to verify compliance with Toothpaste, Be Green Bath & Body, Finally in the program,” she added. regulations and ensure that ingredients Pure, Honestly pHresh and Conscious Skin- The group still offers a la carte testing ser- and test data are consistent with promo- care among brands that have earned its vices for cosmetics and personal-care prod- tional statements. mark on products. CONTINUED ON PAGE 1 BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE EDITORS OF ROSE SHEET AND TAN SHEET Rose Sheet Pharma intelligence | DECEMBER 2017 Our selection of Rose Sheet content from the past month includes some of our most-viewed articles online and editors’ picks of top issues across the cosmetics and dietary supplement sectors. Please visit rose.pharmaintelligence.informa.com for full access to our comprehensive, up-to-the-minute news coverage and analysis. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ COSMETICS COVER NSF’s Cosmetics Verification Program Fizzles, While EWG’s Could See Second Boom 4 National Standard For Cosmetics Quality Nearing Finish Line With Retailer Buy-In 6 CIR: Industry Working On Producing Preservative PHMB Sensitization Data 8 Personal-Care Industry Leaders Issue Call For Green Chemistry Solutions 10 BASF Ingredient Case Begs For Verdict: Do REACH Animal Tests Violate Cosmetics Reg? 12 China Animal Testing Continues To Make Headaches For Beauty Brands DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS 13 Dietary Supplement Sector Warnings Jump With FDA ‘Program Alignment’ 15 Form 483s: Supplement Firms’ Stage For Changing FDA Inspectors’ Views 16 Unusual Supplement Adverse Events Could Be ‘Canary’ Of Problem 17 Opioid-Withdrawal ‘Aids’ Warrant Immediate FDA, FTC Action – CSPI 19 Appropriators’ Interest Could Point To FDA Supplement Programs Funding Boost 20 FDA ‘Evolving’ Homeopathic Drug Enforcement With Risk-Based Approach LEADERSHIP CORPORATE SALES ADVERTISING DESIGN SUPERVISOR Phil Jarvis, Richard Faint John Lucas, Elissa Langer Christopher Keeling Gayle Rembold Furbert MANAGING EDITOR EXECUTIVE EDITOR EDITORIAL OFFICE Ryan Nelson Malcolm Spicer 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, 11th Floor REPORTER SENIOR REPORTER New York, NY 10017 Jamie Hammon Eileen Francis phone 240-221-4500, fax 240-221-2561 CUSTOMER CARE 1-888-670-8900 or 1-908-547-2200 © 2017 Informa Business Intelligence, Inc., an Informa company. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or incorporated into any fax 646-666-9878 information retrieval system without the written permission of the copyright owner. [email protected] 2 | Rose Sheet | December 2017 © Informa UK Ltd 2017 COSMETICS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Participating companies could highlight Putting aside the timing of their veri- NSF’s credentials as an organization accred- fication program launches, it’s hard to ited by the American National Standards In- imagine that NSF’s name recognition is as “It’s been amazing to see stitute with a history of collaborating with strong as EWG’s among such companies the positive reaction. For the World Health Organization on water and their customers. While both NSF and quality and food safety issues, for example. EWG are committed to promoting pub- years brands have wanted The question remains though: Does lic and environmental health, their modi the average cosmetics consumer or main- operandi, industry relationships and the a stamp of approval stream brand loyalist need the “assurance” ways they interface with consumers are from EWG to show they that NSF’s mark is intended to provide? very different. Perhaps industry has already answered NSF’s consensus-based standards and are doing the best to that question. certification platforms generally lack the level of public visibility commanded by produce products free WALMART RECOMMENDATION EWG’s annual sunscreen ratings, its Guide from potentially dangerous COULD POSE DILEMMA to Healthy Cleaning, GMO-avoidance man- In a Dec. 15 email, EWG’s Jocelyn Lyle, vice ual, cosmetics legislative work, product chemicals.” – EWG’s president of development and online en- blacklists or unsafe chemical campaigns. gagement, expressed enthusiasm about It’s not uncommon for EWG’s initiatives to Jocelyn Lyle, vice president EWG Verified’s reception to date and opti- receive national media attention. of development and online mism about the program’s future. EWG has more than 54,000 Twitter fol- “It’s been amazing to see the positive lowers and 641,000 Facebook followers, engagement reaction,” she said. “For years brands have compared with NSF’s roughly 3,300 and wanted a stamp of approval from EWG to 6,000, respectively. EWG also has more show they are doing the best to produce than 50,000 Instagram followers, while NSF pert bodies such as the Cosmetic Ingredi- products free from potentially dangerous is without a presence on the photo- and ent Review (CIR) Expert Panel (US) and the chemicals.” video-sharing platform, a favorite among Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety The NGO expects interest in the verifica- younger consumers. (SCCS) (EU).” tion mark to continue to grow, particularly At the basis of EWG’s cosmetics safety As a non-voting liaison member of CIR’s in light of recent developments at mega- messaging and activism is the group’s Skin panel, FDA takes the group’s findings into retailer Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Deep database, which houses information account in its cosmetics safety program, In September, Walmart said it would on close to 9,000 ingredients and hazard and SCCS’ opinions regularly shape the Eu- begin encouraging vendors to obtain assessments for more than 72,000 cosmetic ropean Commission’s rules for safe ingredi- the EWG Verified mark and/or Cradle to products. The group compares formula- ent use in the cosmetics sector. Cradle certification (silver level or bet- tions against roughly 60 sources of chemi- Loretz added, “Like its Skin Deep data- ter), administered by the nonprofit Cradle cal toxicity and regulatory information, ac- base, [EWG] does not use sound scientific to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. cording to the Skin Deep site. principles or peer-reviewed data as the (Also see ““Multi-Attribute” Cradle-To-Cra- EWG Verified products must score “green” basis for its claims.” Its analysis therefore “is dle Seal: The Ultimate In Sustainability?” - overall (1-2, denoting “low hazard”) on Skin fundamentally flawed, and the conclusions Rose Sheet, 27 Jun, 2011.) Deep’s 1-10 hazard scale and be free of ingredi- are not meaningful,” she asserted.