Lobby groups have gained significant media coverage in recent months after raising concerns about the dangers of lead in lipstick and phthalates in baby care products.
Chief scientist at the PCPC, John Bailey, Ph.D, defended the industry against these attacks claiming that they take information out of context and mislead the consumer.
Unfounded accusations
Bailey told CosmeticsDesign.com that the specific claims made by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics concerning the dangers of lead in lipstick were "simply not true".
He accused the organizations behind these reports of using scare tactics to spread mistruths and make consumers believe that grave dangers lie in on the cosmetics shelves when this is simply not the case.
With regards to the scare over the dangers of phthalates in baby products the scientist said the authors of the study were raising the alarm about ingredients that are not even found in baby care products.
While Bailey said some lobby groups were guilty of misleading the public, he refused to be drawn into speculation about their motives for doing so and the vested interests that may lie behind their claims.
The importance of the internet
With regards to the audience that these questionable studies reach the trade association representative said the internet has increased the ability of lobby groups to disseminate information.
For this reason the PCPC (formerly the CTFA) set up www.cosmeticsinfo.org to allow consumers to find out more about cosmetic and personal care products and ingredients.
Bailey said the information on the website was based on good science and claims made about the safety of different products and ingredients are put forward with the backing scientific rigor.
He said the internet has the potential to make consumers better informed but readers have to be critical and take some sensationalist reports with a pinch of salt.
