In recent years, consumer groups have been questioning just what's inside that cosmetics box and how safe it is for use on the skin, and the FDA is taking notice.

The Food & Drug Administration, the only federal agency with regulatory power over the cosmetic industry, appears to "still be thinking about what it will ultimately do", says Greenberg, and generally considers these claims as bogus.

As defined by the FDA, cosmetics include "articles intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled or sprayed on, introduced into, or otherwise applied to the human body...for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance." At this point, the only responsibility a company that produces cosmetics has to the consumer is certifying that the products created are safe for the consumer if used as intended. The unfortunate side-effect of such loosely defined regulations is a wide chasm between what consumers consider safe, and what producers consider safe.

A movement has begun internationally to initiate cooperation on cosmetic regulation across all channels, and at a 2007 meeting in Brussels, regulatory groups and government representatives met to try and tackle the safety issues currently facing the entire cosmetic industry. Francine Lamoriello, of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association in Washington, DC notes that although the initiative is timely, she hopes the efforts are "in the context of each country's regulatory system". A standardized regulatory system that doesn't allow for each individual country to establish their own unique regulatory measure is a concern, and rightly so. Lamoriello "hopes those measures might not be mandatory regulations, but simply guidance notes".

The Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization, has accused the FDA of not protecting the public from damaging ingredients and points out that "safety should be a bigger issue than working on international harmonization". According to the EWG, numerous cosmetic products are sold in the US which contain ingredients that are banned in other countries-even if they are safe here-and that the FDA has failed to enforce a regulation requiring a wa$rning label that states, "WARNING-The safety of this products has not been determined".

According to Greenberg, however "virtually no products exist that feature the warning". Is the FDA failing to do its job, or are most cosmetics free of dangerous ingredients which would warrant such a warning label? Opinions are divided.

The CTFA has found that some of the EWG's allegations are "filled with mistakes and unfounded conclusions". And, that even some supposedly dangerous substances do not warrant such harsh labeling as the amounts found in cosmetics are trace, at best. "The kinds of questions EWG is raising are...policy-based, and will take a great deal of time and effort to address", observes Greenberg-a sentiment echoed by many others involved in the production side of the cosmetics industry.

At present, the safety issues raised by the Environmental Working Group have yet to be formally addressed, but as consumers become more educated about ingredients, the issue will most certainly be on the minds, and lips, of regulators, policy-makers and shoppers alike.