20: Why is the EU so much better at beauty regulation? | Melanie Benesh, legislative attorney at the EWG

Clean Beauty School

“The EU follows the precautionary principle, which means that they are not going to let a chemical onto the market until they have received a certain amount of data that it's safe. In the U.S. it's the reverse—so we have more of a philosophy that we assume something is safe until proven otherwise,” says Melanie Benesh, legislative attorney with the Environmental Working Group (EWG). In this episode of Clean Beauty School, host & beauty director Alexandra Engler discusses the state of the union on cosmetic regulation with Benesh. They discuss what’s holding the FDA back in regulation, what’s being done at the state level (a la California), the major problem with PFAS, and—yes—why the EU is just so much better at this than us.

Show notes:

-Learn about the Senate's Personal Care Product Safety Act and the House’s FDA Cosmetic Safety and Modernization Act.

-Check out regulatory bills and initiatives in California and Maryland.

-Read up on the most recent PFAS study.

-When to toss your non-stick pans.

-Visit the EWG’s Skin Deep database.

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