Cosmetics News In Brief: Sen. Hatch Retirement; SMEs Receive EU REACH Support

It stands to be seen whether cosmetics regulatory reform legislation is among the crowning achievements of Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who announced Jan. 2 his intention to retire at the end of his term this year. Hatch introduced the FDA Cosmetic Safety and Modernization Act, S. 2003, in October 2017. (Also see "Surprise Hatch Bill Lays Middle Ground For Cosmetic Regulatory Reform" - HBW Insight, 26 October, 2017.) The bill comes across as a compromise to the proposed Personal Care Products Safety Act, S. 1113, with similar requirements for manufacturer facility registration, serious adverse event reporting and good manufacturing practices compliance, but without some of the more onerous provisions that industry stakeholders say could bog down FDA and pose threats to businesses, particularly smaller ones. Hatch, who serves as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, is the longest-serving Senate member, currently in his seventh term after winning the seat in 1976. He'll be missed acutely by the dietary supplement industry, which has counted on Hatch as a champion since he shepherded through the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act in 1994 as a framework for FDA's regulation of vitamin, mineral and supplement product manufacturing and marketing. (Also see "'Big Shoes To Fill' As Hatch Retirement Leaves Supplement Market Legacy" - HBW Insight, 3 January, 2018.)

The European Chemicals Agency announced in December an updated version of IUCLID Cloud, which released five months earlier as a simplified interface for registrants subject to the final phase-in deadline under the EU's Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals regulation. The online tool, which enables registrants to prepare and submit substance dossiers, now includes a step-by-step guide designed to "walk you through creating a full dossier from scratch