In Time For Halloween, FDA Rule Conjures Up Specter Of Renewed Cosmetic Lead Debate

FDA’s final rule is specific to lead acetate’s use in hair-coloring products, but the agency’s recognition of current consensus – “that there is no safe exposure level for lead” – could spook the wider cosmetics industry, particularly given that some of the same NGO petitioners that drove the rulemaking are clamoring for an all-out ban on trace lead in lipsticks and externally applied cosmetics.