The European Union is on the verge of restricting microplastic use in products including cosmetics, rinse-off and leave-on alike. But following delays in the EU process, and with similar legislation sprouting up at the US state level, the race is on to see who will get there first.
US States Take Aim At Microplastics Among ‘Overwhelming’ Number Of Bills With Cosmetics Relevance
Plastic concerns loom large in a growing patchwork of legislative proposals at the US state level with implications for cosmetics businesses.

More from Legislation
Preliminary registration data released by FDA offers a first glimpse of the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act’s impact on information the agency has at hand.
The Washington State Department of Ecology publishes ‘Interim Policy on Lead in Cosmetics’ which provides safe harbor options for cosmetic products struggling with the 1ppm limit under the state’s Toxic Free Cosmetics Act, while the department gathers information under a newly opened rulemaking to ‘identify a feasible approach to regulating lead in cosmetic products.’
The Washington Department of Ecology hasn’t backed down on its targeting of formaldehyde-releasing preservatives under the state’s Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act, as industry still awaits a draft final rule. In a recent webinar, attorney Angela Deisch of Amin Wasserman Gurnani, LLP said the department has also not provided clarity on penalties under the law, which goes into effect 1 January.
The FDA's current leader, whose term will end with Donald Trump’s second inauguration, also described three qualities the agency’s next commissioner will need to succeed, including "believing that there is such a thing as expertise."
More from Policy & Regulation
Cosmetic companies should conduct audits to identify products that will be required to disclose fragrance allergens and begin the work of adjusting labels, particularly for smaller packaging, says a director at Registrar Corp., during a 12 March webinar on MoCRA and labeling.
Cosmetics companies brace for the impact of Trump administration tariffs as industry experts seeing an opportunity for an exemption urge stakeholders to reach out to lawmakers. The issue was discussed during PCPC’s recent Beauty Collective Summit.
The European Commission is issuing a call for data on the Cosmetic Products Regulation, the first step in a process to evaluate and potentially revise the regulation.