OSEMONT, Ill., Feb. 6, 2024 -- A recent American Academy of Dermatology survey revealed that nearly one in five adults are not aware that you can get sunburned during the winter, and even fewer protect themselves from the sun before common outdoor activities in cold weather.

According to the survey, one in seven Americans are unaware that the sun's UV rays are reflected by snow, water, and sand.

"Many people don't realize that you need to use sun protection in the winter," said Dawn Davis, MD, FAAD, a board- certified dermatologist and professor of dermatology at Mayo Clinic Rochester. "It's easy to get sunburned during colder months because snow reflects the sun's damaging rays."

Only 13% of Americans plan to use sun protection when going for walks or hikes in cold weather. Four percent plan for it when shoveling snow, and only 6% during outdoor games, exercise, or sports in cold weather.

"Sun protection is vitally important because ultraviolet (UV) rays are always present, regardless of the season or time of day," said Dr. Davis. "Even on cloudy days, up to 80 percent of the sun's harmful UV rays can penetrate the clouds. If you do not protect yourself, UV light increases your risk of skin cancer and can prematurely age your skin."

Skin cancer is one of the most common and easily preventable forms of cancer. At least one in five Americans will develop skin cancer during their lifetime. Sun exposure is the most preventable risk factor for skin cancer, including melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Unprotected sun exposure can also cause skin aging, such as wrinkles and age spots.

To protect yourself from the sun and reduce your risk of skin cancer, the AAD and Dr. Davis recommend that people:

Seek shade: Seek shade when appropriate, remembering that the sun's rays are the strongest between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. You can also look at your shadow. Any time your shadow appears shorter than you, seek shade.

Wear sun-protective clothing: Wear a lightweight and long-sleeved shirt, pants, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses with UV protection, when possible. For more effective protection, select clothing with an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) number on the label.

Apply sunscreen: Apply a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher to all skin not covered by clothing. Remember to reapply every two hours or after sweating.

"My sun protection habits for winter and summer don't change very much," said Dr. Davis. "If I'm outdoors in the winter, I'm wearing a thick coat, gloves, and cap on my head that block the UV rays. I also make sure that I wear sunscreen with an SPF of 30 on sun-exposed areas of my body, like my face and neck. I wear sunglasses that offer UVA/UVB protection year-round. If I am not wearing a cap for thermal protection, then I wear a wide-brimmed hat."

People should be mindful that sunscreen expires and look for the expiration date on the bottle, she said. Sunscreen is also temperature-sensitive and should not be exposed to extreme heat or extreme cold, because it will be less effective in protecting you from the sun.

"It's important to remember that dermatologists are the experts in the detection and prevention of skin cancer," said Dr. Davis. "If you have a question about how to best protect yourself from the sun, make an appointment to see a board- certified dermatologist."

To find a board-certified dermatologist in your area, visit aad.org/findaderm.

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 15, 2024 -- It is a little-known business story that sounds too good to be true. A small start-up company from Minneapolis transforms consumer product safety across an entire industry – and then goes on to lead seismic shifts in two additional industries and counting. And it all began with a tainted bottle of Tylenol.

"I don't think there is any one organization that has had a greater impact on the safety of products than we have," said Dr. Richard Kingston, co-founder of SafetyCall International and Pet Poison Helpline. "Our expertise and assistance with adverse event reporting not only helps the businesses that are required to report, but benefits consumers with significantly improved product safety."

On December 29, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began requiring cosmetic companies to document any health-related adverse events associated with their products, along with other new reporting requirements. This major piece of legislation, called the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act, or MoCRA, is the latest example of the life-changing impact SafetyCall International, and its subsidiary Pet Poison Helpline (PPH), has had on consumer and pet product safety in this country. The SafetyCall team works with companies to not only meet government reporting requirements, but to manage adverse events. They then analyze adverse event data and work directly with product development and company leadership to improve and confirm product safety.

In addition to working with the FDA and various trade associations on the MoCRA legislation, SafetyCall/PPH was instrumental in developing and implementing the reporting requirements for dietary supplements and before that working with EPA on adverse event reporting for pesticides in the 1990s.

The company is officially celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024, but its co-founders have been advocating for human and animal safety since the early 1980s when they were colleagues at the University of Minnesota. These two visionaries, Drs. Leo Sioris and Richard Kingston, created Minnesota's first public poison control center while with the University of Minnesota and eventually created SafetyCall/PPH, along with their partners and colleagues Drs. Dean Filandrinos, John Gualtieri and Lynn Hovda. They continue to lead the company today. 

"SafetyCall is the only triple-licensed medical practice in the country -- perhaps in the world – meaning that we can consult on any medical incidents involving humans or animals," explained Dr. Sioris. "Not only do we provide poison control response to consumers, human health and veterinary professionals, but we consult with product manufacturers on how to improve product safety, labeling, testing and reporting. In fact, our work led to the first medical emergency phone number on an EPA-approved label." 

Two hours after they started taking calls at their first poison control center located in a university affiliated hospital in the Twin Cities, the 1982 Tylenol cyanide poisoning story broke. The center received more than 2000 calls in the first 24 hours, launching the team's success. 

"We believe that MoCRA will have an enormous, positive impact on the safety of cosmetics, significantly changing how cosmetic providers deal with product safety, labeling and reporting," Dr. Sioris added. "We're proud to be an integral, if not well-known part of that process."

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 18, 2024 -- Counter Brands, parent company of Beautycounter, the pioneer in clean beauty, shared that Founder, Gregg Renfrew, will return as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), officially assuming the role on February 1st.  

Renfrew addressed Associates at the Company expressing her excitement to return as CEO and inviting the Community to join her in embracing the Company's next phase of growth, grounded in her mission of getting safer products into the hands of everyone. She shared, "Without question, Beautycounter's greatest opportunities are ahead of us. Consumers are demanding, now more than ever, the things that we have brought to the industry from the very beginning: transparency, health & safety for people and the environment, innovative products, an engaged community and a business that is much more than its bottom line. Who we are, and the work we do, truly matters to so many people. I'm energized to build on our history of disrupting to create a movement for change and a higher industry standard," Gregg Renfrew, Founder of Beautycounter.

Previously, Renfrew led Beautycounter as CEO for over a decade driving year-over-year growth since she launched the Company in 2013. During this time, Beautycounter led the industry with a vision for a world where all beauty is clean beauty. Under her leadership, Beautycounter created the first-of-its kind Never List™, a list of more than 2,800 questionable or harmful ingredients not used in the company's product formulations, pushing other brands to begin taking steps to increase their own safety and transparency. Despite the many awards for both the products and the business alike, perhaps Beautycounter's most significant impact to-date is the use of the Company's innovative business model to drive systemic change through legislative reform. Beautycounter, and its community of Advocates, worked tirelessly to influence the passage of 16 pieces of health and environmentally-protective cosmetics regulation, including the milestone passage of MoCRA (the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act), the first major update to industry regulation since 1938 which goes into effect this year. Renfrew is known for leading a community of Brand Advocates who simultaneously drive sales and make a significant impact on educating their communities about safer beauty.  

" We are thrilled to welcome back Gregg to lead Beautycounter in this important next phase of growth. Gregg, as the Founder and inspiration of Beautycounter's mission, also has a proven track record at the Company for driving results and engaging both Advocates and Associates who work alongside her to make meaningful change," shared Roberto Marques, Board Chair. "On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Mindy Mackenzie for her service, stepping in as Interim CEO and making meaningful contributions that will no doubt poise Beautycounter for its continued success." Effective February 1st, Mackenzie will continue to champion the brand as a member of Beautycounter's Board of Directors.

"I am looking forward to getting back to working with the team (including some familiar faces joining me again). It's not going to just be business as usual, and I'm looking forward to raising the bar even higher for our company and the industry at large," Gregg Renfrew, Founder of Beautycounter.

Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the launch of its Cosmetics Direct electronic submission portal for registration and listing of cosmetic product facilities and products, mandated by the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA).

The Cosmetics Direct portal, now available for industry, is dedicated exclusively to cosmetic product facility registration and cosmetic product listing electronic submissions to FDA. Cosmetics Direct is accessed at https://direct.fda.gov/. 

Cosmetics Direct is an FDA Structured Product Labeling (SPL) authoring tool, for cosmetic product facility registration and cosmetic product listing, with user-friendly data entry forms that creates, validates, saves, submits, processes, and automatically transmits the SPL submission to FDA for internal processing without having to use the Electronic Submissions Gateway (ESG).  

FDA is also accepting cosmetic product facility registration and cosmetic product listing submissions via SPL-formatted submissions through the ESG. In addition, FDA is also developing SPL-X forms that is anticipated to be available soon. 

FDA strongly encourages electronic submissions to facilitate efficiency and timeliness of data submission and management for the agency.

FDA is also developing paper forms for cosmetic product registration and cosmetic product listing as an alternative submission tool that are anticipated to be available soon.

Delayed Enforcement 

On November 8, 2023, FDA issued guidance on its intent to delay enforcement of the requirements for cosmetic product facility registration and cosmetic product listing requirements under MoCRA for six months to help ensure that industry has sufficient time to submit such facility registration and product listing information.

FDA does not intend to enforce the requirements related to cosmetic product facility registration and cosmetic product listing for an additional six months after the December 29, 2023, statutory deadline, or until July 1, 2024, to provide regulated industry additional time to comply with these requirements.

In addition, FDA does not intend to enforce the registration requirement for owners or operators of facilities that first engaged in manufacturing or processing a cosmetic product after December 29, 2022, or the listing requirement for cosmetic products first marketed after December 29, 2022, until July 1, 2024.

Today (Nov. 8, 2023) the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it will delay the enforcement of the requirements for cosmetic product facility registration and product listing requirements under the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA) for an additional six months after the Dec. 29, 2023, deadline (i.e., July 1, 2024) to ensure the industry has sufficient time to submit such information.

In addition, the FDA does not intend to enforce the registration requirement for owners or operators of facilities that first engaged in manufacturing or processing a cosmetic product after Dec. 29, 2022, or the listing requirement for cosmetic products first marketed after Dec. 29, 2022, until the July 1, 2024 deadline. 

Read more: 

https://www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com/regulations/safety/news/22878741/fda-delays-mocra-enforcement-by-6-months?utm_source=newsletter-html&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CT+E-Newsletter+11-08-2023 

Debut, a synthetic biology company, has partnered with DIC Corporation to biomanufacture and sell many rare and natural polyphenol ingredients for the beauty industry. The partnership will deliver novel, high-performing, and clinically backed polyphenols that are too expensive or environmentally unsustainable for consumer products. The multiyear agreement focuses on bringing rare naturals made possible through Debut's Bio2Consumer™ platform. This partnership aims to win on cost and performance relative to established cosmetic ingredients, targeting the personal care market valued at $416B, with a 5% CAGR. Debut's platform combines cell-free enzyme catalysis and precision fermentation to eliminate the bottlenecks currently associated with synthetic biology, requiring far less land, water, and energy than traditional manufacturing.

The partnership will see Debut build a commercial biomanufacturing site owned and operated by the company, with construction beginning in the coming months. DIC, whose customers include brand owners that prioritize safety, efficacy, and sustainability, will lead ingredient sales, marketing, and distribution of these ingredients globally. The biomanufacturing site will allow the company to deliver new cosmetic ingredients with revolutionary capabilities to the beauty industry, realizing its goals.

DIC, a fine chemical company with a top global market share for printing inks, organic pigments, and other compounds, is committed to creating new businesses that respond to environmental, social, and health-related issues and social changes. DIC's Managing Executive Officer, Kiyofumi Takano, said, “Debut's vertically integrated synthetic biology platform technology and commitment to transition from discovery to scaled-up biomanufacturing, combined with clinical testing and formulation is a huge leap for biomanufacturing and will allow us to start seeing synthetic biology derived products on shelves in the global marketplace. They are the only company that goes from novel ingredient discovery to commercial manufacturing, clinical testing, and formulation - that's the future.”

Debut’s CEO, Dr. Britton, said, “DIC understands the complexities and demands of the beauty industry. We’re excited to move forward with them to grow and advance new sustainable and high-performance ingredients. Brands need access to new and rare natural ingredients that allow them to win in the marketplace based on their performance and not just a marketing story. Synthetic biology allows access to incredible products found only in trace quantities in nature. To date, consumers have been using traditional active ingredients when better-performing ingredients are available in nature - we just had to work out how to make them for consumers.”

Debut and DIC's partnership aims to create a sustainable future for the beauty industry by offering rare and natural cosmetic ingredients concurrent with constructing a commercial biomanufacturing facility slated to come online in 2024. This facility will allow the companies to provide access to sustainable, natural ingredients that cannot be obtained through traditional cultivation or chemical production, setting a new standard for a profitable business to face an ever-changing world.

Versed Skincare, the clean, cruelty-free, and vegan skin products beauty company, is expanding its reach to offer high-performance, clean skincare to a broader audience through its partnership with Walmart. Since its launch in 2019, Versed has become the fastest-growing mass brand in clean skincare, with a community of dedicated consumers who appreciate its effective, affordable, and straightforward products. The brand's mission to create skincare that benefits the skin, body, and planet has resonated with many. With its rollout in Walmart, it aims to make clean beauty accessible to more people.

Melanie Bender, President of Versed, expressed excitement about bringing their results-driven skincare to Walmart customers. For many of their consumers, Versed is the first clean skincare brand they have tried, and the brand aims to break down barriers in the clean beauty industry. Versed's approach is community-driven, leveraging six proprietary data types to develop formulas and choose retailers that align with their values. The brand's consumer-centric values include formulating per the European Union's safety standards, and going above and beyond to avoid using questionable chemicals, silicones, added fragrances, added colors, or animal-derived ingredients.

Versed's commitment to sustainability is also an essential aspect of its mission, with initiatives such as achieving Climate Neutral Certification and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions since launch, using 50% post-consumer recycled content in packaging, and leading over 250 brand partners in climate action through CodeRed4Climate. The brand is certified by Leaping Bunny as an animal cruelty-free brand.

Versed's hero products, including the Dew Point Moisturizing Gel-Cream and Press Restart Gentle Retinol Serum, have been tested and approved by a community of 80,000 digital co-creators and are loved by leading skinfluencers. Walmart Beauty Senior Merchandising Director Paula Ryan said that Versed is a brand customers are excited about, and Walmart is thrilled to add it to its growing assortment of skincare products.

Starting February 1st, 2022, Versed's lineup of high-performance treatments, cleansers, and moisturizers, all under $25, will be available on Walmart.com. From February 26th, 2022, the products will be available in over 3,000 Walmart stores.

With its commitment to democratization, sustainability, and consumer-centric values, Versed is poised to become a go-to brand for digitally-native consumers, with over 75% of its users being millennials or younger.

A statement from Lezlee Westine, President & CEO, Personal Care Products Council

The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) is dedicated to collaborating with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to safeguard consumer health and comprehend the potential impact of the FDA's proposed reorganization on the regulation of cosmetics and personal care products. The PCPC remains committed to supporting the Agency and other stakeholders to ensure that any reorganization will allow the beauty and personal care industry to provide innovative, safe, and effective products while maintaining consumer trust, as we have done in the past.

Our immediate focus is working closely with the FDA to effectively execute the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) of 2022. This groundbreaking legislation provides the FDA with additional tools to ensure cosmetics safety and protect public health, thereby strengthening consumer confidence in the products they rely on daily. MoCRA also aligns the FDA's oversight of the beauty and personal care sector with other categories the Agency regulates, contributing to global regulatory coherence. We welcome the leadership of Dr. Namandjé Bumpus, the FDA's Chief Scientist, who will oversee MoCRA's implementation since cosmetics and personal care products will now be handled by the Office of the Chief Scientist within the Office of the Commissioner. We believe that the Commissioner's decision is the right one.

As the FDA moves forward with the proposed reorganization, our industry is committed to working with the Agency and providing our expertise to promote appropriate regulation of cosmetics and personal care products. We acknowledge the significance of transparency in regulatory decision-making and will continue to advocate for a transparent, science-based, and risk-based approach to regulation.

For more information on cosmetics and personal care products and their ingredients, please visit www.CosmeticsInfo.org.

Los Angeles, CA – Beauty Industry West (BIW) is pleased to announce the election of the organization’s Executive Board, which will serve 2022-2023. The Executive Board is a volunteer position and is the governing body that oversees the strategy, mission and of the association and is responsible for representing the interests of its membership. 

Effective immediately, BIW’s Executive Officers are:

President

Dustin Cash

SOS Beauty Group

West Hollywood, CA

Vice President 

Florence Nacino

KDC/ONE SOCAL Labs

Walnut, CA

Secretary

Amalia Gonzalez

Minerva Research Labs

Los Angeles, CA

Treasurer

Joanne Lee

Kaplan MD Skincare 

Beverly Hills, CA

Assistant Treasurer

Lisa Martines

Baralan USA

Los Angeles, CA

Executive Advisor

Ken Collins

AdCraft Labels

Anaheim, CA

The other voting members of the Board of Directors are Candace Krose (Necessaire), Eric Light (Aroma Naturals), Erin Breve (Barnette), Francesca Oasis (Kerstin Florian Intl.), Guy Langer (Qumulus Group), Holly Ohriner (Skinn+), Jerry Whitmore (Juniper Labs), Lynn Ludlam (Esche & Alexander), Margarita Gomez-Nadin (Deveraux Specialties), Oralia De Anda (Best Formulations), Roni Schmelz (Tucker Ellis), Thammasat Tantipinichwong (Brenntag Specialties), Yi Hsin Chang (Global Ingredient Solutions).

“It is an honor to be elected to lead this organization and serve our membership,” said Dustin Cash, newly-elected President of BIW and CEO of SOS Beauty Group. “I look forward to working alongside our new board to develop and expand upon our member benefits and better serve our greater community of beauty industry professionals.”

Under Cash’s stewardship, BIW members will look forward to expanded community and networking opportunities, education, events, industry resources and philanthropic initiatives. These new programs will include founder mentorship, digital education, industry innovation awards, career development resources and more. 

BIW will host its first annual Awards Gala on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, honoring BIW’s  “Entrepreneur of the Year”, Tiffany Masterson (Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Drunk Elephant) as well as BIW’s “Innovator of the Year”, Susan Goldsberry (Founder and President of Benchmark Labs). For more information, please visit beautyindustrywest.org/events 

About BIW

Beauty Industry West (BIW) is a non-profit organization that was established in 1990 by a group of West Coast based industry leaders, including Robert & Suzanne Grayson and Lynn Ludlam. BIW is the premier West Coast trade organization focused on bringing together today's innovators, entrepreneurs, experts and future industry leaders. We bring together the best of beauty to learn, network, collaborate while having fun! To learn more and to join, visit beautyindustrywest.org.

It is important, but sadly infrequent, that true inclusiveness exists in the beauty industry. Going back in time we often noticed the limited range of foundation shades and much needed specialized hair care products for Black women. Given the current social climate, it's imperative to recognize this fact and work to change it. I think we are beginning to make progress in the right direction.

There are many incredible Black women who have already changed the beauty industry for the better, from makeup artists to entrepreneurs to scientists. Here are a few to remind us of their important contributions over the years.

Madam C.J. Walker

One of the first women, Madam C.J. Walker (born Sarah Breedlove) invented a line of haircare products in 1905 after suffering from hair loss. It was so successful that she became the first African American woman to become a self-made millionaire.

In addition to her inspiring financial success, she helped usher in a movement of speaking directly to her customer through self-promotion, door-to-door sales, and product demonstrations. Her method was a huge change from the current brands at that time, which were primarily owned by white men and advocated hair straightening products that were not helpful to black hair or hair loss.

Lisa Price

Price founded beauty brand Carol's Daughter in her Brooklyn kitchen in 1993. As time went on, the brand gained international loyalty and eventually becoming one of the most recognizable natural-haircare brands on the market.

Carol's Daughter is one of the first African American woman–owned beauty brands to have a flagship store and premier shelf space in department stores. She set the ball moving for many African American woman–owned companies to come.

Pat McGrath

Pat McGrath is more than just a legendary makeup artist. Her stunning artistry has transformed the industry, taking over runway shows, the streets at Paris Fashion Week and now the shelves at Sephora with her eponymous line, Pat McGrath Labs.

Her inventive creations are now trends. She's not only the most requested and prolific makeup artist but also the most influential (see terms like “incandescent skin” and “strobing”). She has had a major impact on both the prestige and mass beauty markets. If you ever thought about wearing glitter or shimmer, check out her unique line.

Alicia Keys

Celebrity singer Alicia Keys has been at the forefront of a “makeup-free” movement, forgoing foundation, and eyeliner for healthy, hydrated skin. While she clarifies she's not anti-makeup, it's inspiring to see a woman show off her bare face and stand up for natural beauty.

Her act of defiance and devotion to the cause, allows women to feel comfortable in their own skin. This sets a precedent. She uses her platform to give young women something else to look up to, appearing on magazine covers sans makeup and thus spearheading a message of honesty in the beauty industry.

Balanda Atis

Atis, now L'Oréal's Women of Color Lab Manager, was working in research and development for the company but always had trouble finding shades to match her skin tone. She took on a side project to develop new shades in the lab, eventually spearheading a new category devoted to creating a wide spectrum of shades for Black women in all L'Oréal products.

Foundation shades are incredibly personal and, for women of color, can be especially difficult. Atis realized the struggle firsthand and used her position to make a difference in the industry, creating a diversity standard for all L'Oréal products moving forward.

It is incredible how a strong desire and dedicated determination can push people to achieve great success and make an impact in this world. If we continue this trend of listening to new ideas and gaining inspiration from women of color, we will become one of the most inclusive industries and lead the way for others as well.

Lisa Martines - Board Member