Cosmetics have a very rich history and from the time of the Egyptians to current day the obsession for fair, beautiful skin has helped this industry to grow and prosper to over 50 billion dollars annually. The Cosmetic Industry, in all countries, is controlled by government bodies and agencies. These agencies presumably are in place for the purpose of keeping a tab on the quality of cosmetic products that are being produced. Cosmetic regulation of personal care products that are produced is the primary responsibility of these bodies. Therefore, in theory at best, US cosmetic regulations for personal care products rests with the FDA.

The question becomes is the FDA truly regulating or governing the Cosmetic Industry?.

The regulations framed under the FDA are quite similar to other countries but there are certain unique features. Though one of the FDA’s functions is to regulate the Cosmetic Industry, it gives more emphasis on the regulation of food and drugs. For drugs that are manufactured in the US, prior to their release into the market, they will require the necessary certification from the FDA. However, because personal care products are not considered to be food or drugs, they require no prior certification by the FDA or any other governing body before they are introduced into the marketplace. In fact, the FDA relies solely on the discretion of the cosmetic companies to determine the safety of products marketed to consumers. If the cosmetic company says their new product is safe, it is allowed to go to market without any pre-market testing. Therefore, in effect, cosmetic regulation is left up to the cosmetic companies and thus, is a self-regulating industry.

The following are direct quotes from the FDA website:

“Cosmetic products and ingredients are not subject to FDA pre-market approval authority, with the exception of color additives.”

“Cosmetic firms are responsible for substantiating the safety of their products and ingredients before marketing.”

According to the FDA there are specific definitions for cosmetics and drugs and one must first go through them to understand the fine difference that exists. Cosmetics are the articles that are sprinkled, poured, applied or rubbed on the body to clean, promote, beautify or even alter one’s appearance. Some of the products that fall under this category are perfumes, hair colors, toothpastes, lipsticks, eye and facial makeup, shampoos, fingernail polishes, skin moisturizers, permanent waves, and deodorants. This even includes the ingredients that may be used as a component to manufacture the cosmetic products.

Regarding these ingredients used in the manufacture of personal care products, there is another act known as The Substances Control Act of 1976. This act grandfathered in 62,000 chemicals in existence up to 1976. Of all new chemicals submitted for approval, their record indicates that over 80% are approved within three weeks and only five chemicals are known to have been restricted or banned. It should also be made known that no pre-testing on animals and/or humans is required before submitting a chemical for approval. Meanwhile, in Europe, the European Union has banned over 1100 toxic ingredients used in the manufacture of cosmetic products. Now, with this in mind, let’s apply this knowledge to the FDA and its control, or the lack thereof, relative to the Cosmetic Industry.

We know that the FDA allows the Cosmetic Industry to police itself. In fact, if cosmetic companies do not even have to register with the FDA, and if these companies are not required to get approval by the FDA of new products to market, and if these companies do not have to identify the ingredients used in the manufacture of their personal care products, and if these ingredients can be approved by The Substance Control Act of 1976 within three weeks without any pre-testing, then it is safe to say the only conclusion to arrive at is, the Cosmetic Industry is out of control. After all, if no one is in control of cosmetic companies, it only stands to reason, that the industry is out of control. It’s interests lie in sales and profits and not in the well bring of their consumers. Cosmetic regulation is virtually non-existent and, therefore, places the burden of safety directly on the shoulders of consumers. The toxic ingredients in cosmetic products has been discussed in depth in some of my previous articles. The consumer must read labels and research ingredients themselves to insure the safety of the product and not rely on any government agency for the regulation of personal care products.

When you hear the term “office supplies,” you usually think of products such as pens, paper, paperclips, and staples. Everyone always forgets that the office & cleaning supplies used in offices are also considered part of the Medical supply category. The cleaning supplies used in the office can include dusters, vacuum cleaners, rags, and cleaning solvents for desks and computer monitors. These products are a necessary part of a business. Even with their high level of importance, these products are usually under appreciated, as well as often forgotten.

The reason these products are generally forgotten is because cleaning is usually seen as a lower form of work. People who work in an office are generally all highly educated and have a certain status symbol. People who work in the cleaning industry are usually seen as simple laborers who do not have a high level of education. When people think of office workers, they usually think of the person wearing a suit working in cubicle using the computer. People generally will not even think about those who come in and keep the office clean.

For starters, there is the furniture we use for our work. There are more kinds of furniture for work purposes than we probably need. But then again, maybe we do. Take your standard desk. Well, maybe not so standard. There are many kinds of desks. Desks with drawers, desks without drawers, which are primarily made simply to keep stuff on. What kind of stuff? All kinds. Printers, computers, fax machines, telephones, and the list go on and on.

Of course desks come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. There are rectangular desks, square desks; oval or circular desks which are used mostly for those company meetings. There are big desks that can span half a room and small desks that can fit in the corner. Then of course your have your L shaped desks so that you and a co worker can work together without getting in each other’s way. The variety of medical office supplies available is endless. A proper fit for every customer is available.