Many cosmetic products entice consumers with active ingredients that will plump, lengthen, and boost.
But the cost, depending on the product, may be serious injury or worse, according to a new study from Northwestern University.
Consumer complaints more than doubled for cosmetic products from 2015 to 2016, the research says. The biggest offenders were hair-care products.
Consumers remain at risk because the industry receives little regulatory scrutiny and does not require preapproval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“The FDA has much less authority to recall cosmetics from the market, in stark contrast to drugs or medical devices,” said report co-author Dr. Steve Xu, a resident physician in dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “It’s harder for the FDA to get harmful cosmetics off the shelves.”
