FDA Wants Your Cosmetics Product Complaints

Posted March 30, 2011 in Products Liability by Arthur Buono
 Comments

The Food and Drug Administration needs your help. Got a rash from a skin care product? Had some other bad reaction or experience with a cosmetic? The FDA wants to hear about it. The question is, wouldn’t you want to hear about it too?

     
  • Calling all product reports about adverse incidents with cosmetics (drugs and food too)
  • Consumer reports are an important source of product safety data
  • Wouldn’t you like to know of product problem reports in real time?
  • Copy this link to share with friends: http://bit.ly/gxHGOa

 

FDA’s Adverse Report Data Not So Consumer-Friendly

You see, even though FDA’s in charge of cosmetics safety, most cosmetics don’t need approval before being marketed. And "cosmetics" is a far-flung category. It ranges from makeup to shaving cream to deodorant to tattoos, and everything in between. So how’s FDA to know they’re safe? That’s where you come in.

MedWatch is FDA’s problem-reporting program. If you have a problem with a cosmetic, or something doesn’t seem just right, or there’s even something about the label, you can file a report online. You can also file by phone or with a local consumer complaint coordinator.

This is great, and it’s similar to reporting product safety problems to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. There’s just one problem. CPSC now has a searchable database of consumer reports. MedWatch doesn’t*. Since the financial meltdown, we’re all worshipping at the altar of "transparency." Shouldn’t FDA too?

*FDA publishes a quarterly report of potential or developing safety concerns developed from the adverse event reporting system. You can find the most recent data (July-September 2010) here.

Related App for Your Smartphone*

- Product Recalls – recalls.gov gives you all the recalls across a variety of products. Free

*Please note this app is for informational purposes only, and neither LexisNexis nor Lawyers.com endorses the app or accepts liability for its use.

Related Links:
Discussion

We Recommend...