Cosmetics Laws & Regulations

This section contains information related to the laws and regulations FDA enforces, as well as Federal Register notices that consumers and manufacturers often ask for.

Laws that FDA Enforces for Cosmetics

• Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
• Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022
• Fair Packaging and Labeling Act
• Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015
  • Effective dates for rinse-off cosmetics: For manufacture—July 1, 2017; for introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate commerce—July 1, 2018
  • Effective dates for products that are both rinse-off cosmetics and nonprescription drugs: For manufacturing—July 1, 2018; for introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate commerce—July 1, 2019

Regulations Related to Cosmetics

• Labeling Regulations
• Regulations Related to Cosmetics from Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR)

Federal Register Notices

• Pilot Program for Cosmetic Product Facility Registration and Listing Electronic Submissions User Acceptance Testing (August 2023, related Constituent Update) 

Overviews

• FDA Authority Over Cosmetics: Role of FDA in regulating cosmetics
• Cosmetics & U.S. Law: How cosmetics are regulated under U.S. laws, and how these laws differ from those in other countries
• Key Legal Concepts of Interstate Commerce, Adulterated, and Misbranded: Some basics from the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
• Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both? (Or Is It Soap?): Legal differences between these product categories
• Current Issues in the Safety and Labeling of Cosmetics Training Video 
  Closed captioning (cc) is available for the following languages : Arabic, Chinese, French, Japanese, Korean , Portuguese , and Spanish (Help with Captions)
• Microbead-Free Waters Act: What the new law prohibits, why Congress passed this law, when it takes effect, and more
• Prohibited & Restricted Ingredients
• Color Additives Permitted for Use in Cosmetics

Information on Cosmetics Legislation

• Letter to the Personal Care Products Council and Independent Cosmetics Manufacturers and Distributors Concerning Proposed Draft Legislation, March 6, 2014
• Letter to the Personal Care Products Council Concerning a Framework for Cosmetics Legislation, September 26, 2013
• U.S. Congress Website: For current information on proposed legislation

Commonly Requested Federal Register Notices

• Listing of Color Additives Exempt From Certification; Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Labeling: Cochineal Extract and Carmine Declaration, January 5, 2009
• Rulemaking History for OTC Hormone Drug Products