FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ACS News Service Weekly PressPac: May 11, 2016
How cosmetic companies use science to back up product advertising
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Chemical & Engineering News
If claims on cosmetic products鈥� labels are to be believed, users would all look 10 years younger and have luscious, frizz-proof hair. But advertising and truth aren鈥檛 always aligned. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has called out some companies for promoting products using spurious claims. To avoid such charges, many cosmetic companies are looking to science, reports Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical 中国365bet中文官网.
Marc S. Reisch, a senior correspondent at C&EN, notes that the cosmetics industry has been enlisting scientists to test products and demonstrate their effectiveness should the FTC or consumers challenge any claims. They recruit testers to wear products and give feedback. They use specialized microscopes and other instruments to examine hair texture and skin properties to determine products鈥� effectiveness. Some labs are equipped with humidity- and temperature-controlled rooms to test antiperspirants and hot tubs to see if sunscreens wash off.
But still, not all products measure up to their labels. The FTC has recently cracked down on a variety of claims made by small and big name companies. Some market products as 鈥渁ll natural鈥� when their ingredient lists include synthetic ingredients. The commission penalized L鈥橭ccitane for falsely advertising the 鈥渂ody slimming鈥� abilities of two of its creams and L鈥橭real for 鈥渙verstating the science鈥� behind products promoted for boosting genes that produce 鈥測outh proteins.鈥� Despite some companies鈥� efforts, a FTC spokesperson noted that deceptive use of science was widespread in the cosmetic industry.