“Know Better, Do Better”: EDF Joins Groundbreaking Collaborative to Advance Chemical Safety in the Beauty Industry

Last month, the nonprofit organization ChemFORWARD announced the launch of the “Know Better, Do Better” Collaborative to increase chemical hazard data availability and advance safer ingredients in the beauty industry. EDF joins this groundbreaking collaborative along with leading cosmetic companies Sephora, Ulta, Credo, Beautycounter and The Honesty Company, and ingredient supplier Inolex.

As a co-design partner of ChemFORWARD, EDF has long supported the organization’s mission to create broad access to chemical hazard data and safer alternatives. EDF previously sponsored the development of a portfolio of assessments for commonly used preservatives, a challenging functional class for companies to address.

Critical data gaps exist that can create risk for companies

As consumer concern about chemicals in cosmetics grows, a growing number of beauty companies are seeking to ensure their product lines don’t contain toxic chemicals. Many retailers have responded with policies that focus on removing and reducing known or suspected chemicals of concern in everyday products, and clean beauty programs that make it easier for consumers to find products without these harmful chemicals.

However, right now a bottleneck exists as companies try to move beyond these “ban lists” and instead use verifiably safer alternatives.

ChemFORWARD reported that in its 2022 analysis, nearly 50% of the ingredients they analyzed had minimal or missing chemical hazard data. Filling these data gaps is essential to ensure a truly toxic-free marketplace. Without access to adequate, science-backed chemical hazard data, companies run the risk of regrettable substitutes, that is, replacing one chemical of concern with another that is equally–if not more–harmful.

This Collaborative will help fill priority data gaps identified in ChemFORWARD’s analysis, and ingredient assessments will be available in ChemFORWARD’s globally harmonized repository, which will expand access to this important data. The Collaborative has also committed to encouraging ingredient suppliers to have trade name ingredients assessed under ChemFORWARD’s SAFER program.

An opportunity to lead on safety and transparency

Participating in the Collaborative isn’t just about avoiding the risk created by data gaps; increasing the availability and access to trusted, science-based information moves the industry towards a marketplace that prioritizes safety and transparency. These efforts will not only help companies meet increasing consumer interest in safer, more sustainable products—they should also be a part of the industry’s efforts to ensure that everyone has access to safer products, particularly those who are most impacted by toxic chemical exposure.

The Collaborative officially convened for the first meeting in April, but the good news is that retailers, brands and ingredient suppliers that are interested in driving safer chemistry are welcome and encouraged to join. This Collaborative is an opportunity to join other industry leaders in moving the market towards truly safer products. Contact ChemFORWARD to learn more about joining.