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You're listening to Life Kit from NPR.

Hey everybody, it's Mariel.

We're going to start this episode in 1933, when a new mascara and eyebrow dye came on the market called Lash Lure.

The advertisements promised women that they would radiate personality when they used this product.

But lash lure contained a chemical dye that blinded several women and led to another's death.

That was at a time before the Food and Drug Administration had the power to ban dangerous chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products.

Partly because of lash lure, Congress eventually passed a law, the Federal Food, Drug, and

Cosmetic Act, and that gave the FDA the ability to regulate cosmetics.

So problem solved, right?

Not exactly.

On the one hand, our laws are stricter than they were in 1933.

If another product, like Lashlure, came onto the market, something that made people go blind,

the FDA would have the power to ban it and most likely would do that.

But in reporting this episode, we were surprised to find out there's still a lot the FDA can't and doesn't do

when it comes to the safety of personal care products.

When the FDA approves drugs, it looks at safety and efficacy, and it does that before a drug

can be sold to Americans. But for cosmetics, which include not just makeup, but shampoo, body wash,

hair spray, lotion, anything designed to cleanse, beautify, or alter your appearance.

FDA regulates cosmetics all post-market. We do not review any applications beforehand,

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