A U.S. nonprofit organization that promotes cosmetic safety has found that more than half of the baby bath, skin care and cosmetic products on the U.S. market contain possible carcinogens, calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to improve cosmetic safety regulations. The Washington Post reported on the 13th that the U.S. organization, called the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, tested 48 types of baby bath, skin care and cosmetic products on the U.S. market, including bubble baths, shampoos and skin lotions. The results found that 32 of the products were found to contain traces of p-dioxane, 23 products were found to contain traces of formaldehyde, and 17 products contained both chemicals. Both p-dioxane and formaldehyde are on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s list of “probable carcinogens”. In addition, several well-known makeup and skin care brands were named in the report. However, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics says the reason these two chemicals are not listed in the ingredients section of the product’s packaging is because they are not intentionally added to the product by the manufacturer, but are a byproduct of the manufacturing process. Some ingredients in cosmetics and skin care products may produce formaldehyde when mixed and decomposed over time, while foaming agents and ethylene oxide and other similar substances may produce p-dioxane when mixed. “Our goal is not to warn parents,” the article quoted Stacie Melkan, spokeswoman for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, “but to remind parents that some products that claim to be gentle and soft are actually affected by something that is not necessary. It’s a reminder that some products that claim to be gentle and soft are actually contaminated with substances that are not necessary.” The manufacturers of the named baby cosmetics said their products strictly comply with the regulations. “The (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration and relevant agencies in other countries have deemed these trace (substance) levels to be within the safe range,” a leading U.S. cosmetics company said in a statement, “and all of our products meet or are well below the nationally established content standards. ” The cosmetics company also accused the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics of “inaccurately describing” the safety of its baby products and “giving unnecessary warnings to parents. The Washington Post reported that the European Union has banned the use of p-dioxane in care products, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not yet issued safety standards for the amount of p-dioxane in care products such as shampoos and skin lotions. Some U.S. health groups are concerned that the government is not recognizing the cumulative effects of chemicals in personal care products on the human body. “The levels (of chemicals) we found were relatively low,” Melkan said, “but the problem is that we found trace amounts of carcinogens in multiple products, many of which we use every day, meaning we’re exposed to low levels of chemicals every day. They’re not the safest and purest products, and parents need to know that.” The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is calling on the FDA to set stricter safety regulations for shampoos, lotions and makeup products. In addition, the group noted that the government is not testing the effects of chemicals on babies and children. Infants and children in the growth stage are weak and vulnerable. U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-N.Y., said in an interview with The Washington Post, “The fact that we are bathing our children every day with products contaminated with carcinogens shows how outdated and backward our cosmetic safety laws are. Science is advancing, and the FDA should follow suit.” Senator Diana Feinstein, a Democrat from California, used the word “panic” in an interview to describe the findings and said she would propose legislation to make stricter regulations for the cosmetics industry.