BILL NUMBER: S5297
SPONSOR: FERNANDEZ
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the general business law, in relation to the full
disclosure of ingredients in certain products
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill would prohibit the use of generic terms, such as fragrance,
dye, colorant, perfume, or preservatives, in ingredients of personal
care products.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Amends the general business law by adding a new section 399-
rr.
Section 2: This act shall take effect immediately.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The terms "fragrance," "dye," "colorant," "perfume, " and "preserva-
tives" act as loopholes within the FDA's (Federal Drug Administration)
labeling requirements for personal care products. The justification for
the loopholes within the labeling process stems from the notion of
"trade secrets" that many companies have to protect their assets, as
well as preventing the labeling package from listing the possible
hundreds of ingredients that went into the aforementioned buzz words.
However, it must be noted that this ruling comes from the Fair Packaging
and Labeling Act of 1966. There have been many changes and advances in
chemicals since then. Now, as health consciousness is on the rise and we
are increasingly aware of the substances put on or in our bodies, the
general public has the right to a full disclosure of chemicals and
substances in products they are using.
This bill will prohibit companies from using generic terms such as
"fragrance," "dye," "colorant," "perfume", and "preservatives" instead
of disclosing the ingredients used. The above terms can only be utilized
in conjunction with the disclosure of ingredients used. The importance
of transparency cannot be understated. A woman can use over 16,000
personal care products in their lifetime. While this may lead to an
abundance of ingredients listed in the product description, it is better
to know exactly what we are putting into our body than to be in the
dark.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021-2022: A2156
2019-2020: A8544
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
TBD
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.