One might think, and for a good reason, that when cosmetics are sold to consumers that the list of chemicals used in regards to those beauty products would be fully listed upon the container of that product; but in actuality that isn't the case, for manufacturers are permitted to utilize a loophole that allows them to group a bunch of chemicals under the general category of "fragrance" that are thereby not specifically listed as being used on the product. It would be one thing, if this was simply done by manufacturers in order to hide proprietary information from competitors, and to a degree, no doubt that is true; but to a very large extent, manufacturers hide behind the benign title of fragrance in order to specifically not inform consumers of the chemicals, for some of these chemicals so used, are dangerous and can be cancerous to consumers.
In order to correct this situation, it would be convenient if the government had a robust federal mandated law that addressed this very issue in a comprehensive and complete manner, but in a society that is all about money and profit, those that utilize that money and profit in effective ways, have precluded such a federal mandated law being presently put into place. While one avenue for consumers would be to rail against the unfairness and the harm of such to those that purchase these goods with chemicals that are hidden behind the veneer of "fragrance"; another avenue to consider is to address the issue in a proactive manner. So that, organizations such as the Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP) has made it a point to test products that do not willingly disclose their full fragrance ingredients, in order to determine the safety of, or danger to consumers. Organizations such as BCPP, do matter, because cosmetic companies are in the business of making money and do not willingly desire to become pariahs to the very consumers that they are trying to sell their products to.
This indicates, that an independent chemical testing laboratory, should be developed in a manner in which cosmetic products that are fully and completed disclosed and have been thoroughly tested in a comprehensive way, thereby are provided with a seal of approval from that independent chemical testing laboratory, when they have been certified safe, which by virtue of that good rating, would provide a meaningful amount of assurance to consumers of such. So that, cosmetic products with such a seal would thereby be seen as a product that has been tested and proven safe, and hence a more prudent buying decision over those other cosmetics that lack such an approval and/or have failed to provide a fully disclosed list of chemicals so utilized on the product.
After all, the very reason why there is any disclosure of the chemicals used on the cosmetics that are routinely used by human beings, is for the benefit and the protection of the consumer; so that, when consumers are hoodwinked into believing that a generic label such as fragrance, is nothing to be concerned about, but in reality is something that in many instances, is something consumers should be very concerned about, the consumer is placed into the position of being possibly harmed by their use of that cosmetic, when their intent would never have been for that to occur.