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Primary Sponsor

Last Action

Ref To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House2025-04-03

Vote Breakdown

No floor votes recorded.

Plain Language Summary

This bill prohibits cosmetic products sold in North Carolina from containing certain restricted chemicals—including PFAS, heavy metals, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, and others—either as intentionally added ingredients or as unintentional by-products/contaminants above detectable limits. The North Carolina Board of Agriculture can issue notices requiring manufacturers to certify compliance, with enforcement beginning January 1, 2026.

Arguments in Favor

• •Supporters argue this protects consumers from potentially harmful chemicals linked to health risks like cancer, hormone disruption, and reproductive harm.
• •They contend that cosmetics sold in North Carolina should meet safety standards similar to those in California and the European Union, and that manufacturers can reformulate products using safer alternatives already available in the market.

Arguments Against

• •Opponents worry the bill creates compliance burdens for manufacturers and retailers, potentially raising cosmetic prices or limiting product availability.
• •They argue that many restricted substances occur naturally in raw materials or form unintentionally during manufacturing at trace levels, making zero-tolerance rules impractical, and that federal FDA oversight should be sufficient rather than states creating different regulations.