Pursuant to state law, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has unveiled a searchable Web site that allows the public to learn whether cosmetic products have been reported to contain any ingredients known to cause cancer or reproductive harm.

“This Web site is a unique, searchable database that lets consumers make informed decisions about cosmetic use,” said Dr. Ron Chapman, CDPH director and state health officer.

Visitors to the Web site, http://www.safecosmeticsact.org/search/ , will be able to search the California Safe Cosmetics Program (CSCP) Product Database by product name, company name or chemical ingredient.

As of November 2013, approximately 475 companies had submitted product information on roughly 30,000 products to CDPH’s California Safe Cosmetics Program.

The Web site also includes educational information to help users learn how exposure to chemicals can affect their health and what is known about specific chemicals.

“Inclusion in this Web site means a product contains a chemical that has been identified as a known or suspected carcinogen or reproductive toxin by one of the authoritative bodies named in the Safe Cosmetics Act such as the International Agency for Research on Cancer or the National Toxicology Program,’’ said Chapman. “It does not mean that the cosmetic product itself has been shown to cause cancer, but since most products are not extensively tested for safety, providing information on chemical components will allow consumers to make more informed choices.”

The CSCP created this Web site to make information reported by cosmetics companies under the California Safe Cosmetics Act of 2005 publically available.

The act requires cosmetics companies to report to the California Safe Cosmetics Program if their products are sold in California, the company has more than $1 million per year in aggregate cosmetic sales, and products containing any chemical ingredient that has been found to cause cancer or reproductive harm.

Product reporting is required regardless of the amount of the reportable chemical in the product. Inclusion of a product in the reporting database does not necessarily mean the product has been shown to cause harm.