Cosmetic safety.

Assembly Member Papan’s Musk Reduction Act tightens California’s cosmetic-safety framework by adding musk-related substances to the prohibited list and establishing product-specific limits for musk ketone. Beginning January 1, 2025, cosmetic products may not contain certain intentionally added ingredients, including musk ambrette, musk tibetene, musk moskene, and musk xylene, among a broader set of substances (such as certain phthalates, formaldehyde-related compounds, mercury, and various colorants and PFAS). In addition, the use of musk ketone would be limited across product categories starting January 1, 2027, with thresholds of up to 1.4 percent in fine fragrance products, 0.56 percent in eau de toilette, 0 percent in oral products, and 0.042 percent in all other products; “oral products” are defined as those intended to be applied on teeth or the mucous membranes of the oral cavity. The bill allows technically unavoidable trace quantities arising from impurities in natural or synthesized ingredients to be exempt from violation.

The measure would amend the Health and Safety Code to implement these prohibitions and would rely on a definition of “ingredient” aligned with existing regulatory language. It contemplates coordination with a companion statutory change so that the musk-restriction provisions operate in concert with another bill’s amendments; the operative provisions would come into effect only if both measures are enacted and this bill is enacted after the companion. In addition to the musk-specific provisions, the act incorporates a framework for regulatory alignment and defines the conditions under which a product containing listed substances would trigger a violation, including the treatment of trace quantities and the meaning of key terms used in the prohibition.

Separate but related provisions address boric acid in vaginal products. Beginning January 1, 2027, a vaginal suppository containing intentionally added boric acid would require on-package labeling with a detailed warning about potential health considerations and contraindications, including guidance to consult a doctor and specific cautions about pregnancy and use with condoms. Beginning January 1, 2035, no vaginal suppository containing boric acid may be manufactured, sold, or offered for sale, subject to an exception if the product becomes regulated as a drug by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The same section clarifies that if the product’s manufacturing process results in trace quantities from impurities, the product would not be deemed in violation, and it relies on a defined meaning of “ingredient.”

From a policy perspective, the act situates musk-related safety concerns within a broader cosmetic-regulation framework by specifying specific ingredient bans, concentration caps by product category, trace-quantity exceptions, and targeted labeling requirements for a particular vaginal-use product. It reflects an intent to standardize ingredient risk considerations across product types while enabling parallel changes that are contingent on the enactment of a companion measure. The measure has progressed through the legislative process with amendments and approvals in 2025 and is subject to further action as part of the ongoing public-health and consumer-safety regulatory agenda.