Yes, I was a fan of The Talking Heads back in the day; but no, this isn’t an homage to David Byrne and the band. I’m merely paraphrasing a conversation that I had with a toxicology executive at a leading multinational beauty company. The subject, of course, is the US Food and Drug Administration’s insistence on new animal testing data for organic sunscreens. Our industry expert, Nadim Shaath, looks at this controversial request in his column, The Sunscreen Filter.

The FDA’s demand for animal testing goes back to sunscreens being classified as over-the-counter drugs. That classification, say industry experts, is keeping US consumers from applying the latest and greatest UV protection that is available in the rest of the world. As one might suspect, leading groups, including The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), are urging consumers to tell the FDA to reconsider requiring new animal tests for sunscreen ingredients. HSUS, and others, argue there are newer, more sophisticated test technologies that would be more effective. At press time, FDA remains steadfast in its call for animal testing. Marketers, suppliers and trade industry groups are working to find a solution that can mitigate or eliminate the use of animals in sunscreen safety testing.

In the meantime, new product development continues in many other personal care and home care categories. If you’re looking for a new supplier of a raw material or packaging component, check out our annual Buyers’ Guide. It includes contact information on hundreds of companies and their raw material offerings. On our site, you’ll find active ingredients, functional ingredients, packaging and services.

Once you have your supplier list in hand, check out our coverage of the professional haircare business. Senior Editor Melissa Meisel looks at this dynamic category which is seeing an influx of new haircolor formulas and hairstyling options. Also this month, Managing Editor Christine Esposito reports on the latest packaging trends. Click here and read how sustainability is defining design.

We hope you enjoy this edition of Happi. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions.

Tom Branna

Chief Content Officer