for he never must think for himself!” exclaimed my high school chemistry teacher, Evangeline Klug, every time one of her students regurgitated lines from the text book rather than report what he or she observed in the experiment right in front of them. It was good advice then, and even better advice now in an era of “fake news” and other nonsense that wreaks havoc with the US political system. Politics are in the headlines today, but it wasn’t the first discipline to feel the effects of the fake news machine.


For years, public health officials have battled anti-vaxxers over the importance of getting kids vaccinated for measles, mumps and other childhood diseases. Groups such as Vaccination Liberation and actresses like Jenny McCarthy convinced new parents that vaccinations caused autism and other health issues. They’ve been proven wrong,  of course, but the damage has been done. European health officials reported a record 41,000 cases of measles in the first six months of 2018 and warn effects of the increase could be felt in the US soon. As it is, through August, 137 individual cases of measles had been confirmed in the US, a number that’s inline with past years, according to the Centers for Disease Control.


Why our interest in human health and “reports” by questionable sources? Because over the years, the household and personal products industry has been hit by sham groups that have questioned the efficacy and safety of our products; now, industry is fighting back. Both the American Cleaning Institute and the Household and Commercial Products Association have issued reports that reveal the economic power of the cleaning industry. Both groups have taken the lead on ingredient disclosure and are spending millions to fight rumors with science. But given the public’s woefully inadequate grasp of basic science and the internet-powered ability of certain groups to spread misinformation, our industry is in for a long fight.


This month, we report on the latest trends that are impacting the home cleaning space, the latest launches in personal cleansers  and what’s new in fine fragrance just ahead of the all-important holiday selling season.

Tom Branna
Editorial Director
[email protected]