Requires that all cosmetics manufactured, sold, delivered, held or offered for sale contain a label that completely and accurately list all of their component ingredients.
Summary
H5117 amends Rhode Island’s Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics Act to add a new prohibited act for cosmetics. Under the bill, it would be unlawful to manufacture, sell, deliver, hold, or offer for sale any cosmetic unless its label contains a complete and accurate listing of every component ingredient in the product. The bill is framed as a consumer-labeling measure and would take effect immediately upon passage.
Although the bill’s explanatory note highlights cosmetics labeling, the underlying section it amends is a broader prohibited-acts provision in the state’s food and drug law. That means the bill would fit into Rhode Island’s existing enforcement framework for adulterated or misbranded products, allowing the state to treat inaccurate or incomplete cosmetic ingredient labeling as a statutory violation alongside other food, drug, and cosmetic offenses.
Impact
The bill would directly change Rhode Island General Laws § 21-31-3 by adding cosmetics ingredient disclosure to the list of prohibited acts under the Rhode Island Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics Act. In practical terms, cosmetic manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and others in the supply chain would need to ensure that product labels fully and accurately identify all component ingredients before sale or distribution in the state. The measure would strengthen the Department of Health’s enforcement authority over cosmetic labeling and could affect compliance practices, product packaging, and retail inventory for cosmetics sold in Rhode Island.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the measure appears to be a straightforward consumer-protection proposal with no documented opposition in the available materials. Its purpose is clear and narrow: improve transparency in cosmetic labeling. The framing suggests a generally favorable policy posture toward disclosure and product safety rather than a controversial regulatory expansion.
Contention
No committee transcript or voting record is available in the provided materials, so there are no documented points of contention. Potential areas of debate, if raised, would likely concern the compliance burden on cosmetic businesses, the scope of what counts as a complete ingredient listing, and how the requirement would be enforced for products sold in retail channels. However, none of those concerns are reflected in the available record.