The California Assembly passed the California Safe Cosmetics Act of 2005 (SB 484). Now only Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger needs to sign the bill for it to become law.

The bill would require cosmetics manufacturers to disclose to the California Department of Health Services (DHS) ingredients in their products known by the state to cause birth defects and require the DHS to investigate the presence in cosmetics of chemicals that have been declared unsafe by the Cosmetics Ingredient Review panel, among other things.

In its original proposal, author Senator Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) had also suggested prohibiting certain phthalates from cosmetic formulations, but the proposal was withdrawn during the legislative process. Phthalates are chemicals found in a range of items, including toys and pharmaceutical products. They also help nail polish spread easily and allow creams and lotions to go on smoothly. However, professional beauty industry figures including Doug Schoon, vice president of science and technology for Creative Nail Design, say the amount of phthalates found in nail products is too small to pose a threat to either nail techs or their clients.