The FDA Debuts New Tool for Monitoring Cosmetic Safety Data

Regulations continue to be a hot topic in the beauty industry, but a new initiative from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) aims to change how we learn about them. The FDA recently unveiled a dashboard that reports adverse events linked to cosmetic products. While reporting concerns regarding products and their safety isn’t new, the dashboard displays data in real time, providing access as the events are reported.

The tool is accessible to manufacturers, suppliers and other stakeholders, and includes two types of reports. The first is mandatory serious adverse event reports required under the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) implemented in 2022. The second, voluntary submissions from healthcare providers, salon owners, consumers and others. Though it is new, the dashboard has already proven to be a beneficial tool.

Recent data shows that report volumes increased from 4,200 since MoCRA took effect in 2022 to more than 28,000 in 2023. Thus far in 2025, over 2,300 reports have been filed, including 2,100 expedited (15-day) reports. The reports are updated daily, allowing users to monitor potential safety signals in real time. They’re also easy to search and can be filtered by product name, severity, event term, date and report type. With data collected so far, it’s clear that the new reporting dashboard is being actively used by the industry’s stakeholders.

The database includes adverse event reports for various types of beauty products. Think: skin and hair care items, such as moisturizers, shampoos, hair dyes and even tattoos. The diverse range of categories is no coincidence. Variation provides the stakeholders with even more motivation to monitor the dashboard regularly.

For consumers, the tool is a step in a broader initiative to promote data transparency. The demand for insight into the safety and regulation of everyday cosmetic products is constantly increasing. With the new dashboard, the FDA aims to make access a little easier. In a recent press release, FDA commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H., stated that “this real-time dashboard is a great step in our efforts to deliver greater transparency and allow the public to help identify potential signals.” However, it’s important to note that inclusion in the dashboard doesn’t mean there is a confirmed link between the product and the adverse event. According to the agency, “reports in this dashboard have not been verified by the FDA.” They encourage dashboard users to use the information provided from the database in conjunction with the agency’s published FAQs. This will give context on how to best interpret the data and utilize it properly.