Senate Takes A Closer Look At Cosmetics Claims

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A Senate committee is expected to consider the "Personal Care Products Safety Act" that would give the FDA power to take a closer look at makeup, lotions, anti-aging treatments and more.

At the New Jersey headquarters of Johnson and Johnson, maker of brands including Neutrogena and Aveeno, company scientists are searching for the fountain of youth.

Naomi Furgiuele leads the team developing face care products at the company.

"What works best really depends on the skin care need that that customer has and then picking the right product to address that need," said Furgiuele.

Cosmetics companies insist their products can help improve your skin, smoothing, "repairing" wrinkles or fading age spots.

But count Dermatologist Dr. Fayne Frey among the skeptics.

"They're looking for a fountain of youth in a bottle. It doesn't exist," said Frey.

When it came to comparing some products – we compared two moisturizers like one that cost about $10 and another that cost $170.

When compared, Frey said there was no difference between the two and voted for the $10 cream.

As for those special eye creams, Frey said "eye creams are basically moisturizers that are put in little tubes that cost a lot."

She actually said you do not need them.

In fact, whether they're called night creams, day creams or eye creams, she says they all do the same thing - provide temporary moisturizing effects.

"Anti-aging is a marketing term. Science has never yet found an ingredient that slows or reverses the aging process," said Frey.

So what's a consumer to do?

"With all that being said, there is a magic potion out there," said Frey. "That's sunscreen…The most biologically active anti-aging product on the market today, bar none, is sunscreen."

The Personal Care Products council said, "there are many new technologies, such as antioxidants, hydroxy acids, and peptides that help reduce or help prevent these signs of aging but companies must have data to support any product claims they make."