FDA Reports Major Cosmetics Oversight Gains Under MoCRA

May 10, 2026

The FDA has published a Voices blog detailing its progress under the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act, reporting roughly 15,000 active facility registrations and over 1 million product listings — a thirtyfold jump from the prior voluntary system. The new data set is already driving PFAS surveillance and shaping the next wave of cosmetics rulemaking.

Key Takeaways

FDA now has 15,000 active cosmetic facility registrations on file, up roughly threefold from 5,176 under the prior voluntary system.
Over 1 million unique active cosmetic product listings have been submitted to FDA, a roughly thirtyfold increase from 35,102 pre-MoCRA.
Industry-reported adverse events have increased more than threefold since MoCRA enforcement began on July 1, 2024.
FDA used the new mandatory listings to identify and review the 25 most commonly used PFAS in U.S. cosmetics, with a report published in December 2025.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has published an implementation update on the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022, reporting that the agency now holds 15,000 active cosmetic facility registrations and over 1 million unique product listings. The figures, released through an FDA Voices blog and detailed in a May 8, 2026 analysis by trade attorney Jennifer Diaz, mark roughly a threefold increase in registered facilities and a thirtyfold increase in product listings compared to the voluntary system MoCRA replaced.

Key Takeaways

FDA now has 15,000 active cosmetic facility registrations on file, up roughly threefold from 5,176 under the prior voluntary system.
Over 1 million unique active cosmetic product listings have been submitted to FDA, a roughly thirtyfold increase from 35,102 pre-MoCRA.
Industry-reported adverse events have increased more than threefold since MoCRA enforcement began on July 1, 2024.
FDA used the new mandatory listings to identify and review the 25 most commonly used PFAS in U.S. cosmetics, with a report published in December 2025.

The Largest Cosmetics Oversight Expansion Since 1938

FDA frames MoCRA as the most substantial expansion of its cosmetics authority since the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The law was signed in December 2022 and rolled out in stages: safety substantiation, adverse event reporting, and recordkeeping took effect December 29, 2023; mandatory facility registration and product listing enforcement began July 1, 2024.

The pre-MoCRA system was voluntary. Brands could opt into the agency's Voluntary Cosmetic Registration Program, and most did not. FDA reported 5,176 cosmetic establishment registrations and 35,102 cosmetic product listings under that voluntary regime. The new mandatory system has produced 15,000 active facility registrations and over 1 million active product listings, according to the agency's Voices blog. The volume reveals a U.S. cosmetics market substantially larger than the voluntary data ever captured.

Adverse event reporting has tracked a similar curve. Industry-reported events have more than tripled since enforcement began, giving FDA a working surveillance signal where one barely existed before.

What Did the New Data Set Make Possible?

The first concrete payoff is PFAS surveillance. FDA used the new mandatory product listings to identify the 25 most commonly used per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in U.S. cosmetics, then published safety reviews of those ingredients in a December 2025 report. The report was made possible because, for the first time, the agency could see what was actually in circulation rather than relying on industry self-disclosure or imported product testing.

The PFAS work fits a longer-term pattern. The same listing data underpins forthcoming rules on Good Manufacturing Practices, fragrance allergen labeling, and asbestos testing in talc-containing products. Each rule depends on FDA understanding the scope of the regulated market — exactly the visibility the voluntary system did not deliver.

How Should Educated Skincare Consumers Read This Update?

The MoCRA implementation data does not change what is on a label tomorrow, but it changes the regulatory floor under every cosmetic product sold in the U.S. Brands now must substantiate safety, report serious adverse events within 15 business days, register every manufacturing facility, and list every product. The fragrance allergen labeling rule, currently targeted for May 2026, will add ingredient-level disclosure for known allergens that have been hidden behind the word "fragrance" for decades.

For readers who already shop on ingredient lists, MoCRA shifts the conversation from voluntary brand transparency to a baseline federal requirement. The PFAS review is the model: surveillance enabled by mandatory data, followed by targeted regulatory action.

What Comes Next for U.S. Cosmetics Regulation?

The next-stage MoCRA rulemaking is sequenced on the FDA's published timeline. Fragrance allergen labeling is the most consumer-visible item on deck, with a proposed rule targeted for May 2026 after a delay from January 2025. Good Manufacturing Practices and standardized testing methods for asbestos in talc are also in the pipeline. Separately, FDA's December 2025 proposed administrative order to add bemotrizinol to the over-the-counter sunscreen monograph is on track for a final order in summer or fall 2026.

FDA's Cosmetics Direct portal, the online tool the agency built specifically for MoCRA registrations and listings, continues to accept submissions on a rolling basis. Industry compliance, FDA's enforcement posture, and the surveillance data the new listings produce are all worth watching as the next wave of cosmetics rulemaking moves through the pipeline.