Assembly Bill 2491 – Banning the sale of anti-aging products to children

On April 23, 2024, Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee passed AB 2491 to the Appropriations Committee for further review. Assembly Bill 2491 is a proposal highlighting the need to ban the sale of anti aging products to children under 13 in the state of California. The bill will ban products such as over-the-counter skin care products or cosmetic products that are advertised to address skin aging and contain Vitamin A and its derivatives including retinoids and retinol and/or alpha hydroxy acids including glycolic acid, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or citric acid. Skincare choices for children are hugely driven by content creators and influencers on social media who do not present the complete information related to the products they endorse. Dermatologists also weighed in by saying these products are said to provide no benefits to younger skin leaving the potential only for harm, making the need of such a law more apparent.

The bill will require businesses to take reasonable steps to ensure the sale of such products are not made to children under the age of 13. Suggested actions could include confirming the age of the purchaser before selling and putting up notices besides these products highlighting that they are not intended for anyone under 13 years of age, among other actions. Protecting young people, maintaining the freedom of choice and industrial innovation will turn out to be the deciding factors as AB 2941 works its way through the legislative process.