Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c188IR // #c188Synthesis

Blush, hair tonics, shampoos, and baby powders never needed FDA approval before being sold, and the agency never had the resources to regulate or analyze them anyway.

— In our words · Source: No More Tears (Gardiner Harris)

[Use when]

Use when people assume the FDA pre-clears everything on a drugstore shelf.

[Why it matters]

The regulatory halo is assumed, not granted — entire shelves sell on borrowed authority.

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