FDA Warns Skin Cream Makers

The Food and Drug Administration told cosmetic companies today that they have 30 days to stop claiming that their over-the-counter creams can reverse or retard aging of the skin.

In letters to 22 companies, the FDA effectively cut off discussions that started last spring when the agency warned the manufacturers that some of the claims they were making for their products might subject them to the same kind of regulation applied to drugs. The latest letter said the time for talking has passed.