Mary Catherine Phillips

Mary Catherine Phillips (1903–1981) was an American consumer advocate, author, and member of the Board of Directors of Consumers' Research in Bowerstown, New Jersey. She tested consumer beauty products, promoted safety for cosmetics, and wrote Skin Deep. The Truth About Beauty Aids – Safe and Harmful.

Career

Phillips was hired by Consumers' Research in 1932. Her main area of work was testing consumer beauty products. She was a member of the Board of Directors from 1934 to 1980. It was a best seller that year and provided support for the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act passed in 1938. She later wrote the sequel, More Than Skin Deep, in 1948.

In 1935, workers at Consumers' Research complained about working conditions, formed a union chapter, and subsequently went on strike. The Board of Directors, including Phillips, rejected negotiations and accused the workers of being Communists. The workers then formed a new company, Consumers Union, now known as Consumers Reports. She wrote the magazine article Face Powders in 1938. In January 1939, she was the editor of the magazine, now published by the Consumers' Institute of America.

Personal life Phillips was born in either Clifton or Upper Montclair, New Jersey, in 1903. In 1932, she married Frederick J. Schlink, co-founder of Consumers' Research. She died in 1981.

Works