Final answer:
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the federal agency that has the ability to intervene when a cosmetic product poses a risk to consumers, focusing on cosmetic safety and labeling.
Step-by-step explanation:
The federal agency that may intervene if a cosmetic poses a risk to the consumer is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This agency is tasked with regulating and supervising various products to ensure public health and safety. Though cosmetics are not usually subject to pre-market approval, the FDA can still require warning labels if products haven't been safety tested and can intervene when there are issues with safety and labeling. Cosmetics that make "structure or function claims" are regulated more like drugs, including any color additives that must be FDA-approved before being included in products sold.
The FDA carries out its duties under the authority of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and regulates cosmetics primarily focusing on labeling and safety, with standards enforced by facility inspections. In cases of consumer risk, the FDA can take action such as issuing warnings or enforcing recalls. It's important to note that while the FDA has certain regulatory powers, there is no systemic method for reviewing all chemicals for safety in cosmetics, leaving some gaps in safety supervision.