By Judi Ketteler , October, 2007, from
Better Living on Aol
With literally thousands of chemicals
and fragrances added to everything from
moisturizer to nail polish, how do you
know if your beauty product is safe?
We live in a chemical-infused world.
Although there are some benefits --
clean drinking water, for example --
when it comes to beauty products,
chemicals are thought by many to cause
adverse health effects. That's because
chemicals from beauty products don't
pass through your digestive system where
they might be filtered; instead, they
head right into your bloodstream.
It's important for consumers to
understand that the cosmetic industry is
not regulated by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA). Companies are
required to list all the ingredients in
order of use, but they're not required
(by federal law) to test products for
safety. The FDA can only act if they
have strong scientific knowledge that a
product is dangerous. That doesn't mean
that companies don't have safety
standards, but it does mean that claims
like "natural," "botanical" or "organic"
are basically useless.
So where does this leave the consumer?
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) --
a non-profit, non-partisan organization
working to educate consumers about
chemicals in cosmetics -- created Skin
Deep a searchable database that analyzes
about 25,000 beauty products and 10,000
different ingredients.
"It's about trying to pick better
products in the same category," says
Kristan Markey, a chemist and research
analyst for EWG. For example, it's not
reasonable to stop using all soap, but
you can choose milder soaps with fewer
ingredients. "It's a big challenge, but
basically, it's just a matter of slowly
going through your bathroom cabinet,"
Markey says. The best place to start is
by looking at the ingredients. However,
even that can feel like a Herculean
task, given that most ingredients are
multi-syllabic words you can't even
pronounce, let alone have any idea what
they do.
Here are some tips to get started:
Minimize Fragrances
Beware of the word "fragrance." You
might think it's something that simply
smells pretty, but scents are chemicals.
The truth is, it's impossible to know
exactly which chemicals are in a
fragrance. There are more than 5,000
different fragrances used in cosmetics
and skin care products, reports the
American Academy of Dermatology. Plus,
not all chemicals are listed on a label.
To complicate matters, fragrance
chemicals are a leading cause of
allergic reactions to cosmetics. Choose
"fragrance free" whenever possible. Or,
if the bouquet of lavender fields is
crucial for your morning shower, look
for products with no chemical
preservatives."
Scrutinize Nail Polish
Phthalates -- used widely in nail polish
-- are a big topic of controversy and
research. Scientists have been studying
this group of chemicals for at least 20
years and have found that they may be
linked to birth defects in humans
(they're definitely toxic to animals).
Unfortunately, phthalates often get
hidden under "fragrance," so it's hard
for the consumer to know if the nail
polish contains it or not. The best
tactic: Use less nail polish -- perhaps
just paint your toes and skip the nails.
Use Hair Dyes Less Often
Salons are not required to list the
ingredients in their hair dye, Markey
says, but we know that many contain coal
tar ingredients -- chemicals that have
been linked to cancer. Black hair dyes
for men have also been found to contain
lead (called lead acetate), which has
been restricted in both Canada and the
European Union. Avoiding hair dye
altogether is a tough pill to swallow --
but try to go as long as possible
between uses.
Avoid Skin Lighteners
"You want to avoid anything that changes
your skin composition," Markey says.
Watch out for products that have
hydroquinone -- a chemical that bleaches
the skin and can cause lesions. The FDA
has issued warnings about it and
recommended that it no longer be
generally recognized as safe and
effective.
Choose Shampoo Carefully
Be especially wary of dandruff shampoos,
because they often contain selenium
sulfide -- a neurotoxin and possible
carcinogen. If you can, avoid shampoos
that list ethanolamine or diethanolamine
-- called TEA or DEA on the label. These
are nitrosamines, says Markey, which are
thought to be carcinogenic (though it's
not clear in what amounts). The FDA has
also been monitoring the contaminant
1,4-dioxane, which on a label could be
called "PEG," "Polyethylene,"
"Polyethylene glycol," "Polyoxyethylene,"
"-eth-," or "-oxynol-."
Simplify, Simplify, Simplify
Once you start digging into the
ingredients of many of your favorite
beauty products, it's easy to become
disheartened. After all, who doesn't
like to look nice, smell nice and have
smooth skin and pretty nails? But try to
look for ways to cut down the amount of
products you're using: Drop a step from
your skincare routine, give your hair
days off from washing, use fragrance
free whenever possible and always look
for products with less ingredients.
For Safe Products without harmful
chemicals
