I’m writing this post in the morning and while reading the paper, I ran across this article about cosmetics. What I discovered is that they are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and that the makers of these products provide the ingredients on a voluntary basis only.
The article by Natalie Ermann Russell in USA Weekend gave the following tips:
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Look it up. The Environmental Working Group has a searchable database of 25,000 personal-care products at www.cosmeticdatabase.com. It explains why some brands are unsafe.
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Go fragrance-free. Many synthetic chemicals in fragrances, like phthalates, aren’t required to be listed on labels. Some studies have linked phthalates to reproductive problems and asthma or allergies.
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Be picky with lipstick. Malkan’s group [Campaign for Safe Cosmetics] found lead in 61% of lipsticks tested. See a list at Safe Cosmetics.org .
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Avoid parabens. The FDA says these preservatives are safe in the amounts used in most cosmetics, but some studies say they raise breast-cancer risk.
I went to the site to look up the products I use and found that all of them have a “Moderate Risk”. I encourage you to take a peek and report back what you found in relation to the products you use.
3 Comments
February 3, 2008 at 6:28 pm
At the end of the day, cosmetics aren’t natural are they? So it really doesn’t surprise me that they have all these side effects.
February 4, 2008 at 12:27 am
Yikes, eh? Has anyone tried any “Organic” makeup?
February 5, 2008 at 1:24 am
I’ve tried the ‘organic’ make up and it’s ok. The problem is..I’m clueless when it comes to what colors make me look good and I want to try them out before I buy. Having a pro help me out is another incentive for department store cosmetic shopping. So, for me, shopping at Whole Foods for cosmetics holds little appeal. I appease both the vain chick and the earth muffin within by using Aveda because as far as I know…they’re pretty good to the environment and keep unecessary junk out of their products (mostly). I could be wrong though…more research is needed before I can make a claim like that.