We've written about toxins in beauty products before, but since the average American woman uses about 12 personal care products daily, each of which contains around a dozen chemicals, it's worth revisiting. The $50 billion beauty industry has no required safety assessments and inadequate labeling requirements—making cosmetics among the least-regulated consumer products on the market. Since 1938, the FDA has banned just 8 out of over 12,000 ingredients used in cosmetics.
But that could change, if the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 is passed. The bill, introduced yesterday, July 21, by two democratic lawmakers, provides funding for the FDA to regulate the cosmetics industry and requires labeling on all personal care products. We asked Stacy Malkan, co-founder and spokesperson for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, what makes now a good time for the bill to pass, and she says, “The scientific climate is probably the most important thing. This isn't a fringe issue that a few groups are concerned about. Mainstream scientists are sounding the alarm about cancer risk and other health problems caused by toxic chemical exposures.”
“There is huge broad-based support for this initiative from all corners. This is an issue that affects everyone. It's a no-brainer--who can really be against getting carcinogens out of baby shampoos?” Malkan, who is the author of “Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry,” told EndlessBeauty.com.
“Many companies are already making great products without toxic chemicals. Even the big companies already are--most of them have at least one green brand that is free of parabens, phthalates, SLS, PEGs, and other toxins. But right now, green brands are a niche market. We need to make sure safer products are made available to everyone in all communities at affordable prices. Shifting the industry as a whole away from toxic chemicals, via this legislation, is the way to get there,” says Malkan.
Until you can buy safe cosmetics, you can protect yourself through vigilance and education. There are some categories of products that are more dangerous than most. Watch out for:
Perfumes and other scented products often use the catch-all ingredient “fragrance” on their labels. “Fragrance” may contain phthalates, including, diethyl phthalate (DEP), chemicals that disrupt hormone function, neurotoxins, or synthetic musks like galaxolide and tonalide, also hormone disruptors that can affect androgen and progesterone receptors. Watch out for celebrity perfumes by Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Halle Berry and Miley Cyrus, whose scents all contain toxic chemicals.
What to do? Choose products with no added fragrance—although even products marked “fragrance-free” can contain masking fragrances, so check the label. If you are very attached to your fragrance, consider eliminating other fragranced products from your routine and using your fragrance less often.
Because there are no legal labeling standards for organic or natural products, even reputable brands have been found to contain 1,4-dioxane, a synthetic chemical carcinogen. Watch out for the top-selling Clairol Herbal Essences line, which despite touting an “organic experience” contains more than a dozen synthetic petrochemicals.
What to do? Again, check the label. If there are ingredients you can’t pronounce, chances are they aren’t natural or organic.
Turns out, the urban legend about lead in lipstick is true, according to a 2009 FDA study, which found levels of lead in ALL samples of lipstick it tested. Watch out for popular brands with the highest lead levels: Cover Girl, L'Oreal, Body Shop, Maybelline, and Revlon.
“Lead is a proven neurotoxin that can cause learning, language and behavioral problems such as lowered IQ, reduced school performance and increased aggression. Pregnant women and young children are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure, because lead easily crosses the placenta and enters the fetal brain where it can interfere with normal development,” according to Dr. Sean Palfrey, a professor of pediatrics and public health at Boston University and the medical director of Boston's Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.
What to do? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests avoiding all sources of lead exposure, including lead-containing cosmetics like lipstick.
The traditional "toxic trio" of ingredients in nail polish--dibutyl phthalate (DBP), which adds flexibility and sheen, formaldehyde, a nail hardener, carcinogen, and skin irritant, and toluene, which forms a smooth finish but also affects the central nervous system—have taken a beating in the media, which has led to their removal from the nail products of giants like OPI, Sally Hansen, and Orly.
What to do? With so many toxic-trio-free polishes out there, avoid DBP, formaldehyde, or toluene by—you guessed it—checking the label.
You want good, clean fun in the bath, right? Unfortunately, your products can include a multitude of chemicals. Watch out for ingredients with 1,4-dioxane, which includes sodium myreth sulfate, PEG compounds, and chemicals -"xynol," -"ceteareth" and -"oleth." Also avoid products that contain formaldehye-releasing preservatives, including quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea and diazolidinyl urea.
What to do? Try a product from a line with newer standards, which do not allow ethoxylation, such as the Whole Foods Premium Body Care Seal. And always check the label.
Using our guide to chemicals to avoid and making sure you always check your labels, you can protect yourself from unsafe cosmetics. It might mean a little more research in the drugstore aisle or online, but protecting yourself from carcinogens and toxic chemicals is worth your time.
View the 7-minute Story of Cosmetics video about the toxins that go into your cosmetics and bath products by clicking here.
Lyssa Myska Allen is editorial director at EndlessBeauty.com.
