We know some girls who feel comfortable facing the day with nothing more on their face than a smile and some SPF protection, but we are not those girls. We like how makeup makes us look and feel, and we think it’s fun! What we don’t think is fun is trying to decipher all those mysterious ingredients on the labels of our products or weeding through the companies who are doing ok by animals and the planet. Not all makeup contains harmful ingredients, and most that do contain them only contain small amounts. But… the cosmetic industry is self-regulating and since the FDA doesn’t require companies to test their own products for safety, we the consumer, are left with the responsibility to know what’s up.
For our November book review, we profiled “A Consumer’s Dictionary Of Cosmetic Ingredients: Complete Information About the Harmful and Desirable Ingredients in Cosmetics and Cosmeceutical’s” By Ruth Winter, which truly is a dictionary of ingredients found in our products to help you know your BHT and BHA from your PEG and DHA. Another good resource for looking up the ingredients found in a product you may already own is Skin Deep, a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products brought to you by researchers at the Environmental Working Group. Skin Deep pairs ingredients in more than 25,000 products against 50 definitive toxicity and regulatory databases, making it the largest integrated data resource of its kind. Skin Deep also lists companies who’ve signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics (also known as the Compact for the Global Production of Safer Health and Beauty Products), a pledge to remove toxic chemicals and replace them with safer alternatives in every market they serve. As of August 2007, 600 companies have signed the Compact — and that number increases every day.
Overwhelmed already? Don’t panic. Start slowly by avoiding these common additives in your cosmetics and build your knowledge from there:
Phthalates are recognized as toxic substances under environmental law, but companies are free to use unlimited amounts in cosmetics. An environmental release of just 10 pounds of DBP must be reported to environmental authorities under the Superfund law. The cosmetics industry, in contrast, puts hundreds of thousands of pounds of DBP into nail polish each year, with no requirements for safety testing or reporting to anyone.
The EU has banned Phthalates, which has pushed some companies to change their ways. Hopefully the rest will follow suit.
Talc is a known carcinogen and can cause lung damage. It is approved for use in cosmetics, because it is felt to be safe in small amounts. It is used in make up because it is cheap and widely available.
Propylene glycol is included in many make up and beauty products as a humectant. It is also included in brake fluid and antifreeze. According the the Material Safety Data Sheet, it can cause headaches, nausea vomiting, and central nervous system depression and can reach the blood stream through skin absorption.
Coal Tar Dye (which is usually listed as D&C Blue #1, Green #3, Yellow#5, Yellow #6, Red #33, or phenylenediamine) is found in shampoos and hair dyes and in some make up. It can cause severe allergic reactions, headaches, asthma attacks, fatigue and increased risk of lymphoma and multiple myelonma.
Mineral oil is a petroleum by-product that clogs pores, worsens acne and slows down skin regeneration. It can cause premature aging and coats the skin so that it cannot eliminate toxins. It is in many products, including baby oil,because it is extremely cheap.
The FDA allows mercury compounds to be used in eye make up as long as parts per million does not exceed 65. Mercury is known to be a cancer causing substance. It is being phased out of old fashioned glass thermometers.
Our purchasing habits have a huge impact on which products stay on the market, so let’s work together to demand healthier makeup for us, for animals and for the planet.
