Healthy Cosmetics

Lets talk about healthy cosmetics!

Believe it or not, but some cosmetics are being linked to cancer!

I agree, it's hard to believe, but there really are quite a few cosmetics still on the market with ingredients that are carcinogens or cause reproductive harm.

That includes the lotions we rub into chapped skin, the deodorants we swipe under our arms, the lipsticks and blushes we use to brighten our faces.

What happens before these things go on the shelves of the stores? There must be some review process, right? Cosmetic companies must have to send their formulas and safety studies somewhere, right?

Wrong! In the USA the FDA does NOT regulate the cosmetics industry, nor does any other governmental body. In a case of the proverbial fox guarding the henhouse, the job of regulating the thousands of chemicals that are used to preserve, dye, and emulsify most of the personal care products and cosmetics on the market -- the very same chemicals, by the way, that are used in industrial manufacturing to soften plastics, clean equipment, and stabilize pesticides -- falls to the Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel, the industry's voluntary oversight committee.

Not sure what ingredients are good or bad?

The Breast Cancer Fund has a handy checklist:
http://www.breastcancerfund.org/

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics! is a coalition of public health, educational, religious, labor, women’s, environmental and consumer groups.

They want to protect the health of consumers and workers by requiring the health and beauty industry to phase out the use of chemicals that are known or suspected to cause cancer, genetic mutation or reproductive harm:
http://www.safecosmetics.org/

Also here are just a few companies that sell healthy cosmetics:
http://acquarellapolish.com/
http://www.chooseorganics.com/
http://www.barefoot-botanicals.com/
http://colorganics.net/

Here is a database of the good stuff:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/purelink.html

Stop! What if I want to make my own beauty products?

Sure, check out the recipes here:
http://www.makeyourowncosmetics.com/

Bottom line: play it safe and stick to body products with ingredients similar to those that you would eat!

Hope this helps all your pretty people to look good AND feel good!