Beauty Care Do's and Don'ts

Beauty CareWhat you put ON your body is just as important as what you put IN it! The skin is the largest organ in the body and is our great protector, so it’s our job to take care of it in return. Did you know neither cosmetic products nor their ingredients are reviewed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they are sold to the public? In addition, the FDA cannot require companies to perform product safety testing before marketing, or require manufacturers to disclose all ingredients on product labels. Every day we’re exposed to chemicals from many places, including our cosmetics and personal care products. The chemicals in any one product alone are unlikely to cause harm, but when Americans use on average, 10 personal care products a day, exposing themselves to about 130 unique chemical ingredients, we have to be proactive in choosing safer cosmetics for healthy skin and a healthy body.  

Do: 
  • Log on to Skin Deep, the largest searchable database of ingredients in cosmetics, and find out which products contain hazardous chemicals and how to choose safer alternatives
  • Look for less-toxic brands and formulations of nail polishes and treatments
  • Be a critical consumer and remember that natural is a marketing term, not a legally binding description
  • Contact and encourage your favorite retailers and manufacturers of natural and organic products to clarify their use of the terms
  • Learn about DIY Recipes and make your own at-home safe cosmetics
  • Remember to bring the Shopper's Guide to Safe Cosmetics with you when choosing which products to purchase

 

Don't: 
  • Choose products with added synthetic fragrance. Look for products without the word fragrance on the label, or choose products that use natural fragrance or essential oils
  • Forget to practice BYOP — bring your own polish — on salon visits. Try buffing nails instead of lacquering
  • Use products that list ingredients that may be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, including sodium myreth sulfate, PEG compounds and chemicals that include the clauses "xynol," "ceteareth" and "oleth." urea and diazolidinyl urea
  • Forget about the "toxic trio" in nail polishes.  Check the labels and do not buy products with dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde and toluene
  • Sit back and watch. Take action and tell the FDA and your favorite cosmetics companies that safe products are important to you and your family 

 

This information was provided with permission from The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.