Chemical Concerns
If you are interested in more environmentally friendly lotions, shampoos, makeup, and soap, you may want to look at the common chemicals in the products you use everyday. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a watchdog agency comprised of scientists, engineers, and policy experts who sift through scientific data in search of potential risks to people and the environment. The group works in a variety of different consumer- and environmental-protection areas, including the beauty industry. The EWG maintains Skin Deep, a report on the chemical ingredients of thousands of personal-care products.
The scientific community is considering potential problems with personal care products that wash down the drain and potentially settle in rivers and streams. Wastewater treatment plants and septic systems are not designed to handle many of the chemicals used in products today. As a result, many chemicals may escape into nature.
Skin Deep
The Skin Deep report can be found online at www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep2. Here is a list of ten things you can do when it comes to picking out safer personal-care alternatives:
Read the fine print on the labels.
When it comes to soap, go mild. Strong soaps can remove natural moisturizers.
Cut back on the fragrance to avoid allergic reactions.
Don't go for dark hair dyes. They may contain coal tar ingredients.
Avoid baby powder. It's not healthy for babies to breathe it.
Avoid giving children under six fluoridated toothpaste.
Lay off the nail polish to avoid exposure to toluene and acetone. If polish is used, make sure the area's well ventilated.
Lighten up with the cologne. Many fragrances contain phthalates (endocrine disruptors) and parabens (chemicals linked to breast cancer).
Try to cut back on the number of products used.
And of course, use the lists on Skin Deep to find personal-care products with minimal amounts of chemicals.
Animal Testing
When looking for cruelty-free cosmetics, look for the leaping bunny logo. The leaping-bunny symbol is awarded by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics, an organization made up of eight national animal rights groups. The coalition works with companies to promote nonanimal testing and is making progress in the United States and overseas. The shopping guide is available online at www.leapingbunny.org/shopping_guide.htm. You can either print it from the Web site or request a pocket guide to take with you when looking for cruelty-free products.
Although efforts have been made to reduce and eliminate animal testing, it is still the primary method of providing data on most cosmetics. Its continued use is partly based on the familiarity with the protocols and data analysis. Testing is performed on both finished products and individual ingredients.
Tests for cosmetics are usually performed on rabbits, rats, mice, guinea pigs, and dogs. Advances in technology have allowed companies to use computer models, in-vitro testing, and other methods to test their products, but animal testing continues to be a contentious topic.
