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Could it really be possible that harmful toxic chemicals are in my favorite beauty products? After all, the skin is the largest organ in our bodies, and it readily absorbs chemicals that may be found in the lotions, potions, creams and makeup that we use on a daily basis.

Should you search for products that are labeled as natural or organic in order to guarantee they are safe to use? Or are products being greenwashed via clever packaging and marketing campaigns, tricking consumers into thinking these cosmetics are not detrimental to health and not toxic to the environment? Recognition of this cosmetics conundrum motivated Indiana Living Green to explore what’s really lurking in beauty products.

Skin-deep knowledge
Savvy green-minded shoppers must educate themselves about their favorite beauty products to learn whether they contain ingredients harmful to health or the environment. Focusing on the labels rather than the often-enticing packaging enables the consumer to make informed choices. Reading the list of ingredients, recognizing what to avoid and understanding what latent effect these chemicals may have are essential steps when deciding which cosmetics to purchase.

What kind of basic knowledge is needed in order to make educated choices regarding beauty products? According to Julie Gabriel, author of The Green Beauty Guide, products should be “formulated without harmful toxic chemicals— including paraben and formaldehyde-based preservatives, sulfate-based detergents, synthetic penetration enhancers, artificial dyes and fragrances.” Beauty products also “shouldn’t contain chemicals that poison the environment, such as phosphate and sulfate detergents, petrochemicals and phthalates.”

Unpronounceable toxic
What do these foreign sounding words mean to those of us who love to peruse the cosmetics counter, but do not have a background in science? As a rule of thumb, avoid products with ingredients that you cannot pronounce. Use your purchasing power and talk to sales people or retail managers about the cosmetics they sell. Ask them about the ingredients. Use your purchasing power to let the industry know that consumers want eco-friendly and health-conscious cosmetics rather than products full of damaging ingredients.

Here is a list of toxic ingredients commonly found in many beauty products and why they may be unsafe. This is by no means an exhaustive inventory; most beauty products contain far too many chemicals to mention, but this is a good starting point. Clip this list and take it along on your next shopping trip.

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  Phthalates (pronounced tha-lates) are industrial chemicals used to hold color and fragrances. Research suggests that phthalates may disrupt hormonal systems in both men and women.
• Parabens are preservatives used to prevent bacteria growth and extend the shelf life of products. Studies have shown that they are weakly estrogenic (female hormones or steroids) and can be absorbed by the body through the skin.
• 1,4-dioxane is commonly found in sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates and chemicals ending with -xynol, - ceteareth and –eth. as well as ethylene, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene or oxynol. Research shows that 1,4- dioxane easily soaks into the skin. 1,4-dioxane is considered a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
• Diethanolamine (DEA) and Triethanolamine (TEA) are ammonia compounds that can form cancer-causing nitrosamines when they come in contact with nitrates. Nitrosamines are banned in both Canada and the European Union. They are found in most personal care products.
• Petrolatum is more commonly known as petroleum jelly and is a cheap byproduct of oil that leaves a large carbon footprint. Petrolatum is commonly found in lip balm and lip gloss.

Little to no regulation
To further the dilemma about what’s what in the world of beauty products, cosmetics is a $30 billion a year industry, which operates without much regulation of its products. The Food and Drug Administration is the regulatory agency for the industry, but that seems to be only in name. Even though the Federal Food Drug & Cosmetic Act “prohibits the marketing of adulterated or misbranded cosmetics in interstate commerce,” the FDA “does not have the authority to give pre-market approval of cosmetic products and ingredients in order to be marketed legally except for color additives.”

Stacy Malkan, author of Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry notes “there are still no industry standards for organic personal care products in the United States.” There-fore, cosmetics companies ultimately are accountable to ensure the safety of their products and ingredients. This type of self-policing creates an environment where consumers must take the initiative to look for beauty products that meet their own standards.

Another piece of this puzzle is the use of the words natural and organic when describing cosmetics. Products being described as natural don’t need to meet any specific requirements. The description is misleading because it often implies the contents are non-toxic. Gabriel notes that according to government labeling requirements, natural means that an ingredient “has not been significantly altered from its original state, nor has anything been removed from it (with the exception of water), nor have other substances been added to it.”

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To meet the growing demand for non-toxic cosmetics, products are now being manufactured and stamped as “certified organic,” which means they have met various standards as set forth by a certifying association, but not the FDA. The criteria for various associations are different in regard to what certified organic actually implies. Each organization issues its own seal of approval based on the products’ ingredients, which then provides some sort of consumer protection guarantee. Keep in mind that according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “certified organic” means that an ingredient or the whole product meets its standards and has been grown or produced according to strict government-enforced organic agricultural standards.”

However, this definition does not apply to cosmetics or beauty products, and it is not what is implied with the stamp of approval from various certifying organizations. Consumers, therefore, must still read the label to determine what’s actually in the product.

Ingredient database
The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep cosmetic safety database is a great resource to investigate what ingredients are in various beauty products. This Web site rates products on a scale of 1 to 10, based on a variety of factors, including any potential health or environmental hazards linked to the product. The reports also include whether the company has signed the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Act, as well as the list of ingredients from the packaging.

Eco-friendly and non-toxic products are available both locally and online at a variety of places. Whole Foods,Winding Way Farms, Bloomingfoods, Sunspot Natural Market, Aveda, Sephora, Macy’s Beautiful Planet, Origins and Skin Crafters are just a few places in the Central Indiana area that provide cosmetics along the green spectrum. For online purchases, here are just a few of the many Web sites selling safer cosmetics: www.organicdivas.com, www.Upurea.com and www.natureofbeauty.com.

The debate continues about the validity of organic beauty products. Also, regulation of the cosmetics industry is not standardized. The good news is that safer alternatives are available. Learning what ingredients are found in cosmetics will be the biggest advantage in determining whether the product contains potential toxins. Purchasing beauty products as an informed consumer will get you on track toward greening up your cosmetics.

Comments (1)

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written by Jessica, June 21, 2010

Hey I am only a teen but I am a smart one. I want to start using Organic cosmetics but I can't find anywhere close that has any good ones. do you know where an Indiana teen like me find any good organic cosmetics? Oh and I like pink and light brown

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