Poisoned Pucker: What's in your lip gloss? (Dudes should read too).

Is there ethylene in your eyeshadow? Lead in your lipstick? Are you sure? And how would you know? (Men, scroll down to the part where I discuss your naughty bits).
The FDA requires labeling on cosmetic products, EXCEPT in the case of fragrance and trade secrets. Fragrance can be composed of any number of toxic chemicals, and it usually is quite toxic, and all your ingredients label will say is, FRAGRANCE. If a company wants to use a toxic or suspicious chemical, they simply have to develop a "secret formula" and leave it of the list. As a result of these policies, none of the cosmetic or beauty products sold in the U.S. are legal to sell in Europe. Europe has strict regulations on carcinogens and products that cause neurotoxicity and reproductive problems. They also have stricter labeling laws. The U.S. companies that do business in Europe relabel and reformulate their products to be safe for European consumption. But they don't have to here and it's cheaper to manufacture them with all the toxins (most are preservatives that allow them to back stock for months or years, which is cheaper).

It is hard to give up your favorite foundation or your butt-smoothing lotion. I am currently mourning the loss of my MAC cosmetics, but now that I know they contain ingredients linked to cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity, endocrine disruption, biochemical accumulation, changes at the cellular level, and occupational hazards for the workers who produce them, I will not apply MAC to my face or body. I would not have given it up for anything, without proof. So here's my proof:

The Environmental Working Group has tested thousands of beauty products and has a searchable database of the results. It can be found at http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/index.php or by searching "Skin Deep." When you enter a cosmetic product or brand name, it will show you how the product rates on a scale of 1 to 10. A rating of one or two indicates that the product is a low hazard item, but it does contain one or two risk factors. For example, Burt's Bees lipbalm is rated a two. It contains products linked to immunotoxicity and non-reproductive organ toxicity. In the grand scheme of chemicals, it isn't too bad, but Badger Balm makes a lip ointment that rates a zero, meaning it is completely safe, so why not switch to the safer Badger product?

My MAC Studio Fix Foundation--which I love --rates a four. Ratings of three through six are moderate hazards. I listed the hazards of my Mac above, so that should give you some idea of what a moderate rating looks like. Moderate is too hazardous for me!

Now let's assess something in the high hazard range. Calvin Klein's Obsession for women eau de parfum spray gets a nine. Yes, a nine out of ten. A big, red, 9! It has products that are linked to all the hazards of my MAC makeup, plus neurotoxicity, AND they test on animals (which means they know how poisonous the crap is) and they refuse to sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics.

Now, how do I know all these chemicals cause these problems? I'm no chemist, so I'll admit that I am putting some faith in the Environmental Working Group's research. My justification for this is that the cosmetics companies stand to make millions from hiding their ingredients from us. The EWG stands to make nothing, so I think they have the purest motives.

I also found several studies that say the same thing, and explain the details, one of which was most interesting. It is called "Not Too Pretty;" it can be found at http://www.safecosmetics.org/docUploads/NotTooPretty_r51.pdf . It focuses on phthalates, a preservative used in the nebulus "frangrance" formulas. Almost all the major cosmetics companies use them. This chemical is a developmental and reproductive toxicant that damages female reproductive organs and wreaks havoc on male fetuses in-utero. Tests in animals have shown that phthalates cause --Hold on to your junk, boys! This is gonna hurt!-- testicular atrophy, reduced sperm count, absent testes, absent prostate, penis deformity, or testes that grow outside the scrotal sac. (I pity THAT kid when he gets kicked in the nuts). They are also suspected of contributing to the rapidly increasing rates of male and female infertility. None of this has been definitively proven in humans, as this would be a difficult study to control, but there is enough evidence to suggest that phthalates should be avoided.

The problem is, they are in everything! Perfume, hairspray, nail polish, deoderant, lotions, and more! And women have markedly higher levels of phthalate load than men, which suggests that absorption is the direct result of cosmetic use.

It's disturbing that all these untested chemicals can be applied directly to our bodies without our knowing! As we know from the explosion of patch administered medications in the past few years, what goes on the skin, goes in the body.

The database has a shopping list feature that helps you find products that rate a zero, one, or two. Use the database, do your research, and find products that are safe for you! Please! For you, the environment, and for your unborn children.

And now I'll get off my (biotoxin- and cruelty-free) soapbox!

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