According to WorldWatch.org, US Women spend approximately 8 billion
dollars annually on cosmetics.  Undeniably, as women, we are driven to want to look beautiful but at what cost to our physical, mental and emotional health?  Well, if we continue to blindly purchase the "hottest" and "trendiest" cosmetics, body, and bath products (pushed on us by millions and millions of advertising dollars annually) without looking at the labels, we could unwittingly be putting ourselves into harms way. 

The powerhouse cosmetics industry would rather we just leave it alone! As you and I increase our awareness of harmful ingredients in skin care products, the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association which is designed to sell products, will counter any concerns about any potentially negative health effects of their members' products. So as with any consumer product category, my advice is simple: Let the buyer beware.

I think we all agree that as a nation we are generally improving in our knowledge about the connection between the foods we eat and the state of our health. We read food labels and are making wiser choices. Now let's get more specific; I want to encourage you to not only read the ingredient labels on foods but on products we put on our skin as well. I want us to become smart consumers in all areas of our consumer lives.  Especially now when every dollar counts and bettering ourselves emotionally and physically counts even more. Step up your efforts to educate yourself about common and uncommon ingredients and their effects on the body. 

I have attacked my beauty stash and initially felt sad as so many beloved items were dropped into the trash but thanks to my dedicated, hardworking friends at the Environmental Working Group, I've been enlightened to do more.  It just makes sense. I have learned that some ingredients (or words in the ingredients) to avoid are:
• DMDM hydantoin and Imidazolidinyl urea (toxic contaminants)
• Fragrance and dyes (allergies, cancer, nervous system)
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone (allergies, nervous system)
• Paraben (hormone effects)
• "PEG" and "-eth" (toxic contaminants)
• Sodium lautyl or laureth sulfate (skin damage, toxic contaminants)
• Triclosan and triclocarban (thyroid and environmental concerns)
• Triethanolamine (TEA) (allergies, toxic contaminants)

And some products to avoid are:
• Hair dyes containing ammonia, peroxide, p-phenylenediamine, diaminobenzene (all dark permanent hair dyes) Let me tell you, I am mourning my old hair dye regimen...but with cancer an experience I would not like to repeat, I defer to the less toxic route these days.
• Liquid hand soaps with triclosan
• Nail polish and removers with formaldehyde
• Skin lighteners with hydroquinone

If we don't read our labels and make educated and smart decisions with our purchasing power, we will not see our best interests served in the cosmetics, food and retail industries.  The less toxic solutions are all out there, we just need to create the demand and have the supply follow, not the other way around.

For more information about toxic ingredients please visit:

www.safecosmetics.org
www.cosmeticsdatabase.com
www.ewg.org