Is Your Make-up Killing You?

When you apply your make-up have you ever thought about how safe the ingredients used to produce it are? Have you ever stopped to think that your cosmetics may contain cancer causing ingredients? Did you assume that your products are safe because the Food and Drug Administration is there to protect you? Well, you’d better think again.

Men’s Products Also

This isn’t just about the ladies either. Men’s products including after shave, deodorant and shampoo may also contain harmful chemicals that can lead to illness as well. According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics approximately one out of every 100 personal care products on the market contains known or probable carcinogens.

FDA Requirements

The Food and Drug Administration’s regulatory requirements for cosmetics are not as strict for personal care items as they are with the other products that they regulate, like food and prescription drugs. The European Union has implemented new law that requires companies to remove any harmful ingredients from their products. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is working to make that law a reality here in the United States as well. While there is no firm research that says these chemicals will harm you while used in the small doses we receive from our cosmetics every day, there is also no research that shows that they won’t.

Companies Sign Compact for Safe Cosmetics

Recently several major cosmetic makers including, Estee Lauder, Revlon, and L’Oreal, agreed to the first requirements in the “Compact for Safe Cosmetics” which states they will eliminate chemicals from their products that are suspected of causing cancer and birth defects within the next three years. To view a list of all of the companies that have signed this compact visit: www.safecosmetics.org. While there you can also check out a list of places that endorse this action, including The Breast Cancer Fund and Greenpeace.

Locate Safe Products

To find out if there are any potentially harmful ingredients in the products, you use everyday visit: www. EWG.org. In the cosmetics and personal care products section, click on Skin Deep, where you will find a searchable product guide. Their safety ratings for hundreds of personal care products are there to help you make the healthiest choices in personal care products and cosmetics.