The truth isn’t pretty and it is possibly toxic to your health. The Environmental Working Group (EWG), non-profit research and advocacy organization focused on safeguarding public health and the environment, has compiled an interactive online database (Skin Deep) that contains the safety rating of 14, 841 name-brand personal care products based on the toxicity of their ingredients.
The following is the EWG’s summary of their safety findings:
- More than one-third of all personal care products have at least one ingredient connected to cancer;
- 57 percent of all products include "penetration enhancer" chemicals that can push other ingredients faster and deeper into the skin and into the blood flow; and
- 79 percent of all products contain ingredients that may have harmful impurities like known human carcinogens, according to FDA or industry reviews. Impurities are legal and unrestricted for the personal care product industry.
As a result of this and other research, the EWG helped found the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition of environmental and public health groups that work directly with cosmetic manufacturers to encourage reformulations and safer ingredients. According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetic’s Web site, more than 300 companies have signed the "Compact for Safe Cosmetics," pledging to remove chemicals from products that are linked to cancer, mutation, or birth defects, and to create safer formulations.
Founding groups of the campaign include: the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, The Breast Cancer Fund, Commonweal, Environmental Working Group, Friends of the Earth, National Black Environmental Justice Network, National Environmental Trust, and Women’s Voices for the Earth.
According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, these are some truths behind the myths of cosmetic safety:
MYTH 1: Few cosmetics contain toxic chemicals so it's okay to use them in small amounts.
FACT: The EWG’s 2004 product use survey shows that more than a quarter of all women and one of every 100 men use at least 15 products daily that possibly contain carcinogens, pesticides, reproductive toxins, endocrine disruptors, plasticizers, degreasers, and surfactants. The cosmetic industry says it is safe to put these products on your skin in small amounts. But if you use 15 products a day containing carcinogenic ingredients, how many “small” amounts do you use over a month, a year, and even a lifetime? The amount can add up fast, leading to an extended period of exposure that increases once chance to possibly get cancer.
MYTH 2: The cosmetic industry's safety labels can be trusted.
FACT: The FDA has not defined what "safe" means for the personal care products industry or how to achieve it, and companies, which make safety findings independent of the FDA, do not have to disclose the basis for their conclusions.
MYTH 3: The government does pre-market safety testing of cosmetic products to protect us from harm.
FACT: "The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act contains no provision that requires demonstration to the FDA of the safety of ingredients of cosmetic products... prior to marketing the product." — FDA response to the EWG’s petition that revealed deep deficiencies in the government’s power to protect the public’s health under the nation's cosmetics law, September 29 2005.
MYTH 4: The $35 billion cosmetics industry advocates to protect consumers and the environment.
FACT: The Cosmetics, Toiletry and Fragrance Association (CTFA) has lobbied against laws that would control pollution at cosmetic manufacturing plants and require safety information on labels.
MYTH 5: We can't protect ourselves.
FACT:
We have to protect ourselves until we convince the government to protect us. Educate yourself on what ingredients to avoid and check out the companies who have signed the “Compact for Safe Cosmetics”. Also check out what products have the lowest concern for safety on Skin Deep’s database.
MYTH 6: Most of the ingredients in personal care products have been tested to determine the links to long-term health problems.
FACT: An EWG analysis found that in its 30-year history, the industry's self-policing safety panel has reviewed the safety of just 11 percent of the 10,500 ingredients used in personal care products. Lead acetate, mercury, formaldehyde, toluene, petroleum, ethylacrylate, coal tar, parabens, and phthalates are some possible carcinogenic ingredients found in personal care products.
MYTH 7: The safest cosmetics cost more.
FACT: Estee Lauder, Avon, Elizabeth Arden, and Clarins have five facial moisturizers that contain ingredients that pose the highest concern. Their products cost $12.48 more per ounce than the five moisturizing products of the lowest concern made by TerrEssentials, Desert Essence, Aubrey Organics, Lily of Colorado, and Reviva Labs.
MYTH 8: The words “Natural” and “Organic” on cosmetic labels assures product safety.
FACT: Natural” and “Organic” on labels doesn’t mean the product is safe, in fact it can mean the opposite. According to the Skin Deep database, OPI Natural Nail Strengthener has the highest hazard rating of all 14,841 products evaluated.
MYTH 9: Cosmetic safety is primarily a woman's issue.
FACT: It's not just a woman's problem. Actually, two mens’ products pose some of the highest concerns. These products, marketed to men to color gray hair, contain lead acetate that causes infertility and harms reproductive growth. They are Just for Men Shampoo-in Hair Color and EBL GreyBan and Grecian Formula 16. Some after-shave lotions, anti-dandruff shampoos, teeth whiteners, sunless tanning products, and colognes also have some of the highest concerns for safety.
MYTH 10: Cosmetic companies are consistent with their safety rating throughout their product lines.
FACT: Cosmetic companies make products at both ends of the safety scale. The Skin Deep Database ranks products from 0-5 with 0 being of the lowest concern and five of the highest. Estee Lauder has an overall safety rating of 4.1 out of 5 but the company produces different brands that have lower safety ratings. These include Clinque with a 3.6 rating, Aveda with a 2.5 rating, and Bumble and Bumble with a 3.2 rating.
Sources: Skin Deep Database and The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
