Be a smart cosmetic shopper

Yesterday’s post in Enviroblog entitled “Tips from the make-up artist” makes a good point about the importance of paying attention to the ingredients in our personal care products. Those of us with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity are probably more concientious than the average shopper, but I have to admit that up until very recently, I relied more on what my nose and body told me than what was on the label.

But now, I not only do the sniff test for all my cosmetics and personal care products, I also check labels and consult the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database, the bible of concientious shoppers. I do this because it’s not just the toxic chemicals that trigger MCS symptoms that I need to eliminate from my life, it’s all toxic chemicals and products.

Here are some practical shopping tips from Skin Deep, most of which I’m sure you are already following, but it never hurts to review, especially for those of you who do not have MCS but are interested in living a healthier lifestyle:

Use our What Not To Buy list to avoid especially problematic ingredients - like mercury, lead, and placenta - and the products that contain them.

Use fewer products. Is there something you can cut from your daily routine, or a product you can use less often? By cutting down on the number of chemicals contacting your skin every day, you will reduce any potential health risks associated with your products.

Use the “Advanced Search” feature of Skin Deep to find products that have fewer potential health issues. Choose a product category and exclude the hazardous ingredients - carcinogens and neurotoxins, for instance - and Skin Deep will generate a custom shopping list for you.

Read labels. Marketing claims on personal care products are not defined under the law, and can mean anything or nothing at all, including claims like organic, natural, hypoallergenic, animal cruelty free, and fragrance free. Read the ingredient label carefully to find evidence that the claims are true.

Use milder soaps. Soap removes dirt and grease from the surface of your skin, but also strips away your body’s own natural skin oils. Choosing a milder soap may reduce skin dryness and your need for moisturizers to replace oils your skin can provide naturally.

Minimize your use of dark hair dyes. Many contain coal tar ingredients that have been linked to cancer in some studies.

Cut down on your use of powders; avoid the use of baby powder on newborns and infants. A number of ingredients common in powder have been linked to cancer and other lung problems when they are inhaled. FDA warns that powders may cause lung damage if inhaled regularly.

Choose products that are “fragrance”-free. Fragrances can cause allergic reactions. Products that claim to be “fragrance free” on the packaging may not be. They could contain masking fragrances that give off a neutral odor. Read the ingredient label - in products truly free of fragrance, the word “fragrance” will not appear there. Find “fragrance”-free products with our advanced search.

Reduce your use of nail polish. It’s one of the few types of products that routinely contains ingredients linked to birth defects. Paint your toenails and skip the fingernails. Paint nails in a well-ventilated room, or outside, or avoid using nail polish altogether, particularly when you are pregnant. Browse our custom shopping guide for advice on nail polishes that contain fewer ingredients of concern.

Link

Photo by smcgee

Meet Jessica, she won over the governator

In 2005, Jessica Assaf built a campaign to lobby senators and the California governor’s office to pass SB484, a bill that requires cosmetics manufacturers to inform the Department of Health Services if their products contain carcinogens or other toxic substances.

Jessica was shocked to learn that many personal care products contain chemicals that have been linked to cancer and reproductive ailments. Working with the Teens for Safe Cosmetics Campaign, Jessica created “Operation Beauty Drop” during which large bins were placed in public malls for teenagers to drop off their toxic beauty products. The collected products were sent back to the manufacturers with a petition signed by the teens demanding the reformulation of products without toxic chemicals.

As support for Jessica’s program grew, so did her belief that she could institute change on a larger scale and in individuals’ lives. With four of her friends, Jessica lobbied senators and the California governor’s office to pass SB484, a bill that requires cosmetics manufacturers to inform the Department of Health Services if their products contain carcinogens or other toxic substances. After the successful and unexpected passage of SB484 on October 7, 2005, she organized a Teens for Safe Cosmetics Summit educating teens from around the country on how to conduct their own safe cosmetic campaigns. Over thirty students took part in the workshops and began their own projects in their communities.

Link

Hormone-altering cosmetics chemicals found in teenage girls

Many chemicals detected linked to serious health problems

Here’s a new report from the Environmental Working Group about hormone-altering chemicals found in cosmetics and body care products. Isn’t it interesting that the products that trigger a bad reaction in people with Mulitple Chemical Sensitivity are proving out through scientific study to be toxic and damaging even at low levels?

OAKLAND, CA - Teenage girls across America are contaminated with hormone-altering chemicals found in cosmetics and body care products, confirms a new study released today by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

The first-of-its kind study found 16 toxic chemicals in blood and urine samples from 20 teenage girls from eight states and the District of Columbia, aged 14-19, including preservatives, fragrance and antimicrobial compounds. Many of these are linked to serious health risks in lab animals, even at low-dose levels.

“Hormone-altering chemicals shouldn’t be in cosmetics, especially in products used by millions of teenage girls,” said Rebecca Sutton, Ph.D, author of the report and Staff Scientist at EWG. “Their bodies are still developing and may be especially vulnerable to risks from these exposures,” added Sutton.

The young women participating in this study were recruited from locations across the U.S. and represent diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.  They used an average of nearly 17 personal care products per day that contain a total of 174 unique cosmetic ingredients.

The study provides the first data available from teens on levels of synthetic chemical musks, common fragrance ingredients that accumulate in people and act like estrogen in the body, and preservatives called parabens that also mimic estrogen.

“The Teen Body Burden Study is proof that something needs to be done. My results serve as permanent motivation to fight the chemical battle and win,” said Jessica Assaf, one of the teens tested.

Federal health statutes do not require companies to test products or ingredients for safety before they are sold. As a result, nearly all body care products contain ingredients that have not been assessed for safety by any federal agency, and are not required to meet any uniform safety standards.

“Most parents don’t know that the eyeliner, lipstick or shampoo they allow their daughters to use probably contains at least one chemical linked to a number of serious health concerns,” said Sutton. “Teenage girls are at a particularly vulnerable age and these exposures could trigger a subtle sequence of damaging effects that leads to health problems later in life.”

Teenagers and their parents can consult EWG’s Skin Deep online database to help them make informed decisions about their products.

EWG is a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC that uses the power of information to protect human health and the environment.

Link to full EWG release

Link to full EWG Report: Teen Girls’ Body Burden of Hormone-Altering Cosmetics Chemicals

Link to Greenwire release

How to find and use safer cosmetics

Here are some basic tips for finding and using safer cosmetics, from the Environmental Working Group:

Use our What Not To Buy list to avoid especially problematic ingredients — like mercury, lead, and placenta — and the products that contain them.

Use fewer products. Is there something you can cut from your daily routine, or a product you can use less often? By cutting down on the number of chemicals contacting your skin every day, you will reduce any potential health risks associated with your products.

Use the “Advanced Search” feature of Skin Deep to find products that have fewer potential health issues. Choose a product category and exclude the hazardous ingredients — carcinogens and neurotoxins, for instance — and Skin Deep will generate a custom shopping list for you.

Read labels. Marketing claims on personal care products are not defined under the law, and can mean anything or nothing at all, including claims like organic, natural, hypoallergenic, animal cruelty free, and fragrance free. Read the ingredient label carefully to find evidence that the claims are true.

Use milder soaps. Soap removes dirt and grease from the surface of your skin, but also strips away your body’s own natural skin oils. Choosing a milder soap may reduce skin dryness and your need for moisturizers to replace oils your skin can provide naturally.

Minimize your use of dark hair dyes. Many contain coal tar ingredients that have been linked to cancer in some studies.

Cut down on your use of powders; avoid the use of baby powder on newborns and infants. A number of ingredients common in powder have been linked to cancer and other lung problems when they are inhaled. FDA warns that powders may cause lung damage if inhaled regularly.

Choose products that are “fragrance”-free. Fragrances can cause allergic reactions. Products that claim to be “fragrance free” on the packaging may not be. They could contain masking fragrances that give off a neutral odor. Read the ingredient label — in products truly free of fragrance, the word “fragrance” will not appear there. Find “fragrance”-free products with our advanced search.

Reduce your use of nail polish. It’s one of the few types of products that routinely contains ingredients linked to birth defects. Paint your toenails and skip the fingernails. Paint nails in a well-ventilated room, or outside, or avoid using nail polish altogether, particularly when you are pregnant. Browse our custom shopping guide for advice on nail polishes that contain fewer ingredients of concern.

Link

Photo by incurable_hippie at flickr

Girl’s perfume sends 11 students to hospital

Welcome to our world.

Eleven middle school pupils and a driver were taken to a hospital Thursday after a girl dropped a bottle of perfume on the bus.

The McLaughlin Middle School students and driver complained of nausea and dizziness.

The principal said it’s against the rules to bring perfume or glass on campus, so even though it appeared to be an accident, the girl probably will be disciplined.

Link to FOXNews

Link to photo by squacco on flicker

Researchers: Perfume is “risk to unborn babies”

Pregnant women are told that using perfumes or scented creams may increase the risk of unborn boys developing infertility in later life

Anyone with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity knows that perfume and other synthetic fragrances are toxic. Effects of exposure can range from dizziness and coughing to total loss of cognitive ability (sometimes called “brain fade”) and serious trouble breathing. These overt physical effects alarm us and make us question what else the poison is doing to our bodies. We people with MCS are the “canaries” of the public, sounding the alarm that synthetic fragrance is hazardous to health– not just to people with MCS, but to everybody.

Slowly, peer reviewed research is catching up with us. Here’s a report at the BBC today about researchers at Edinburgh University who believe exposure to chemicals found in cosmetics between eight and 12 weeks of pregnancy may affect later sperm production in male children. Their recommendation: Do not use personal care products with synthetic fragrance while pregnant. Canaries’ recommendation: Do not use personal care products with synthetic fragrance EVER.

Testicular cancer

During tests on rats, [the researchers] blocked the action of androgens, which include male sex hormones such as testosterone.

The experiments confirmed that if the hormones are blocked, the animals suffered fertility problems.

Some of the chemicals which can block the hormones are widely used in the production of items such as cosmetics, household fabrics and plastics.

Prof Sharpe said the chemicals may also increase the risk of baby boys developing other reproductive conditions in later life, including testicular cancer.

He added that women planning on becoming pregnant should avoid putting any cosmetic products on their skin which could then be absorbed into their bodies.

He told BBC Scotland’s news website: “There are lots of compounds in perfumes that we know in higher concentrations have the potential to have biological effects, so it is just being ultra safe to say that by avoiding using them your baby isn’t at risk.

“If you are planning to become pregnant you should change your lifestyle. Those lifestyle things don’t necessarily mean that you are going to cause terrible harm to your baby, but by avoiding them you are going to have a positive effect.

“We would recommend you avoid exposure to chemicals that are present in cosmetics, anything that you put on your body that might then get through your body into your developing baby. [...]

Link

New online eco-boutique offers beauty & fashion for people & planet

This announcement is hot off the news wire. I love seeing new organic personal care lines popping up all over. Online products are a real plus for people with chemical sensitivities because we don’t have to leave home to do our shopping. Win-win.

To meet the needs of a new generation of green consumers, Washington, DC based ecopreneur Vincent BenAvram has launched a new online eco-boutique, Organically Happy (www.organicallyhappy.com). Unique to the new store is its focus on skin and body care with absolutely no synthetic chemicals, including parabens, sulfates, phthalates, or petrochemicals. The site also offers consumers access to unique recycled fashion accessories and other eco-centric products.

To meet the needs of a new generation of green consumers, Washington, DC based ecopreneur Vincent BenAvram has launched a new online eco-boutique, Organically Happy (www.organicallyhappy.com). Unique to the new store is its focus on skin and body care with absolutely no synthetic chemicals, including parabens, sulfates, phthalates, or petrochemicals. The site also offers consumers access to unique recycled fashion accessories and other eco-centric products.

Organically Happy provides the ability to adopt an organic, chemical-free lifestyle without compromising high quality and cutting-edge products. The store features a broad range of carefully selected skin and bodycare products, stylish eco-fashion items, high quality wellness solutions, and aromatherapy. The products are geared toward eco-conscious consumers, those with chemical sensitivities, problem skin, and those who simply want to eliminate harmful chemicals from their lives.

Turning green: A day in the life of me

07/10/08

I just found out about this group, Teens for Safe Cosmetics. These are our future leaders in politics, business and local communities. They make my heart sing. Above is a great little vid on a day in the life of a young greenie.

Teens for Safe Cosmetics is a coalition led by dynamic and passionate young women raising awareness about potentially harmful ingredients in beauty and daily use products that may be linked to cancer, reproductive harm and other health risks.

Mission:

• Educate the public about existing toxic chemicals found in cosmetics and personal care products
• Advocate for legislation that protects our right to health
• Inspire teens across the nation to work together and create change within their communities.

In collaboration with the National Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, teen campaign members played a key role in the passage of SB484, The California Safe Cosmetics Act in October of 2005. Thanks to their 11th hour lobbying efforts in Sacramento, California’s Governor signed the bill, on tap for veto into law.

Once more in 2007, the teens went back to Sacramento to lobby for the Toxic Toys Bill this past September ( 2007). The bill was to ban phthalates from children’s toys and baby nipples. The Governor was set to veto this bill and the teens, also fighting to ban phthalates from cosmetic products, changed his mind. The bill became law in October 2007.

Link

What is fragrance?

This is an excellent description of the problems with fragrance from the Environmental Working Group.

When the researchers at EWG are asked the question, “Is it true that the cosmetics industry can put any chemical into a product’s fragrance without showing it on the ingredients list?”, the answer in a word is, “Yes.”

Here’s the transcript from the vid:

It’s true. When you see “fragrance” on a personal care product’s label, read it as “hidden chemicals.” A major loophole in FDA’s federal law lets manufacturers of products like shampoo, lotion, and body wash include nearly any ingredient in their products under the name “fragrance” without actually listing the chemical.

Companies that manufacture personal care products are required by law to list the ingredients they use, but fragrances and trade-secret formulas are exempt. An analysis of the chemical contents of products reveals that the innocuous-looking “fragrance” often contains chemicals linked to negative health effects. Phthalates, used to make fragrances last longer, are associated damage to the male reproductive system, and artificial musks accumulate in our bodies and can be found in breast milk. Some artificial musks are even linked to cancer. And if you’ve got asthma, watch out– fragrance formulas are considered to be among the top 5 known allergens, and can trigger asthma attacks. The same kinds of chemicals are often used for fragrances in cleaning products, scented candles, and air fresheners.

To avoid those unpleasant side effects, choose fragrance-free products, but beware labels that say “unscented.” It may only mean that the manufacturer has added yet another fragrance to mask the original odor. Check ingredient labels carefully, or search Skin Deep to find products that do not list “fragrance” as an ingredient.

The best solution is not to allow cosmetics companies to get through this loophole. They should be required to list all of their ingredients on the label where consumers can find out what they’re buying. On top of that, cosmetics manufacturers regularly include ingredients with known or suspected links to cancer, reproductive toxicity and other negative health effects. The federal government must set safety standards for personal care products.

If you’re concerned about the chemicals you use on your body every day, sign EWG’s petition at cosmeticsdatabase.com and urge the FDA to make personal care products safe.

Link

Sickening sell out: Spreading the stink

Scanning the New York Times this morning, I found an interesting story on perfume advertising.

Times reporter Natasha Singer, in a story entitled “A Cover, 40 Pages, 4 Faces and One Perfume,” notes that the July issue of Harper’s Bazaar, a fashion mag by mega-publisher Hearst Communications, Inc., has ramped up perfume promotion by dedicating FORTY of its editorial pages to models used for a new fragrance from Estée Lauder (including covergirl Gwyneth Paltrow).

“Boy, they really sold out — Hearst — didn’t they?” said Allan Mottus, a beauty industry analyst who publishes the Informationist, a trade publication. Mr. Mottus added: “You have to take your hat off to Lauder. It is an enormous coup.”

Singer points out that this means perfume is becoming as highly regarded in the fashion industry as apparel. This is quite amazing, given that the canaries of the word and many others are trying to alert everyone that commercial perfumes contain unregulated toxic chemicals.

In fact, for Estée Lauder products, according to the Environmental Working Group’s cosmetic safety database, three of the four perfumes listed are high hazard. Given that 94% of all Lauder’s cosmetics have absolutely no FDA review, and chemically sensitive people are saying that most commercial perfumes are toxic… well, you decide whether or not you want to wear the stuff.

I’m just sayin’, on my personal list of things that get me sick from exposure, perfume (synthetic fragrance) is the NUMBER ONE problem. It’s really nasty, toxic stuff.

Link

Link to photo

Organic skin care with powerful scent: Okay for MCS?

Vivacious poet and blogger Siel at “green LA girl” writes this week about a great skin care line of certified organic products.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall — Who’s the greenest of them all? Last week I said I’d give organic certified personal care products a whirl — and first up’s Miessence, an all-organic-certified line of skin and hair care products made by the Organic and Natural Enterprise Group (ONE Group).

Miessence is so safe that, if so moved, you could actually eat the stuff — All the ingredients are food grade! The entire Miessence line — made with certified organic cold-pressed and unrefined oils and therapeutic grade herb and flower extracts — falls within the “low risk” category in the Skin Deep cosmetics database, which is really quite the accomplishment, even for most self-described “green” product lines.

I’m curious how many people with MCS have sensitivities to an organic product with strong essential oil fragrance. I know I have trouble with mints. One commenter to Siel’s post, who suffers from MCS, says she has trouble with alcohol in skin care products and recommends another great product line called Organic Apoteke.

UPDATE 08/24/08: An interesting discussion on Enviroblog about cosmetics, including Miessence, see the comments section.

Everything you ever wanted to know about your cosmetics but were afraid to ask

There’s a handy website run by scientists with information about the toxicity of your cosmetics.

You just type in the brand name or product, and sophisticated charts tell you about all the ingredients, including whether or not they are linked to cancer; developmental/reproductive toxicity; violations, restrictions & warnings; allergies/immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, persistence and bioaccumulation, organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), multiple, additive exposure sources, irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), enhanced skin absorption, contamination concerns, occupational hazards, biochemical or cellular level changes.

My Almay mascara failed miserably.

Skin Deep pairs ingredients in more than 25,000 products against 50 definitive toxicity and regulatory databases, making it the largest integrated data resource of its kind. Why did a small nonprofit take on such a big project? Because the FDA doesn’t require companies to test their own products for safety.

Link.