Navigating the Skin Care Labyrinth
Excerpt : Most consumers give little thought to the recognized allergens, probable carcinogens, hormone disrupters and synthetic industrial chemicals that have been inadequately tested and yet, can be found in
Most consumers give little thought to the recognized allergens,
probable carcinogens, hormone disrupters and synthetic
industrial chemicals that have been inadequately tested and yet,
can be found in the formulae of our skin and body care products,
shampoos, conditioners, cosmetics, perfumes, infant body care
products, etc. These products line the shelves of high-end
department stores, drug stores, specialty retailers, and natural
health retailers. With media reports warning of the toxic soup
most of us bathe in daily, the ugly side of the cosmetic and
personal care industry is on the radar of consumer groups such
as The Breast Cancer Fund, Think Before You Pink, Environmental
Working Group, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, as well as
concerned physicians and scientists.
The public believes that the industry is regulated by a federal
agency that insures toxic chemicals are not added to the
products we use many times daily. So, you might wonder, who is
responsible for regulating the personal care industry and
looking out for consumer health and safety?
The cosmetic industry will direct you to the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), the FDA will direct your query to the
Cosmetics Ingredient Review (CIR) panel, and the CIR will share
all the wonderful research they are conducting in the name of
safety for the consumer. The
problem with this picture is the
CIR panel is funded by the giant mainstream personal care
products companies whose ingredients and products must pass
their review prior to entering the marketplace. These well
recognized companies continue to use known or suspected toxic
ingredients in their product formulae.
Of the FDA's $800 million annual budget, less than 1% is
allocated toward regulating the cosmetic industry. Neither the
FDA nor any other government regulatory body actively assesses
the safety of cosmetics before they are placed in the
marketplace.
Testing for Safety?
According to Darin Stechman, Clinique's brand representative,
"Product safety has always been a top priority at Clinique
Laboratories, and is ensured through state-of-the-art testing
methods." However, this testing, according to Stechman, does not
include tests that establish long-term toxicity potential,
carcinogenic properties, systemic absorption properties or
chronic effects of daily use. Instead, large, mainstream
cosmetics companies focus their research and both human and
animal trial tests on assessing pre-marketed products for only
allergenic reactions and skin irritations. Beyond skin eruptions
and rashes, emerging science suggests that untold numbers of
cosmetics and personal care ingredients may be silently and
insidiously promoting
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cancer, disrupting women's reproductive
functions and causing birth defects.
According to Susan Roll of the Massachusetts Breast Cancer
Coalition, "one third of personal care products contain
ingredients classified as possible human carcinogens." Hence,
chemicals such as acrylamide (in foundation, face lotion and
hand cream) linked to mammary tumors in lab research;
formaldehyde (nail polish and blush) classified as a possible
human carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency; and
dibutyl phthalate (industrial chemical commonly found in perfume
and hair spray) known to damage the liver, kidney and
reproductive systems, disrupt hormonal processes and increase
breast cancer risk, are widely used by mainstream skin care and
cosmetics manufacturers. Known by hundreds of long, intimidating
chemical names, these ingredients are in the products we use in
our daily personal care rituals.
It's the daily grooming ritual that is of greatest concern.
These toxic ingredients are absorbed by our skin and into our
bodies. The cumulative exposure to a myriad of personal care
products containing carcinogens, mutagens and reproductive
toxins has not been assessed.
The Ugly Side to Pretty
Many believe that by purchasing products marketed as "natural"
and "organic" from health stores, high-end department stores
and
other specialty retailers, they are guaranteed toxin-free
ingredients. Unfortunately, major loopholes in federal law allow
the $35 billion cosmetics industry to police itself, allowing
unlimited amounts of toxic chemicals into personal care products
with no required testing, no monitoring of health effects and
inadequate labeling requirements.
According to Janet Nudelman, coordinator for the Campaign for
Safe Cosmetics, "The U.S. government, in relation to the FDA,
has not been on the side of consumers and has not been on the
side of public health." This is obvious since cosmetic industry
representatives serve on government panels that are looking into
the consumer safety issue they are supposed to be regulating.
How to make Healthy Choices.
Since the CIR is funded by the well known cosmetic manufacturers
and the FDA allocates so little funding toward regulating the
cosmetics industry, how can the consumer confidently make
healthy choices when purchasing personal care products?
Since 2000 The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a team of
scientists, engineers, policy experts and lawyers, have
dedicated countless hours examining data, scientific studies,
and performed their own laboratory tests to expose threats to
your health and the environment, and to offer solutions. Their
web site,
href="http://www.ewg.org">www.ewg.org provides practical information you can use
to protect yourself and your loved ones.
The EWG analyzed the health and safety reviews of 10,000
ingredients in personal care products. They discovered that
there is very little research available to document the safety
or health risks of low dose repeated exposures to the chemical
mixtures in these products. According to the EWG, the absence of
this data should not be mistaken for proof of safety. The more
these low dose chemical exposures are studied, the more is
understood that they can cause adverse effects.
Based on their findings, the EWG has developed Skin Deep
www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep, a sophisticated online rating
system that ranks brand name products on their potential health
risks and the absence of basic safety evaluations.
Janet Nudelman, of The Safe Cosmetics Campaign, says she uses
Skin Deep regularly to look up ingredients in personal care
products to find the safety reading. Her decision to purchase a
product is based on the results.
In recent years, organic and 100% pure and natural products have
become available from such companies as suki's, Farmaesthetics,
GratefulBody, Affusion, Monave, Earth's Beauty, Simply Organic,
WildeWood Naturals,
Actimine provides the nutrients needed by your body to regulate the occurrence of acne, eliminating the potential scarring and embarrassment which often result from chronic breakouts.
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Munchskins and more.
The health and safety of you and your loved ones is your
responsibility. Read the labels of personal care products
closely. If there are ingredients that you are not certain
about, write them down and do a quick search to insure they are
safe for use by you and your loved ones.
References:
Breast Cancer Action www.bcaction.org
Breast Cancer Fund www.breastcancerfund.org
The Make-up Labyrinth. Shauna Dineen, E The Environment
Magazine, November-December 2005
Environmental Working Group www.ewg.org
www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep
Safe Cosmetics www.safecosmetics.org
About the author:
Pamela Cronan-Maddox, an ovarian cancer survivor is the
visionary and president of The Alchemist's Apprentice,
www.alchemistsapprentice.com. The online apothecary is dedicated
to providing the finest 100% natural and organic skin care and
body care products for the entire family. Visit The Alchemist's
Apprentice for all your personal care product needs.
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