SafeMailServices.com

Friday, March 13, 2009

Are You Using Safe Cosmetics?

By Peter Albertonach

Would you assume that the cosmetics, or perhaps the cosmetics that your daughter uses, would be safe to use. It would seem reasonable to make that assumption. We should all be able to assume that the government would protect us from dangerous products like dangerous cosmetics. Sadly it doesn't, and you need to source safe cosmetics so you're not taking a risk with your health. Are you using safe cosmetics?

No you aren't using safe cosmetics if you're using big brand name cosmetics. The government doesn't protect you against dangerous ingredients in your cosmetics and the cosmetics companies don't either. There is a whole range of nasty ingredients in your big brand name cosmetics including lead, dioxane and parabens.

The FDA doesn't test the ingredients found in mainstream cosmetics, and so the big brand companies can, and do, put anything that they want in their products. The government doesn't protect the women of America against corporations that are prepared to use unsafe ingredients to sell their products.

The situation is so bad that there are now entire organizations set up to raise public awareness of this problem. Primary amongst them is one called the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics.

Unfortunately neither the government or the cosmetics industry are listening to the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics, and nothing much is happening to improve the safety of those mascaras, blushes, eye shadows, face creams, lipsticks, bronzers and many more that most of us use, unaware that we may be damaging our health.

There's lots of examples, here's 2.

The Campaign For Safe Cosmetics initiated laboratory testing of major brand name lipsticks in 2007. The report was astonishing. More than 50% of big brand name lipsticks, including some of the biggest names that you may well use now, contained lead. And you're not even immune if you buy the most expensive brands, they were represented amongst the lipsticks that contained lead as well.

In 2002 laboratory testing found Phthalates, a family of industrial chemicals linked to birth defects and abnormalities in male genitals and feminization of males, in the majority of 72 common brand name personal care products, beauty products and cosmetics that we all use day to day. These included products by some of the biggest names in the industry, including Revlon, Christian Dior, Calvin Klein and Proctor and Gamble.

And included common household use products like shampoos and toothpastes as well as beauty and cosmetic products.

Despite the fact that Phthalates weren't listed on the labels they were found in 52 of 72 products tested.

Isn't that scary?

Can you get safe cosmetics? Certainly you can, in fact the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics has a register of companies who sign it and commit themselves to producing cosmetics and skincare and beauty products using only safe ingredients. There are plenty of high quality safe cosmetics available, but they aren't generally found on the shelves of your local department store.

But I'll bet you've never heard of these small niche companies because they can't compete with the big brands on TV advertising, but nevertheless they make excellent and safe ranges of cosmetics.

Visit my website to find out more about safe cosmetics.

About the Author:

No comments: