Pure Cosmetics - You Are What You Apply

When you think about it, it's no surprise that what you put onyour body can have just as much of an impact on your health as what goes in. The skin is the human body's largest organ, and is permeable to nearly all chemicals in some degree or fashion. After all, many drugs are administered by transdermal skin patches that use this very property to efficiently administer the drug into the blood stream. So, intuitively, choosing pure cosmetics just makes sense.

Think for a second about some of the things an average American is likely to put on her skin each day. In shower, one would generally use shampoo, conditioner, soap, and maybe a body wash. Then comes preparation to show the world her best - hand lotion, facial moisturizer, hair styling product, deodorant, fragrance, concealer, foundation, mascara, eye shadow, lipstick - just to name a few. It's an awful lot we put on our skin on an average day. Beginning to wonder if yours are pure cosmetics? Go to the EWG Cosmetics Database and find out. If you're like most people using mainstream products, you'll be displeased with what you find.

How can this be? Doesn't the government ensure that the ingredients used in personal care products and cosmetics are safe? Bluntly, no, As Planet Green, a subsidiary of the Discovery Channel, points out, only about 11% of the 10,500+ ingredients used in cosmetic products have been evaluated for safety by the US government. These untested ingredients can be found in many of the name brand cosmetics and personal care products that millions of people use every day.

Some choose to just shrug it off and carry on. But many are troubled by this and want to find ways to ensure they choose pure cosmetics. Easier said than done. Objective information is hard to come by, and even when sources like EWG provide direction, the products can be hard to find. You're left with two choices: strike out to your local grocery, discount, or drug store with printed list or iPhone app at your side to find the pure cosmetics needle in the haystack, or let your fingers do the walking... likely the same way you found this article: the magical Google.

There you'll find GoodGuide, where you may find additional information beyond that provided be EWG as to which are not only pure cosmetics, but also which companies do business in the most responsible manner. You'll find the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, an alliance of companies dedicated to providing and promoting pure cosmetics.

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Cosmetics - A Need For Every "Woman"

Cosmetics products are used for enhancing, beautifying, protecting, coloring, 
cleansing or preserving the human body in which include skin, nails, hands, 
hair, lips, eyes, teeth etc. Cosmetics products include perfumes, lipsticks, eye 
makeup, facial makeup, skin care creams, lotions, nail polishes, hair colors and 
sprays, hair gels, face powders, bath oils, salts etc all these products 
available in wide range and famous brands.

Cosmetics products generally not valued in past as medically and peoples used 
minerals as source for skin cosmetics, while cosmetics have become very popular 
from the last 100 years and the industry of cosmetics have been established 
globally, the industry is spending lots of money on its packaging and 
advertising because for good sale required right presentation. In the US, the 
majority of cosmetics users are young girls if we compare with other countries.

Most of cosmetics products are designed for over 30s age people to protect their 
skins from dryness and wrinkles. The cosmetic products also help to maintain skin clean, to 
look soft and moist. Cosmetic products can close pores for temporary, plumping 
up skin to show it smoother and make it rosy shine and blush. With teenagers the 
biggest problem is acne, blackheads and pimples which cause pores and the skin 
starts producing oils, for reducing, wash your face frequently with cleansers 
which made for this purpose.

Cosmetics have got few arguments like some makeup has been shown to be resulted 
as harmful materials, like talc and petroleum which caused rash, eczema and 
inflammation. After raising the health awareness increased the popularity of 
mineral cosmetics, mixture of minerals and pigments which help the skin to 
breath that's why there is few chances to get the eczema.

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Safe Cosmetics - Find Out If the Cosmetics YOU Use Are Safe Or Dangerous

If you haven't read any of my articles before it may come as a surprise to you that the cosmetics that you use may be hazardous to your health. Believe it or not, not all cosmetics are safe. Safe cosmetics are, in fact, hard to find.

How can this be? Why in the world would the cosmetics that you use be dangerous? Surely the FDA regulates anything we use in or on our bodies to make sure that they are safe for us to use?

Sadly, no. Yes drugs are regulated and the drug companies need to conform to certain safety standards, but those standards don't apply to either companies making cosmetics, or companies making skin care products or personal care products and health and beauty products.

Basically these companies can use any ingredient in their cosmetics, regardless of whether they've been shown to be safe for human use. And big multi nationals being what they are, if there is an ingredient that they can use in their products that is cheaper than a safe alternative they'll use it.

Regardless of whether it results in some risks to users.

Here's an example. A recent study found lead in over 50% of big brand lipsticks tested. Lead? Are you kidding? In our lipsticks? Sadly again it's true. Some of the biggest names in lipsticks contain lead.

This prompted the California legislature to legislate against lead in lipsticks.

Regulation on safe cosmetics ingredients is sadly lacking in the US. Standards are much much stricter in Europe. So the cosmetics that you and maybe your daughters use can contain dangerous ingredients.

I have personal experience of this. My then 7 year old daughter was due for her first ballet concert and they used all the normal cosmetics on her and within half an hour she had a terrible rash all over her face. We removed the cosmetics, the rash disappeared and hasn't reappeared.

We now use safe cosmetics for her ballet concerts.

The problem is so bad that there are now whole organizations set up to promote safe cosmetics and alert the public to the danger of the big brand cosmetics. And do the cosmetics companies change their behavior? Do they use safe ingredients in their cosmetics? Still no. They don't.

One such organization is called the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics. They attempt to expose as many of the risks of dangerous cosmetics as possible, to try and force our government to regulate the industry and the companies to produce safe cosmetics. And they run a Compact for Safe Cosmetics. Cosmetic companies that are prepared to dedicate themselves to produce only safe cosmetics can sign the compact to evidence their commitment to safe cosmetics.

And there is an organization called Teens Turning Green which helps direct teenagers towards safer cosmetics and other products, amongst their goals.

So how do you find out if the cosmetics you are using now are safe cosmetics or dangerous cosmetics. There is a way. There is a database called the cosmetic safety database, and you can use their database to search either the product that you're worried about, or the name of the company that makes them.

I just searched the Avon Ultra Moisture Rich Lipstick by way of example. On a scale of hazard from 1 to 10, 10 being the highest hazard, it rates a 9. High hazard. I'm told the ingredients in this lipstick are linked to cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, allergies and immunotoxicity and a whole host of other hazards including neurotoxicity and more.

Scary isn't it. However there are cosmetics companies dedicated to making safe cosmetics and personal care products. Dedicated to using such ingredients as certified organic ingredients and natural ingredients that are proven to be safe before they are used. That set their highest goal as producing high quality safe cosmetics and personal care and beauty products, rather than just focussing on profits.

There's not many, but there is some. And if you're worried about the safety of the cosmetics that you, or maybe your daughters uses, you need to find them. Now.

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