The Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently released a study done on teen girls to see what chemicals they’re exposed to by using cosmetics.
The results weren’t pretty.
Chemicals From Cosmetics Found In Young Women
For instance, every single young lady was exposed to parabens, a group of artificial preservatives. Some parabens can irritate the skin or cause allergic reactions In laboratory studies. There have also been indications that parabens are estrogenic, meaning they can mimic the hormone estrogen. This is disruptive to the normal function of the hormone system. Obviously, in young women, that particular system has kicked into high gear, and with the presence of these chemicals is put in jeopardy.
To complicate matters, if personal care products containing parabens are combined with chlorinated tap water, a number of chlorinated paraben byproducts can form. Considering most people have chlorinated water these days, that seems very likely – washing your face, taking a bath or shower – it’s easy for that combination to occur.
Worse, parabens is just the tip of this particular iceburg. Besides parabens, this study detected 16 chemicals from 4 chemical families known to have harmful effects on the human body.
Where’s The Safety Regulations?
Unfortunately, there are no federal health statutes requirng companies to test personal care products or ingredients for safety before they are sold. The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t have the authority to require testing of personal care product ingredients.
In other words, there is no set standard of safety these companies have to follow.
Even if there’s a known problem with a personal care product, the FDA doesn’t have the power to require the recall of a harmful product. All recalls are totally voluntary company actions.
The Fox Is Guarding The Henhouse!
Instead of governmental regulations for safety of personal care products, the industry polices itself through the Cosmetic Ingredient Revew (CIR). Excuse me, but might they be just a tad biased?
Even if they aren’t, the CIR has only reviewed a piddling 11% of all ingredients used in costmetics. Yep, barely more than one tenth of all ingredients have been tested, and some of those are ones not used any more. Furthermore, the testing is mostly for concerns like irritation, while ignoring potential problems of more serious concern like cancer or birth defects or hormone disruption.
And even if the CIR finds anything, companies don’t have to follow their recommendations. They’re free to ignore them since compliance is entirely voluntary.
Bottom line… most personal care products have ingredients that have never been tested for safety by any accountable agency, nor are companies expected to meet any sort of regulations for safety.
Where Does That Leave The Consumer?
For not only young ladies such as those in the study by the Environmental Working Group, but for all people, it would be nice to know what personal care products are safe.
The only organization certifying personal care products right now is the Natural Products Association. They recently instituted a Certification Program For Natural Care Products. Those products which meet their standards may use the seal pictured to the right on their products.
The guidelines are as folows:
- The product must be made up of at least 95% truly natural ingredients, or ingredients that are derived from natural sources,
- No ingredients with any potential suspected human health risks,
- No processes that significantly or adversely alter the purity/effect of the natural ingredients,
- Ingredients that come from a purposeful, renewable/plentiful source found in nature (flora, fauna, mineral), and
- Unnatural ingredients only when viable natural alternative ingredient are unavailable and only when there are absolutely no suspected potential human health risks.
Does that mean the safety of these products is 100% guaranteed? No, it’s possible for a natural product to cause a health problem. However, generally speaking, natural products have a longer history of safe use. Chemicals or synthetic ingedients are new in comparison, and despite scientific testing, are sometimes found to have negative effects on the human body when used for longer periods of time. Think how many times a so-called safe drug is recalled because it’s found to have harmful effects!
Informed Health Care
Take charge of your health, and that of your family! Look for personal care products that don’t have a bunch of untested ingredients in them.