Monday, February 19, 2007

Is Your Lipstick Safe?

A new California law promises women the truth about personal-care products

by Anuja Mendiratta
Ms. Magazine

That lipstick or nail polish you may be wearing—are they a danger to your health? How about your deodorant, toothpaste, body lotion, soap?
Seemingly innocuous personal-care products contain a host of largely unregulated chemicals and toxic ingredients. Some of those chemicals— phthalates, formaldehyde, petroleum, parabens, benzene and lead—have been variously linked to breast cancer, endometriosis, reproductive disorders, birth defects and developmental disabilities in children. Read more in Ms. On-line...

Tell OPI to Make Safe Nail Polish!


Tell OPI That One Is Not Enough! OPI Products, Inc. is the largest manufacturer of nail polish and nail treatment products in the world. In response to pressure from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics in August 2006, OPI agreed to remove dibutyl phthalate (DBP), a known reproductive toxin from its nail products. However, several OPI products still contain toluene and formaldehyde—chemicals linked to cancer, nervous system disorders and liver and kidney damage.

Tell OPI to get serious about protecting women’s health and remove all harmful chemicals from its nail products! »

From: The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

Looking at the Bottle and What's in It

New York Times
February 15, 2007

By Natasha Singer

Concerns about chemicals in cosmetics have prompted some consumer groups and researchers to conduct their own lab tests on beauty products.

Last month, Consumer Reports ShopSmart magazine published a report about eight consumer fragrances the company had tested for the presence of phthalates, a group of chemicals used as plasticizers in many consumer products. A few of these chemicals have been found to have a hormonal effect on lab animals; one chemical, DEHP, is banned from cosmetics in European Union nations. Read more...

Should You Trust Your Makeup?

New York Times
February 15, 2007

By Natasha Singer

For decades, companies that make everything from after-shave to lip gloss have conducted safety testing on grooming products and shipped the cosmetics to stores to be sold to consumers, all with very little government involvement. And over the years, there have been few health or safety problems associated with the myriad grooming products and cosmetics on the market.

Nonetheless, momentum has been building for greater oversight of the chemicals in everyday products, with the European Union and California taking the lead in imposing new rules for monitoring what is in the perfumes, creams, nail polish and hair sprays that are sold.
The California Safe Cosmetics Act, which took effect on Jan. 1, requires cosmetics companies to tell state health authorities if a product contains any chemical on several government lists covering possible cancer-causing agents or substances that may harm the reproductive system.
Read more...