Major loopholes in federal law allow the cosmetics industry to put unlimited amounts of chemicals into personal care products without testing for health effects or adequate labeling requirements. While the chemicals in any one personal care product may not cause harm by themselves, it makes a lot of sense to minimize the amount of chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects and other health problems in the numerous products we use every day.
Antibacterial products such as soap may cause more harm than good, killing harmless bacteria and making your body resistant to the antibiotics you may need one day. Some bacteria, for example, are developing resistance to triclosan, a common antibacterial ingredient. Triclosan may also be bad for your health.
What you can do
Find out about the health concerns associated with the products you use. Go to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website or Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep report, a database of over 14,000 personal care products, their ingredients and potential health concerns. You can also find safer alternatives in the Skin Deep report.
You don’t always have to pay more to find safer products. Some products that score very well on the Skin Deep report are inexpensive and can be found in many well-known stores. And there is no guarantee that paying more ensures your products are safer. In fact, some of the more expensive products scored poorly in the Skin Deep review.
