Hi All. I just saw a segment on a news program that was very unsettling to me regarding something we all use on a daily basis - cosmetics. Did you know that the European countries have banned many of the ingredients still being used in the cosmetics made and sold in the U.S.A.? These ingredients are listed under the name of "fragrances". Our good old F.D.A never ceases to amaze me. Their protection of the tobacco industry has always infuriated me but now to find out that we have been victims of our trust once again. I just assumed that I could trust that something that was on the shelf was safe to use. Wrong again. Anyway - there is a site where you can check out the products that you all use everyday. http://www.skindeep.com/. This site also has a form that you can submit to your reps so that they will become aware of the fact that no one is watching what is going into what we use every day. When I got the diagnosis of Breast Cancer I started to obsess about what I did that could have brought this on and how I could have taken steps to have prevented it. The reality is that the FDA could have maybe prevented my breast cancer. They should be protecting all of us if that is their primary objective the way European countries protect their citizens. Please feel free to forward this on to as many people as you can. Please look into purchasing only cosmetics that are marked organic or natural. Please check out the above website to see if what you are using could be putting you in danger of getting cancer. Now, I did some research myself. Heaven forbid I trust even a news program. I think the bottom line is buyer beware. No one is watching these products for us. http://www.webmd.com/skin-beauty/features/cosmetics-safety-whats-in-your-makeup-bag is a link to a great article giving both the pros and cons of my warning to all of you. The following is taken from that site. Steps You Can Take To protect yourself, experts who spoke to WebMD offer the following tips for safer cosmetic and personal care use.
When choosing personal care products, remember that simpler is better. This means not only looking for products with fewer chemical ingredients (soap instead of shower gel, or moisturizers without fragrance), but also using fewer products overall.
Think about how necessary a product is before you use it. For example, bubble bath for your baby or for yourself. Do without if you can.
Use your nose as a guide: If a product has a chemical-like odor, think twice about using it or where you will apply it.
Read ingredient labels for ingredients like parabens, but realize that many of the most questionable chemicals (like phthalates) won't be listed; instead, they're contained in the umbrella phrase "fragrance."
Visit product web sites to get more detail on ingredients. Many of them will offer more disclosure than the label does. If you still want to know more, email the company.
Visit www.CosmeticsDataBase.com for an up-to-date cross-reference of more than 22,000 cosmetics and a rating of their chemical ingredients.
Seek out products from companies that have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics pledge. Visit www.safecosmetics.org/companies/signers.cfm.
Get the free CD report from Vassar College on environmental links to breast cancer, including the role of cosmetics and personal care products, at www.ERBC.Vassar.edu.
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I found the link you referenced to 'Safe Cosmetics' very helpful. Some of the brands and specific products I use or have used received a moderate rating.
www.safecosmetics.org
I learned about the 'Signers of the Compact for Safe Cosmetics.'
The companies who have signed: "....pledged to not use chemicals that are known or strongly suspected of causing cancer, mutation or birth defects in their products and to implement substitution plans that replace hazardous materials with safer alternatives in every market they serve."
I was surprised to learn that several major companies have not signed. Some of those companies listed sell products I use every day!
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