Officially Horrified

Yesterday I attended the "Toxic Truth" presentation at Northeastern. The topic was harmful chemicals in our beauty products. Although the program was short, I learned a few things. Namely:

• The FDA does not regulate what goes in to beauty products for the most part.
• Cosmetic companies' claims are not evaluated for truth.
• Many major cosmetic companies used chemicals that are know to cause cancer and birth defects.
• Nearly 70 percent of what we put on our skin is absorbed into our bodies.
  
  

Most of this information comes from the campaign for safe cosmetics. I truly had no idea how bad many of the basic cosmetics are. For example, some nail polishes contain formaldehyde! The campaign is working for legislation that would subject cosmetics companies to some oversight.

In the meantime, the campaign offers some basic facts and truths as well as a list of companies that have agreed to produce safe cosmetics. There is also a report on the toxins commonly used in cosmetics and their effects.


I'd like to see a lot of these safer alternatives more readily available. While Internet ordering is fine, sometimes I forget. And I don't have 3-5 days to wait for shipping. Until the government gets off its duff and starts advocating for us, hound your local drugstore to carry at lease one safe alternative to the toxins that sit regularly on their shelves.


Here's a couple of pictures from the workshop today.