Cosmetics, including every day toiletry items, contain thousands of different chemicals. Many of these chemicals have not been tested thoroughly and proven safe to humans while some that have been tested have been proven to cause cancer in animals. Because there is minimal regulations in terms of what can go into cosmetics it is left to the consumer to decide what is safe and what isn’t. Similar to produce and the “dirty dozen” you should avoid in terms of the produce with the highest amount of pesiticides, National Geographic’s Green Guide has come up with a “dirty dozen” list for cosmetic ingredients. Here is a list of the top 12 chemicals they recommend you avoid:

• Antibacterials


• Coal tar


• Diethanolamine (DEA)


• 1,4 Dioxane


• Formaldehyde


• Fragrance


• Lead and Mercury (doesn’t that count as two?)


• Nanoparticles


• Parabens (methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, butyl-, isobutyl-)


• Petroleum Distillates


• P-Phenylenediamine


• Hydriquinone

Skin Deep, the Cosmetic Safety Database by Environmental Working Group is a great resource for finding out the exact ingredients in your different bathroom products ranging for your baby’s shampoo and sunscreen to your deodorant, nail polish, and even contact solution. Skin Deep rates each item on a scale from 0-10 with 10 being the most hazardous. They come to this rating by taking the ingredient list and looking at hazard data contained in more than 50 toxicity and regulatory databases. What is scary is that companies are not required by law to test for safety before selling these types of products. The Cosmetic Safety Database is filling in the gaps where information is lacking although not all ingredients that are being used by cosmetic companies have been tested. I prefer to approach chemicals using the precautionary principle and not wait for them to find out if something is toxic or not, but instead try to avoid it until proven safe.

Skin Deep has a very helpful shopping guide called “Safer Shopping Tips”. Here are their main points (you can go to the website for more details):

1. Use our What Not To Buy list.


2. Use fewer products.


3. Read labels.


4. Use milder soaps.


5. Minimize your use of dark hair dyes.


6. Cut down on your use of powders.


7. Choose products that are "fragrance"-free.


8. Reduce your use of nail polish.

I’m especially careful when it comes to using products on my son. A baby’s sensitivity to chemicals is going to be much greater than an adult and babies are always sticking things in their mouth. You don’t want your baby accidentally drinking the bath water that contains his toxic shampoo!

One of my favorite baby brands that is on the safer side is California Baby. I especially like their sunscreens and shampoo/body wash for sensitive skin. It is also now available at Target stores.

If you are using Skin Deep to look up the rating of products you are using, be sure to find the exact product because even within a single brand such as Johnson & Johnson, you will find products rating from a 3 to a 9.