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.

You might be aware of the controversy around the widespread use of antibacterial soaps and the concern that they may create drug-resistant strains of bacteria. More recent research is also suggesting thattriclocarban, a common additive in many antibacterial soaps and deodorants, has an unusual effect on hormones. This chemical is considered to be one of the suspected "endocrine disruptors" that may interfere with human sex hormones and reproductive development, causing reduced fertility, early puberty and increases in breast, ovarian and prostate cancers.

Another chemical under scrutiny is triclosan, also found in some antibacterial soaps. While it is thought to be safe for most people, research suggests that it might cause subtle harm to humans in critical developmental stages including in utero, early childhood and adolescence. It has been named as a target for further research into the environmental contributors to autism.

Manufacturers of antibacterial soap products, of course, claim that their products are safe and have been thoroughly tested for human use.

Studies show that these chemicals are being dumped into the environment at an alarming rate, with more than one million pounds of triclosan and triclocarban coming from use in America alone. And with a recent CDC study detecting triclosan in the urine of 75% of Americans aged 6 and older, we can't deny that these chemicals are entering our bodies.

In my household, we have stopped using all antibacterial products. I have found a natural product that fights germs and bacteria and does not contain any potentially dangerous chemicals. CleanWell is made with "Igenium," a plant-based essential oil formula that claims to kill 99.99% of germs, including MRSA (staph), E.coli and salmonella on contact.

The CleanWell story is touching. The product was developed by a family with a child who has a rare disease that causes severe immunodeficiency. Since his immune system only functions at about 10%, they needed to protect Conor from exposure to germs but did not want to expose his fragile system to harsh chemicals. After eight years of research and development, they patented the CleanWell with Igenium formula.

CleanWell products are environmentally sound. Being plant-based, they are alcohol-free, chemical-free and 100% biodegradable. They are also certified cruelty-free and never tested on animals. There is also no ingestion risk for children.

CleanWell offers hand sanitizing sprays in several sizes, hand sanitizing wipes and pump soap bottles in lovely scents. You can order online or locate a store on their Web site.

Dear Tranquil Parents,

Until our 14-month-old learns to stay seated and still in the tub, what safe bathtub mats are out there? I'm all for anti-slip, but I don't want vinyl, and all the rubber products have anti-microbial chemicals in them. I don't want those chemicals leaching into his bath water!

Alison

Dear Alison,

Great question. Bath mats aren't something many parents think of when they think of PVC products that can expose their family members to unhealthy and environmentally unfriendly chemicals, and we hadn't thought about them much ourselves. But we have done extensive research on phthalates, BPA and PVC in bath toys for the same reason - exposure to hot water increases chemical leaching, and combining that with the bare skin of kids taking baths and that skin's relative receptiveness to absorbing chemicals in a warm environment, anyone concerned about BPA, phthalates, and other chemicals in infant feeding products, toys and teethers should be alert to these sources as well.

We did some research and discovered some rubber bath mats, which we are uncomfortable recommending as an alternative; latex allergies are a serious matter for many children and adults, and it is believed that latex allergies are caused by early and frequent exposure to latex (with a genetic component thrown in, of course). But we were thrilled to discover another inexpensive bath mat made of TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) - made by ACE Hardware, of all companies. There are probably a lot of other TPE bath mats out there that just aren't advertised as such, but most will be made of PVC ("vinyl") and are also quite likely to contain phthalates.

Thanks to you, we now have a "bath mat" section in the ZRecs Guide to Safer Children's Products, and are looking forward to adding in many of the ubiquitous vinyl mats as well as new alternatives as we find them. Thanks for helping us make the ZRecs Guide a better resource, and keep those questions coming!