It is becoming more and more well known that some skin care products and cosmetics contain dangerous ingredients. Some at least are "known to cause cancer" and others are suspect, and there is no requirement for the FDA to test cosmetics and skin care and anti aging products for either their safety, or how well they work.
And the fact that so many of them don't work is a minor issue next to the issue of product safety.
There is a way to tell if the brand name skin care and anti aging products, or cosmetics, are manufactured by a company that is committed to producing safe products or not.
It's called the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics.
The Campaign For Safe Cosmetics is a consumer campaign that began in 2002 following the release of a report entitled "Not Too Pretty: Phthalates, Beauty Products and the FDA." It reported that, to paraphrase, around 5% of the 20 - 4- year old women tested by the CDC are getting too many "Pthalates" than was previously thought, (up to 45 times more) and that "Pthalates" are dangerous.
That overexposure to "Pthalates" can, according to animal studies, "damage the liver, the kidneys, the lungs and the reproductive system, especially the developing testes".
How did the women get exposed to these "Pthalates"?
From their cosmetics and personal care products and beauty products. And from some other sources too. And as only a tiny percentage of these products were tested it's not known how many personal care and cosmetics and anti aging skin care products are suspect. Three quarters of the personal care products contained this ingredient and didn't say so on the label.
Hence the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics was formed, to push for safe cosmetics and personal care products.
How can the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics help you establish that your skin care products are safe for your use? By means of a pledge that they have. Companies that are committed to selling safe cosmetics and safe skin care products can sign the pledge.
Signing the pledge pledges that company 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".
So if the products that you use are made by a company that has signed the pledge you can tell that their skin care products are safe. If you are using skincare products made by a company that hasn't signed the pledge then you have no idea if these products are safe or not.
And, as I mentioned previously, many of those don't work either.
There are some excellent natural skin care products available made from organic ingredients by companies that have signed the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics pledge. They work very well, unlike many of the mainstream products, and you can use them on yourself with confidence.
However the big brand name companies don't make them. The best of them is a small niche skin care company that I'll bet you've never even heard of before. |
