Abstractions – Sydney Shimko

What IS that on your face!?

Knowing how many nasty chemicals are in cosmetics and personal care products, I’ve been looking for safer and greener alternatives. Sadly, I’ve found it a difficult search. Many companies that market themselves and natural, safe, green and even organic still use potentially harmful chemicals in some or all of their products. I guess I feel lucky to have never used an abundance of makeup, hair dye, etc. However, even lotions, sunscreens and baby shampoos often contain chemicals with the potential to cause cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, allergies/immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and more. Additionally, many products are flagged as containing ingredients in violation of known restrictions & warnings – described as, “prohibited for use in cosmetics, or subject to concentration, use, or manufacturing method restrictions, according to industry safety guidelines and government requirements and guidance from the U.S., E.U., Japan, and Canada.”

Fortunately, there are resources to find better alternatives. Unfortunately, I’ve found many of these alternatives hard to find, hard to sample, or simply not as effective as their toxic counterparts. I have found some products I like and am comfortable with, but my search is not over yet.

Here are some useful web sites to visit:

• The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
• Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database – search by product, ingredient, or company
• Top 8 Safe Cosmetic Brands in the U.S. 2009 + 1 from Australia
• Tips on buying safe cosmetics and makeup products
• Green America – The Ugly Side of Cosmetics