It's time to clean up your make up act! No, we don't mean finally getting around to wiping out all the gunky lipstick and eye pencil melted to the inside of your make up bag -although that wouldn't be a bad idea either.(Your mother told us to write that!)
We're talking about a growing movement towards safer cosmetics - products that contain fewer of the chemicals that many environmental experts now say could be very bad for our health - including having links to infertility, auto immune diseases, even breast and ovarian cancer.
And while the US has yet to follow the lead of European nations by banning a number of these questionable ingredients from lipstick, foundation, skin care and more, a new environmental initiative is hoping to fill in the gap. Known as the Compact For Safe Cosmetics, it provides companies the opportunity to make a voluntary pledge to follow the European Union's lead by eliminating the use of these same key chemicals in their products.
To date, some 600 companies have signed the pledge, and made the promise, giving consumers a wide range of choices among products that may possibly be safer to use. These include such major companies as Belli Cosmetics, and Motherlove (for pregnant women), Burt's Bees, Aubrey Organics, Afterglow Cosmetics and many more.
In addition, the science gals we talked to offered up these 7 ways that every woman can clean up her act - by creating a safe, yet chic personal make up bag. Here's what you can do!
1. When choosing personal care products remember that simpler is better. This means not only actively looking for products with fewer chemical ingredients (choose soap instead of shower gel, or moisturizers without fragrance), but also using fewer products overall.
2. Think about how necessary a product is before you use it – for example, bubble bath for your baby, or for yourself. If you can do without it – do without it.
3.Use your nose as a guide: If a product has a chemical-like odor think twice about using it- or where you will apply it.
4. Buy from companies that demonstrate recognition of the problems –and a concern to make things better. Think twice about purchasing from a company that sends the message that "little bit of poison" won't harm you.
5. Visit product websites and search out the full monty on ingredients – many of them will offer more disclosure there then on the label. If you still want to know more email them and ask. Visit www.CosmeticsDataBase.com for an up-to-date cross reference of over 22,000 cosmetics and a rating of their chemical ingredients.
6. Whenever possible seek out products from companies that have signed the "Compact for Safe Cosmetics" pledge .
7. Get a FREE CD report from Vassar College on environmental links to breast cancer – including the role of cosmetics and personal care product.
To read more on this topic visit RedDressDiary.com
For round-the-clock fabulous time & money saving beauty and style advice visit CheapChicDiary.com - or visit us anytime at CountryDutchess.com - Your Source For Fabulous!
Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2009 - All Rights Reserved.
In addition to US Copyright, the text of this CheapChicDiary article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. All Formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements.
No comments:
Post a Comment