It’s important to choose better healthy skin care products free of chemical ingredients that harm your health and the environment. Unfortunately companies continue to use chemical ingredients regardless of potential risks as cosmetic products do not require verifiable, mandatory compliance (such as FDA approval) before they can be marketed.

Cosmetic companies are responsible for substantiating the safety of their own products and ingredients. Claims on packaging such as organic, natural, hypoallergenic, animal cruelty free, and fragrance free may mean nothing.

How can you make sure you are purchasing healthy skin care products? Learn how to read the ingredients list on the label for proof of their claims. Avoid any ingredient that ends with “paraben”, along with the preservatives DMDM hydantoin, Imidsazolidinyl ure, Methylcholoroisothiazolineone, Methyisothiazolinone, Triclosan, Triclocarban, and Triethanolamine. Avoid ingredients that start with “PEG” or have “-eth” in the middle such as sodium laureth sulfate most often listed at the top. Lastly avoid irritants such as fragrance, dyes, or “FD&C” and “D&C.”

Unless you have an extremely good memory or extensive knowledge of any of the above chemicals, it will be almost impossible to remember all of them. Thanks to the Environmental Working Group, shopping for healthy skin care and cosmetics just got easier. They have created a nifty little “shoppers guide to safe cosmetics” that you can download for free. It lists ingredients to avoid, products to avoid, along with sunscreen and childrens product tips and can be folded small enough to place in your wallet. How cool is that? Make sure to give one to your teenager.

Related posts:

1. The Number One Cosmetic Ingredient To Avoid We are just beginning to learn how dangerous cosmetic chemicals...
2. Chemicals from Cosmetics-Are Our Babies Safe? Study: Chemicals, pollutants found in newborns by Peter Fimrite, San...
3. The Dangerous Chemical Lurking In Your Hand Soap Image via Wikipedia From the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website:...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.