Toxins Found in Teen Cosmetics

Recommendations and alternatives

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the EWG are calling for action in order to protect the public's health. Their recommendations include the following:

Reports of unsafe body care products can be confusing and frightening for consumers. Amid all the choices found at pharmacies and other stores, it can be hard to determine which ingredients are safe and which are not -- especially when most of them are hard to even pronounce! One website, www.cosmeticsinfo.org, allows users to search for information by product category, such as baby products, fragrance products, etc. The site lists the common ingredients in each product, and verifies whether a product has been approved by the FDA.

To avoid these dangers altogether, consumers can choose from a wide variety of hypoallergenic, all-natural, and/or organic cosmetics. The Organic Consumers Association offers a list of stores on their site, broken down by state, where individuals can find organic cosmetics and personal care products (www.organicconsumers.org).

Finally, the EWG and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics recommend that consumers do their homework before buying cosmetics, so they know which chemicals are safe and which have the potential to cause long-term health damage.