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The Big Green Purse! AKA The Sustainable Shopping Bible Pt. 2/4

Published June 17, 2008

by iris_author

Pt.2 - Cosmetics and Personal Care Products

Do we really need to slather our bodies with 10 or 15 products every day? Or have the manufacturers of these commodities simply convinced us that we do?”

consider the notion that we have possibly been brainwashed to believe we need to douse ourselves in chemicals to make us "beautiful" - whatever!

Some Sad Facts:

  • Cosmetics are among the least-regulated substances in the marketplace
  • A U.S. research report showed that 89% of 10,500 ingredients used in cosmetics have not been evaluated for safety
  • Cosmetics manufacturers do not require FDA approval
  • Evidence is mounting that women face risk of breast cancer due to cumulative exposure to the chemicals in these products
  • Only 10% of breast cancers have been linked to known risk factors like smoking and heredity
  • The cumulative use of cosmetics and care products may also be contributing to asthma
  • Wastewater treatment systems cannot remove many of the chemicals they contain when they are washed down the drain.
  • Check out http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/ , a reliable and informative safety guide to cosmetics and care products, run by the Environmental Working Group (thanks Ashley!)

Posted in: Blogs | Shopping the Talk

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