California Assembly Bill 2762: The Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act
California law on cosmetic safety mirrors the inadequate federal law. It does not give state regulators enough authority to ensure that cosmetics sold to Californians are safe. What authority the law does provide to regulators is rarely used. When state agencies investigate harmful cosmetics, the results are limited and the products often remain on the market.
AB 2762, the Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act, will explicitly prohibit the use of the 12 of the most harmful chemicals and contaminants in cosmetics today. These “Toxic Twelve” ingredients include mercury, three types of formaldehyde, some of the most toxic parabens and phthalates, and the fluorinated compounds known as PFAS.
Keep Up With All of EWG's Latest Cosmetics News and Analysis
Joanna Gardiner, managing director of Irish cosmetics manufacturer Ovelle Pharmaceuticals posed nude in an internet campaign to promote its chemical-free products. She appears with other nude female and male models to promote that the brand has nothing to hide.
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A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought against The Ecology Center and two Michigan pediatricians who stood up in support of banning the dangerous chemical lindane in anti-head-lice shampoos.
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Question: Is mineral-based make-up safer for you than make-up bought at drug stores or department stores? Most of the mineral-based make-up contains titanium dioxide and/or silica, and some contain iron of some type. Is this okay for your skin? I am wondering how such make-up is absorbed into the body, too!
Read MoreThe attire for Project Prom 2007, yesterday's Teens for Safe Cosmetics rally, symbolized the commitment to fight for safe and healthy beauty products. Live music and passionate speeches from the teens and their supporters rang out over San Francisco's Union Square, as rallygoers and passing pedestrians enjoyed free green makeovers on a rare warm and sunny day in the City.
Read MoreA while ago, it would be unusual for men to go shopping for makeup, and even less likely for them to wear it. That trend is changing now, with an increased percentage of men who decide to “pretty up” by using make up.
Read MoreWired.com's Patrick Di Justo gives us the breakdown of 11 different chemicals commonly found in shaving cream, and the functions they each serve. I've reprinted the full text below. To see what's in your shaving cream and how it stacks up to others out there vist EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. Womens's shaving creams compared here.
Read MoreDid you know that many cosmetics have a shelf life of only one year, and the applicators of some products, like eyeliner, need to be washed or discarded even more frequently? According to the FDA, failing to do so can lead to bacterial infection.
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Question: There's an internet rumor that says you can check for lead in lipstick by rubbing a gold ring on the lipstick. If the lipstick turns black, it contains lead. Is there any truth to this?
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Used cooking oil may find a second life in cosmetic products. via New Scientist. (5 Mar 2007)
Read MoreA major loophole in federal law allows fragrance manufacturers to hide potentially hazardous chemicals in product scents, including substances linked to allergies, birth defects, and even cancer. Because they won't tell you what's in the scents they sell you, we combed through thousands of Valentine's Day gift ideas to bring you products that not only smell great, but that are also free of hidden, potentially hazardous fragrances.
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Many of the cosmetic industry's chemical safety assessments reveal that common petroleum-based cosmetic ingredients can be contaminated with a cancer-causing impurity called 1,4-dioxane.
Read MoreThe New York Times' most emailed article of the day reports on the absurd marketing claims for cosmetic skin creams and the high prices the products demand. A Manhattan dermatologist recommends reducing your daily skin care routine to two simple ingredients: gentle soap and sunscreen, and a third product only for specific skin needs like acne or pigment spots. Avoid the high-priced brands, because no research suggests more expensive products are any better.
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While industry and government officials debate the safety of nanotech, 256 popular products have already been identified where nanomaterials are listed as ingredients. Products include eye liner, moisturizer, bronzer, lip balm and sunscreen.
Read MoreToday the New York Times reports some disturbing news about certain drugs and cosmetics causing preschoolers to go into puberty. In one case, a girl and her brother--whose father had been using a testosterone skin cream--started growing pubic hair just from skin contact with their father. Her brother also developed some aggressive behavior problems. The article cites some 1998 cases of early breast development in young girls brought on by a shampoo which contained estrogen and placental extract.
Read MoreMarla Cone of the Los Angeles Times has writtten a brilliant (albeit disturbing) article on the many products for sale in the US which have been banned in most other countries as toxic. The piece leads with an example of formaldehyde-laden plywood, sold throughout the US, but illegal even in China, where it is manufactured.
Read MoreEWG submits comments to FDA on the need for a public process to identify and evaluate the safety of nanomaterials in cosmetics. Recommendations to FDA include the need to identify nano-scale materials in personal care products and complete product safety evaluations in those cases.
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SHANGHAI (AFP) - Hundreds of angry Chinese women have taken to the streets of Shanghai demanding refunds for US-Japanese cosmetics after authorities detected banned chemicals in some of the products.
Read MoreConfronting the criticism of health and environmental groups, three major nail polish manufacturers have begun the process of removing a trio of substances that have been deemed harmful. The chemicals formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phthalate (DBP), have been linked to cancer and birth defects. All were banned earlier this year in cosmetics by EU regulators but have not been targeted for removal in this country by the FDA.
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