Are green beauty products worth it?

We all want to feel beautiful, but there’s no need to make yourself up at the cost of your own or the planet’s health. Whether you’re putting on your evening face or preparing for a normal day of work, you could be applying beauty products that could cause you physical harm. That’s because there are dozens of industrial chemicals-many of which have not been tested for their impact on human or environmental health-added to common over-the-counter cosmetics and personal care products today.

The scary fact is that the average woman uses between 25 and 30 products on their body every day. And with ever-changing fashion trends, women are purchasing more low-cost (and possibly low-quality) products to keep up with the latest looks. From facial cleansers to eye makeup, here’s a few of the top chemicals of concern:

• Parabens: Found in acne treatment, toner, astringent, and shaving cream, this chemical is an endocrine system disruptor.
• Phthalates: Commonly found in toner, astringent, shaving cream, aftershave, and nail polish, phthalates can cause liver, kidney, lung, and reproductive system damage.
• Toluene: Used to make nail polishes, toluene is a possible reproductive system disruptor, and can cause nervous, kidney, and liver system damage.
• Triclosan: Known to be added to acne treatment and shaving cream, triclosan may form dioxin and chloroformin, both of which are probable carcinogens.
• Acetone: Common in nail polish and nail polish removers, acetone can cause ear, nose, and throat irritation and dermatitis.
• Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA): Can be found in lipstick, facial washes, scrubs, and exfoliants, as well as toner, its health risks: it’s a carcinogen, can contribute to allergies, and is an endocrine disruptor.
• Ethanolamine: Used in hair dyes, this one can cause central nervous system depression.
• Salicylic acid: Used in acne treatment, concealer, facial cleanser and moisturizer, exfoliant, anti-aging cream, toner and astringent, salicylic acid is a possible carcinogen, a neurotoxin, and a developmental and reproductive toxin.
• Coal tar dyes: Added to hair dyes and cosmetics, coal tar dyes are commonly found listed as FD&C and D&C colors. They have known carcinogenic side effects (bladder cancer in particular).
• Titanium dioxide: Another pigment used in makeup, powders, foundations, and lipsticks, titanium dioxide can cause lung damage.

Certainly price isn’t a sure-fire indicator of quality, but more than likely if it’s cheaper, it will contain more chemicals and perhaps come with less testing. High quality brands that use plant-based ingredients are therefore a better bet if you’re trying to avoid some of the nastier diseases mentioned above.

But that leads us to the issue of animal testing. Many conventional, low-cost brands come with hidden costs-cruelty to animals. You can be sure that if it doesn’t indicate anywhere on the packaging that animals weren’t harmed, they likely were. To safeguard against this evil, look for a certification such as Leaping Bunny or Vegan Certified.

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