Sunday, April 20, 2008

One-stop-shop, paraben-free personal care

Happy Earth Week!

A reader asks:

It's still so confusing even after visiting the Skin Deep site (ewg.org). I'd like one brand for all skin, hair and body. Even the most talked of para free products still have it showing up here and there. And during pregnancy is there any ingredient I should stay away from?

--Staci in MN

Dear Staci,

It's true that, for different types of products--shampoo, moisturizer, lotion--there can be variations in ingredients by the same maker. And who's got time to read labels on every product? That's why Greenerpenny does it for you.

Because they're readily available, and you want a simple answer, I recommend these brands: Aubrey Organics , Terressentials, Whole Foods 365 and Burt's Bees , all of which make hair and skin products that are free of those darned paraben chemical preservatives, which are linked to breast cancer and hormone disruption.

When pregnant, the cosmetics ingredient that's most prevalent and important to avoid is synthetic fragrance, commonly listed as "fragrance" on labels, as it may contain hormone-disrupting phthalates; choose products that instead of catch-all "fragrance" list plant essential oils. Aubrey, Whole Foods 365 and Terressentials, among others, do so.

Rare but dangerous to fetuses and nursing babies is lead, still present in some cosmetics. Avoid lipsticks on this list.

Best,
Mindy

3 comments:

natalie said...

Hello, my name is Natalie. I am a Green River Community College student and I am currently researching beauty products as it pertains to health for a paper that I am writing for my English 113, Writing: Science, Business, & Engineering class. As an expert in your field, your comments to a few questions would be greatly appreciated. May I ask a few minutes of your time to answer them? If you agree, I could email them to you for your response or I would be happy to meet with you at a time that is convenient.

Thank you,
Natalie

(My email address is transitnat@gmail.com )

Adiel Gavish said...

The problem with the Whole Foods 365 products is that they contain sodium laurly and sodium laureth sulfates.

GreenFemme said...

Happy to discover Khusboo Magazine and your 10 lifestyle tips for healthier skin. thanks!