Healthy Habits: Are There Toxins in Your Cosmetics?

From LOSING IT! With Jillian Michaels
Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Did you know that cosmetics and personal-care products are a huge source of endocrine-disrupting chemicals? "But wait," you're thinking. "If it's on the drugstore shelf, it must be proven to be 100 percent safe — right?"
Not necessarily. While the Food and Drug Administration regulates the safety of cosmetics, manufacturers don't have to seek approval before they bring a new product to market.
Beyond an established list of prohibited or restricted substances, the FDA doesn't have the authority to regulate individual ingredients. As a result, all kinds of questionable chemicals are contained in the products that many of us rub into our skin every day. Here are some of the potentially harmful ones I want you to avoid:
Formaldehyde: This preservative may be found in moisturizers, facial cleansers, shampoos, conditioners, body washes, eye shadows, mascaras, and many other products. It's harmful to the immune system and is a known human carcinogen.
Parabens: Found in shampoos, conditioners, body washes, tooth whiteners, toothpastes, facial cleansers, sunscreens, moisturizers, and astringents, these preservatives have estrogenic effects on the body and have been linked to breast and prostate cancer.
Placenta: Used in some hair relaxers, moisturizers, and toners, placenta is also estrogenic and may increase the risk for breast cancer.
Triclosan: This antibacterial agent is found in a variety of products, including moisturizers, hand creams, shampoos, conditioners, antiperspirants, and toothpastes. It may interfere with the metabolism of thyroid hormone and contribute to antibiotic resistance.
Play it safe when you buy personal care products — first look them up in the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database, and buy from companies that have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics.