Internet database takes the guesswork out of finding the healthiest personal care products Q: I keep hearing horror stories about all of the potentially harmful ingredients in my cosmetics and skin care products. But how do I know what to watch out for? Dr. Wright: Bookmark the Environmental Working Group's comprehensive website that can take the guesswork out of finding the healthiest personal care products. All you have to do is enter the name of nearly any personal care product to get an instantaneous, detailed report. For each product, you're told whether it contains any cancer hazard, potential reproductive toxicity, potential for harmful impurities, endocrine disruptors or space alien (my term) estrogens, irritants to the eyes, skin or lungs, immune system toxicants, penetration enhancers, wildlife or environmental toxicity, and several other categories. Each product is also assigned a "concern score" on a scale of 0.0 (no hazard) to 5.0 (most hazardous) and can be displayed with complete information of its own, as well as in a safety ranking with all other products in the same category. After doing a little research, you can add the safest products to a "favorites" list you can print out and use as a shopping guide. You'll find the website at http://www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep |
