The Scare: Cosmetics and other personal care products are the most dependable resource for scaremongers seeking a new target. “Protect yourself!” warns a new website. (60) The wide array of chemicals in shampoos, makeup, shaving creams, toothpastes, and deodorants sound dangerously hazardous when we are bombarded with their oftentimes foreign, multisyllabic names. With good reason, reports of toxicity involving products used daily by millions of Americans always make the news as chemicals are linked to everything from cancer to developmental problems to infectious diseases.
Origin of the Scare: In October 2005, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) launched a website called “Skin Deep.” This ongoing project is a “brand-by-brand personal care product safety guide with in-depth information on 14,841 products...[providing] safety ratings and brand-by-brand comparisons that can help consumers choose safer products, and that can guide companies in plans for reformulating products.” The website is divided into eight sections according to product categories: skin care, makeup, hair care, nails, eye care, feminine hygiene, dental and oral hygiene, and fragrances. The products are then broken down by the types, likely exposure, and form of the product (i.e. liquid, gel, solid, etc.) for easier searching. From here the user can determine the toxicity rating of their product as well as look up individual ingredients to see the classifications given to each based on safety data compiled by EWG. The data comes from 37 unique sources including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the National Toxicology Program (NTP), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Skin Deep assigns each ingredient a “hazard rating” on a weighted scale from the lowly “Not likely to be carcinogenic in humans” to the more volatile “Restricted in EU cosmetics” and “Known human carcinogen.” (61)
This website does not provide information on the dosage used to achieve the toxicities listed. It also does not inform readers whether or not these results were derived from rodent experiments or have human data to support the toxicity ratings. Consumers are thus led to believe that everyday cosmetic use can lead to cancer and developmental disorders.
Media Coverage: Since its inception last October, this website has become a go-to reference for all of the latest cosmetic scares. The Chicago Tribune got a head start this year when Julie Deardorff cited Skin Deep in an article entitled, “10 Ways to Improve Your Health in 2006.” Number Seven, “Stop Blushing,” advises women, “If you wouldn’t eat it, don’t smear it on your body, which absorbs chemicals like a sponge.” (62) In March, an AP publicizing the site appeared in newspapers nationwide. The opening line, “Just because something is derived from a plant doesn’t mean it’s entirely safe for humans to use, especially on your skin. Have you ever heard of poison ivy?” The article goes on to question the safety of products that are not pre-approved by the FDA before hitting the shelves. Consequently, an EWG spokesperson describes the cosmetics industry as “self-regulating” and says consumers are often misled into buying unsafe products because they do not know better. (63)
Skin Deep is regularly cited as a reference in articles pertaining to potential personal product toxicity. This media coverage is easily accessible on the EWG website, where readers can trace the most current scares. To their credit, most articles quote scientists offering reassurance that preliminary studies do not a carcinogen make.
The Bottom Line: Although cosmetics do not require FDA approval before they are sold in the United States, the FDA has the power to mandate warning labels and issue recalls if they deem a product unsafe. The FDA also maintains the right to inspect products and their production and prosecute companies should it be warranted by their investigations. An independent scientific organization, the Cosmetics Ingredient Review Board (CIR), also works to ensure the safety of personal care products. CIR makes recommendations to companies based on their own studies of cosmetics ingredients, which are published in a peer-reviewed journal. However, cosmetic companies are responsible for their own safety testing and therefore for the overall safety of their product. It is, in fact, in a cosmetic company’s best interest to keep its customers alive and healthy so they may continue to buy eyeliner, nail polish, and deodorant. When it comes to cosmetics, consumers should keep in mind that the dose makes the poison. Simply because a chemical can be harmful to a rodent at high exposure does not mean that everyday exposure will have the same effect on humans. (64)
Please see: What’s the Story: Health Claims Against Cosmetics: How Do They Look in the Light? and America’s War on “Carcinogens”.
|
