How To Check Your Own Products For Safety

1. The Simplest Way to Check Your Products for Safety is to Enter your product into the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.

Just type your product names into the search engine. There is a Hazard Score Key. It will also list the health concerns of the ingredients.

Hazard score key:

Low hazard	Moderate hazard	High hazard

Data score key:

Data: None		Data availability rating: the scope of ingredient safety data contained in Skin Deep®, and the number of studies available in the open scientific literature
Data: Limited
Data: Fair
Data: Good
Data: Robust

Here’s an example of the details you’ll get when you search a product in the Skin Deep Cosmetic Database:

Example: Covergirl Lash Blast Waterproof Mascara

Health concerns of ingredients
About the ratings
Overall Hazard
Cancer
Developmental & reproductive toxicity
Allergies & immunotoxicity
Use restrictions
Other HIGH concerns: Endocrine disruption, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Multiple, additive exposure sources, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Occupational hazards
Other MODERATE concerns: Contamination concerns
Other LOW concerns: Ecotoxicology, Data gaps

2. Get to know the names of toxic ingredients (and why they’re toxic). Use a good online database.

You will then recognize them when you read the labels when you’re shopping. These websites have good summaries of ingredients:

A-Z List of Cosmetic Chemicals

Top 20 Most Dangerous Cosmetic Chemicals

So that you can stay away from synthetics which are in most cosmetics and skin care:

1) Carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals)
2) Teratogens (causing birth defects)
3) Reproductive toxins (male & female infertility)
4) Developmental toxins (unborn children)
5) Skin/sense organ toxicants (skin disease and rashes)
6) Allergenic Toxicants (causing allergies)
7) Mutagens (pre-cursor to cancer)

3. Get to know the names of natural ingredients, so you also know what ‘good’ to look for too.

Here are a few great websites with names of great ingredients, and why.

Cold Extracted Organic All Natural Ingredients

More Natural Ingredients

Other related information:

If you are looking for great natural products, see my review of Best Natural Skin Care Products.