Ingredient Safety
Ingredient Safety
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Everyone’s seen the “scientific data” in ads, magazines, and on the internet. I say that in quotes, because it’s all ‘he said, she said’, ‘this is true, no that is true’ nowadays. But I digress. Everyone has seen the reports that [this] chemical in your lotion leads to cancer, or [that] chemical in your hairspray is banned in seven countries because it causes Alzheimers, etc. It gets to the point where you do start to question what is in the products you use everyday.
After a number of my friends my age developed cancer, I became interested in what I was putting in, and on, my body. I removed all products from my bathroom that contained parabans. And I’ve got to tell you, that was hard. Some of those were my favorites! But then, as I was reading the labels, it was very obvious that there are a lot of unpronounceable chemicals in these items we use & eat every single day. Are any of those having any kind of harmful effects on my family? What do we really know about them? So I researched.
I still am of the opinion that so much of these ‘statistics’ I see are hogwash, justifying their own personal argument. But I found two sites which helped me determine whether or not a product is something I absolutely wanted to throw away just in case, or something scientists truly believe is safe. I have since started using more natural products, but it’s gradual & slow; weeding out the chemically-laden stuff in the house.
Here are the two wonderful sites I have found: Good Guide and EWG’s Skin Deep
Find safe, healthy, green, & ethical product reviews based on scientific ratings. With over 250,000 products on their site, they can help you find what you’re looking for.
Good Guide provides independent, science-based ratings of the health, environmental, and social performance of products and companies in an effort to help consumers make purchase decisions that reflect their values.
Good Guide is on a rating system. Scientists rate products on a 0 to 10 scale for their health, environment, and social impact. You can search for a product, brand, or type. They list everything from shaving cream to beverages to pet food.
EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database
EWG’s Skin Deep is an online safety guide for cosmetics and personal care products, launched in 2004 to help people find safer products, with fewer ingredients that are hazardous or that haven’t been thoroughly tested. Skin Deep combines product ingredient lists with information in more than 50 standard toxicity and regulatory databases. The database provides easy-to-navigate safety ratings for tens of thousands of personal care products.
Skin Deep scores products on a hazard 1-10 scale, and a data availability rating. Use both to determine is the product in question is something you want to use.
You can search by product, brand, or type. Skin Deep focuses on personal care products. Ewg has a number of guides which branches out from the cosmetics, including food & cleaning supplies.
If you are curious about all the chemical mumbo-jumbo, I hope these sites will help you in determining if the product in question is right for you & your family. Know of any others?