Many commonly used products contain potentially harmful ingredients, which are made up of very small molecules that may penetrate the skin, enter the blood stream, and build up in the liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, and tissues.

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) classifies cosmetics and personal care products, but does not regulate them.  In 1938, the FDA granted self-regulation to the Cosmetics, Toiletries and Fragrance Association (CTFA), the self-appointed industry organization.

With The exception of color additives and a few prohibited ingredients, a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without an approval from FDA" ("Prohibited Ingredients", FDA Office of Cosmetics Fact Sheet, Dec. 19, 1994)

What this means is that the industry does not have to account to anyone, not even the FDA.  The direct result of industry self-regulation is that many products on the market today that we use constantly--and worse, products that we UNKNOWINGLY use on our children and even babies in the womb -- are TOXIC

Wayne Stevenson of the FDA Cosmetics Registration Section says that "The cosmetic manufacturers aren't required to submit safety data to the FDA, so we don't really know what sorts of tests they run.  When they run tests, they keep the results in their own files." ("Smelling Good But Feeling Bad", Franz et al, E Magazine Vol. 11, no 1, Jan-Feb 2000)

The FDA must prove in a court of law that a product may be injurious... before the product can be recalled.  The FDA admits they don't have the budget to win in court against the giant cosmetic companies.

The "FDA Consumer Complaints About Cosmetic Products 1999 Annual Report" lists complaints of adverse reactions to brand-name cosmetics and personal care products.  The FDA admits they probably receive only a very small percentage of actual complaints.  58% of these adverse reactions were in the dermatitis/pain/tissue damage categories, and 17% in the nervous system reactions category.  All of the named products were topical (lotions, shaving creams, toothpastes, etc (FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Cosmetics and Colors; "Consumer Complaints for Cosmetics Products 1999 Annual Report"  http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/costop99.html )

GRAS List (Generally Recognized As Safe") is that no one has shown it to be UNSAFE.

A "U.S. News and World Report" article published in 1998 stated "We look good, we smell good, and we have just exposed ourselves to 200 different chemicals a day, through personal care products."  Now, six years later, that number is probably more like 300....

Potentially Harmful or Cancer Causing

Ingredients and Contaminants

found in most bathrooms!
 

 Read the labels on your personal care products. You may find ingredients that are harmful or toxic. You may find ingredients that react with others to produce a harmful or toxic substance. You may find ingredients that are commonly contaminated with harmful or toxic substances.