Skin Deep: What's In Your Favorite Beauty Product?

The Environmental Working Group is promoting a user friendly database and rating system that will help you evaluate the safety of your personal care products. The "Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database", is a simple to use tool that scores the safety of these products based on the known or suspected hazards of their ingredients. Products are ranked as "low hazard", "moderate hazard" or "high hazard". When you select an item, a breakdown is provided of the questionable ingredients and possible health ramifications. You may find your favorite company has cosmetics in each of the three categories. The information appears to be well researched and comprehensive. You can search for all products with a low hazard score or conversely, items with a high hazard score. If you don't see one of your companies represented, you can request that it be added to the database.

The site states that manufacturers are pretty much left to use their own good judgement when it comes deciding what ingredients to use in cosmetics. I think that recent examples of companies being left to use their own good judgement, without oversight has not always proven to be in the best interests of the consumer or our economy. As with many of these sites, there is a "take action" section that allows you advocate for better products and information disclosure.

Bottom line - beauty is more than skin deep!