Most people assume that the soap, shampoo, lotion, and cosmetics they buy are safe and that there is a watchdog out there, like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to make sure that manufacturers adhere to some sort of guidelines. Manufacturers are following the law; that’s not the problem. The problem is the law, and this is how we end up with potentially toxic substances in our everyday personal care products. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) video sums it up.

The FDA does not have the authority to regulate what goes into cosmetics. This would take an act of Congress – literally. The only cosmetics law on the books are a scant couple of pages of the U.S. Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) passed by Congress in 1938. The result, according to FDA is that “cosmetic products and ingredients are not subject to FDA premarket approval authority, with the exception of color additives.” This means that almost anything can appear in your personal care products, ingredients don’t need to undergo safety assessment, and manufacturers do not need to disclose all ingredients.

For example, lipstick labels don’t mention lead, but lead was found in lipstick tested by CSC and FDA. The FDA study concludes “All of the Pb [lead] levels found by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were within the range the agency would expect to find in lipsticks formulated with permitted color additives and other ingredients prepared under good manufacturing practice (GMP) conditions.” To this I say – there is no known safe level of lead! I don’t want any lead in my lipstick, most of which I’ll end up ingesting as I “eat” it off. Consider that many apply their lead-containing lipstick several times a day and that body burden of lead is cumulative. Lead was banned from paint and gasoline decades ago because of its toxicity. We should apply the same standards to something that goes on and then mostly in our body.

In addition to lipstick, products known or suspected to have health implications have been found in bath products (including those marketed for babies), nail products, and in fragrances. Fragrance is considered a trade secret, so ingredients used to create fragrance do not need to be disclosed on the product label.

It is estimated that only about 11% of substances used in personal care products have been screened for safety. Even so, these safety screens do not consider the substance’s effect when mixed with other chemicals, as they are in real life. Not only do some of these substances pose a threat to humans, but to animals as well who must live in their presence downstream once we’ve washed them down the drain.

In the short term, we can influence with purchasing power by looking for cosmetics that are 100% certified organic to food-grade standards, where essential oils are used to add scent. Products from companies that have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics are another good choice. These products meet European Union cosmetic standards which are stricter than US standards. The companies inventory ingredients to determine toxicity to living things (people and the animals), and substitute existing substances with safer ones. Good Guide and the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database can also point you in the right direction. If you are feeling creative, you can make your own personal care products with DIY recipes.

For the long term we need legislation to permanently exclude toxic substances (like lead) out of all cosmetics for everyone, humans and the wildlife downstream. Consider taking action to move the world in that direction.