An Organic Makeover

What's inside your makeup bag? A shimmery lipstick, a full-proof foundation and a tube of black mascara? Now take a good, hard look at what's really inside your makeup bag. Read all the ingredients. Are the products you use every day safe?

Last year, Americans spent about $50 billion on cosmetics and toiletries, according to Euromonitor International, a market research firm. While looking good isn't a crime, it is certainly a matter of concern when those products contain numerous ingredients that have never been tested for safety. "I think women are shocked when they find out that the products they put on their skin and lips aren't tested for toxics," says Julia Brody, Ph.D., executive director of the women's health-focused Silent Spring Institute.

The United States Food & Drug Administration puts the onus on manufacturers to ensure their products are safe, stepping in only when enough consumers complain of adverse reactions, and the agency does not regulate terms used on cosmetic labels, such as "hypoallergenic," "all natural" or even "organic." While these undefined, misleading labels still remain an issue, state governments are working to hold cosmetic companies accountable for the ingredients they use.

California has taken the lead in the safe cosmetics campaign, implementing the California Safe Cosmetics Act as of January 1st. The act requires cosmetic companies to tell state health authorities if a product contains any ingredient—including "trade secrets" and "proprietary" ingredients—listed on California's comprehensive Proposition 65 list of chemicals deemed carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the National Toxicology Program and those considered as reproductive toxins by the National Toxicology Program's Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction. Proposition 65 includes the hormone disruptor di-butyl phthalate, a common ingredient in nail polish, and 1,4-dioxane, an EPA-designated probable human carcinogen that has been detected in trace amounts in shampoos, bubble baths and some cosmetics. Washington state legislators have introduced a similar bill, based on California's efforts, that if passed would go into effect January 2009. Later this year, the European Union will institute a policy called the Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH), which will require cosmetics firms collect comprehensive data on the possible risks of the substances to human health and to the environment.

It's too early to see if these pioneering efforts have yet benefited consumers nationwide, but Brody doesn't think that the bill's effects will be limited to Californians. "The California legislation has raised awareness among a lot of women that, right now, cosmetics aren't adequately regulated," she says.