Soap and Shampoo: Personal Best

Whatever happened to plain old soap? Despite the "natural" claims, too many cleansers are pumped full of unhealthy chemicals. Here's help in reading labels to guide you toward truly clean cleansers.

Reject "Fragrance": Phthalates, a class of chemicals commonly used in fragranced products, are hormone disruptors that have been shown to cause birth defects and liver damage in animals, according to the 2002 "Not Too Pretty" report. They don't show up on labels, though, thanks to an FDA loophole that allows phthalates to hide behind the catch-all term "fragrance." What to do? Look, especially if you're allergic, for "fragrance-free" and "unscented" claims—while these are not failproof, companies are supposed to declare fragrance on labels. Do a sniff test. Or choose products with labels specifying only botanical ingredients, such as plant essential oils. For lists of the products that are phthalate-free, see www.nottoopretty.org.

Avoid antibacterials: Over 75 percent of all liquid soaps are now antibacterial, according to the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics. The World Health Organization is concerned about how the overuse of antibacterials is contributing to the rise of antibiotic resistant "super germs." And the National Institutes of Health report that home-use antibacterials are no better than regular soap anyway at busting germs.

Not "Organic": Because of a lack of federal standards, "organic" on a bottle of shampoo can mean almost anything—or nothing at all. While many manufacturers do use USDA-certified organic plant ingredients, some companies inflate "organic" content to 70 percent or more by counting "floral waters" or hydrosols, the fluid left over after plant oils have been distilled. Keep updated at www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare.

Best Cleansers

Phthalate-free Personal Care Products Without Animal Testing:

Aubrey Organics facial bar soaps contain organic ingredients, no synthetic chemicals. We like the Rosa Mosqueta Moisturizing Cleansing Bar ($5.70; www.aubrey-organics.com; 800-282-7394).

Kiss My Face Bare Naked Bar Soap has 85 percent organic content and is free of fragrances and dyes ($6; www.kissmyface.com; 800-262-KISS).

Aveda Scalp Benefits Balancing Shampoo contains botanical ingredients, fragranced by the lemon-scented vetiver ($12). Pure-Fumes use essential oils (www.aveda.com; 800-328-0849).

Terressentials Pure Earth Hair Wash is detergent-free with organic botanical extracts and essential oils for fragrance and no petroleum-based ingredients. Also available fragrance-free ($10.75; www.terressentials.com; 301-371-7333).

Vermont Soapworks offers "supermild" soap, scented with essential oils, including WoodSpice ($3.69; www.vermontsoap.com; 866-762-7482).

For Baby:

Tom's of Maine Natural Baby Shampoo & Body Wash is based on gentle plant oils and organic chamomile with no synthetic chemicals ($7.99; www.tomsofmaine.com; 800-367-8667).

Resources

*Environmental Working Group, "Not Too Pretty," www.nottoopretty.org

*Health Care Without Harm, www.noharm.org

*The Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics, www.apua.org

*Organic Consumers Association, www.organicconsumers.org