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Although natural ingredients are still used in cosmetics, about 5,500 less expensive, mass-produced synthetic chemicals pervade the market—and, in some cases, our bodies.

For example: A Fall 2000 study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that levels of a class of plasticizing chemicals known as phthalates were much higher in American bodies than had been previously believed. A metabolized form of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) was found in every one of the 289 people tested, with highest levels in women of childbearing age (20 to 40). DBP, found to be a reproductive toxin in animal tests, is present in most nail polish, as well as in many synthetic fragrances.

Brooklyn artist Leslie Brack was six months pregnant with her first child when she learned, in reports by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), that some makeup contained potentially harmful chemicals that could be absorbed through the skin and nails or inhaled. "I wish I had known about it at the beginning of my pregnancy," Leslie says, as the first trimester is a critical stage of development, when the fetus is particularly vulnerable to toxins. "Luckily, I don't wear much makeup and I had already stopped doing my nails because nail polish just smelled toxic to me." Leslie was further surprised to read, at the website of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the federal agency responsible for regulating these products, "Neither cosmetic products nor cosmetic ingredients are reviewed or approved by FDA before they are sold to the public." Manufacturers are supposed to submit product formulations to the government on a voluntary basis, but, according to the FDA, only about 35 percent do. Leslie checked EWG's list of phthalate-containing items, and, she says, "I was relieved to find that most of my favorite products weren't on it!"