Personal Care Products

How can we reduce our risk from commonly-used cosmetics and personal care products?

Outdated Cosmetics Laws Put Our Health At Risk
The last significant update to U.S. cosmetics legislation was the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act, enacted in 1938. Since then, manufacturers have introduced countless chemicals into their products - many of which are now recognized as harmful to human health.

In 2023, Beyond Toxics championed the Oregon Toxics-Free Cosmetics Act, which successfully passed and became law! This landmark legislation mandates that companies publicly disclose all chemical ingredients on their product web pages. Additionally, it bans the sale of the most dangerous chemicals found in cosmetics and personal care products.

Research shows that common ingredients in bath and body care products - such as phthalates, mercury, parabens, sulfates, PFAS, heavy metals, and synthetic fragrances - are linked to hormonal imbalances, skin irritations, reproductive issues, and even cancer. Of course, babies and young children are at particularly high risk because of less developed immune systems.

Explore the resources below to help you navigate the store shelves and choose safer products that work just as well - without the toxic ingredients!

Common Personal Care Products That Contain Chemicals of Concern

(more information under development)

RESOURCES:

  • See the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) Skin Deep database (lists over 100,000 products from 3700 brands)

There are a variety of well-respected non-profits that are doing inportant work to help guide consumers through the maze of chemical ingredients in consumer products. (See Consumer Guidance Sources).

Among the best-known consumer guidance sources include:

1) Environmental Working Group (EWG)
With thousands of consumer products on the market, it can be overwhelming to know which ones are safer and healthier for your family. | MORE about SkinDeep database from EWG

2) Safer Choice-certified products are available for use in homes and in facilities like schools, hotels, offices, and sports venues. (a project of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

Toxic-Free Cosmetics
Every day, Oregonians use soaps, shampoos, makeup and other personal care products without realizing that those products could contain chemicals that present serious health risks. The legislature passed a bill (Senate Bill 546) that would require public disclosure about the worst carcinogens found in cosmetics and personal care products, and ban their sale in Oregon.

Back to Toxic-Free Living home page

“In terms of household cleaners, neither ingredients nor products must meet any sort of safety standard, nor is any testing data or notification required before bringing a product to market.”
— Rebecca Sutton, PhD, senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group