February 19, 2008

Feeding your skin like you feed your face


Every day mine gets CVS brand shampoo/conditioner, Bare Escentuals makeup, and Blistex. But maybe not for long, until I look them up on www.cosmeticdatabase.com.

This site allows you to search and browse for your cosmetics and skincare products. Lucky you! You'll find out about all the hazardous ingredients you are absorbing through your skin. How else is a person supposed to know the difference between Saponified Olea Europaea and Triethanolamine? The explanations of each product are ridiculously complete, but I think the hazard rating of 0-10 is helpful enough of as an analysis for anyone without a PhD.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So Max just showed me your blog which lead me to the cosmetic database website which then led me to a mini panic attack. I found out that Aveda stuff is not as good as it seems and I that NEED to stop consuming so much Burts Bees lip balm (its my winter crack).

I need your help. Can you counsel me on choosing better products (lotions, shampoo, soaps, lip balms, vitamins, oils, etc). The task seems a bit overwhelming to do on my own.

I will not part ways with designer colognes. I might die of cancer due to over perfumation (its not a word I just made it up) but at least I'll smell like Versace and Valentino.

Michelle said...

Well, it IS important to smell Valentino delicous, so that's probably worth keeping around. I don't know a ton about this topic, but if you browse the categories you can view lowest-highest hazard scores and see what's least toxic in each category. Seems like what goes for food goes for product: you should be able to pronounce most if not all of the ingredients. There's also this class at the Boston Center for Adult Education I'm thinking about taking to learn more...http://www.bcae.org/ecat?Open&CC=YLUS