Pesticides, toxins and carcinogens are all ingredients that can be found in cosmetics like soaps and makeup, but are they dangerous?
There are some who say absolutely and a few companies tout themselves as making it their mission to keep consumers safe.
Although the FDA does require cosmetic companies to list ingredients, most of them are hard to say, let alone understand.
“That’s a challenge, Right?” said dermatologist Dr.Tarek Fakhouri with Skin Cancer Specialists.
“Not only are there some obvious ingredients such as formaldehyde, there are other ingredients that are derivatives of those.”
Yes, formaldehyde, the stuff used to embalm bodies can be found in many products including baby bubble bath. It’s used as a preservative to stop bacteria from growing.
“The thinking is that it’s a small amount and it won’t make a difference,” explained Fakhouri, “and it hasn’t been proven to be unsafe.”
It’s that thinking that has sparked a kind of revolution in the beauty world. From products that claim to be “clean” to tools that help consumers navigate the industry. Including apps like Think Dirty and Skin Deep , where, ingredients to thousands of products and their risks, are as easy to find as scanning a barcode with your phone.