Switching to Safer: Resources to Navigate Personal Care and Home Cleaning Products
This post comes days after California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the “Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act” into law. This law makes California the FIRST state in the United States to ban the use of 24 toxic chemicals. This act bans the following chemicals:
Asbestos
Dibutyl phthalate
Diethylhexyl phthalate
Formaldehyde
Paraformaldehyde
Methylene glycol
Quaternium-15
Isobutylparaben
Isopropylparaben
Lead
Long chain PFAS chemicals banned in the EU
Mercury
M- and O- Phenylenediamine
With our favorite celebrities endorsing products and marketing materials via print, television, and electronic ads inundating us with enticing lifestyles and a hollow promise of being something that is most likely unattainable, it may be hard to know where to turn to when making your next purchase.
The good news: the industry has come a long way in recent years. The not-so-good news: we still have a long way to go (this new law doesn’t go in effect until 2025). The silver lining: YOU can play a massive part in this movement by educating yourself, educating your family and friends, and by making more informed choices as a consumer - if we stop buying certain products, there will be no need to continue to produce them. Remember: none of this is our fault as consumers, this responsibility lies on the shoulders of producers and legislators to do better for us and to protect us. Never feel guilty or ashamed for using toxic products, this is a journey and a learning process. My personal journey started almost 9 years ago at 22 years old, and it won’t stop. I am always learning.
I’ve compiled a list of my favorite resources to get you started. Want to book a consultation with me to re-evaluate your personal and home care routine? Check out my services section.
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry by Stacy Malkan
A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients by Ruth S. Winter
No More Dirty Looks: The Truth About Your Beauty Products and the Ultimate Guide to Safe and Clean Cosmetics by Siobhan O’Connor & Alexandra Spunt
RECOMMENDED FILMS
The Human Experiment
Toxic Beauty
The Devil We Know
OTHER RESOURCES
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
please note: while this website does give numerical ratings for products and ingredients, a low number does not always necessarily mean the ingredient is “good” or “safe”. An ingredient with little to no research done on it will appear with a low rating, but that does not indicate that it is safe, it just indicates that there is not enough information to deem it to be not safe.
Think Dirty
This app created by lily tse can be installed on your phone and will help you identify ingredients in its system, along with a numerical rating. SImply scan a product’s barcode, and if it’s in the think dirty system, an ingredient list will pop up. if it’s not in the system, you can upload the product yourself. again, these ratings are provided based on data that’s been made publicly available and may not always be accurate.
PubChem
pubchem is the world’s largest collection of freely accessible chemical information. you might want to grab a dictionary.
PubMed
pubmed is a free resource supporting the search and retrieval of biomedical and life sciences literature with the aim of improving health–both globally and personally. again, you might want to grab a dictionary.
BLK + GRN
Women of color are disproportinately exposed to toxic chemicals in beauty products. blk+grn is an all natural marketplace made by black artisans.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
Since 2004, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has used smarts and sass to pressure the cosmetics industry to make safer products. this site is filled with many resources.
The Story of Cosmetics
This seven-minute film reveals the implications for consumer and worker health and the environment, and outlines ways we can move the industry away from hazardous chemicals and towards safer alternatives.