Did you know that cancer-causing chemicals have been found in the skin care products you use every day? In fact, they’ve even been found in those labeled as natural and organic! Cancer has been the second leading cause of death in the U.S. for many years … and it still is. Even children are getting cancer, and their rate is increasing. It’s time to find out how to protect yourself and your family.

Now, you may be wondering …

Are you kidding me? How is that possible? There are so many rules and regulations in this country, surely there are some laws to protect the consumer from cancer-causing ingredients in skin care products, especially those that claim to be natural and organic!

Well, the truth of the matter is there are NOT!

The cosmetics and skin care industry is unregulated. The FDA cannot tell them what chemicals they can use and which they cannot. The ingredients used, even in skin care products labeled as natural and organic aren’t even required to be tested for safety. In fact, a study on the safety of 7,500 personal care products, done by the Environmental Working Group in 2004 found that 99.6% of the products tested contained one or more ingredients that had never been tested for safety by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, the industry’s self proclaimed watchdog!

So, how do you find products that are safe and healthy?

First of all, you have to know what NOT to look for when you shop for skin care products.

The big mistakes that most people make are that …

  • they look at the pretty packages that manufacturers have spent mega bucks designing to make them appear fresh, natural and healthy.
  • they believe what’s printed on the front of the packaging about how healthy and natural the product is and what great results it delivers.
  • they make choices about what products to buy from the product packaging, ads and celebrity endorsements without really knowing anything about the safety of what’s inside the package.

If the idea of cancer-causing chemicals in your skin care products is all new to you, you’ve probably been choosing your products the only way you know how… by what appeals to you. Nobody’s ever taught you what you need to know to evaluate whether a product is safe and healthy to use for yourself and your family.

It’s not your fault!

Now, for the good news …

It’s easy to choose safe and healthy organic and natural skin care products. You just have to know what to look for. You have several options:

  • Look For The Certified Natural Seal. Products that are Certified Natural must contain ingredients from an approved list. There are some synthetic chemicals and preservatives allowed, but the worst and most harmful chemicals are not permitted. However, since natural ingredients may be sprayed with pesticides, there may be some pesticide residue in the product. This is still not the best alternative, but better than choosing blindly.
  • Choose Only Certified Organic Skin Care Products. Until recently there were no organic standards for cosmetics and personal care products. Now there are several. It’s important to remember that not all organic standards are created equal. Some allow ingredients that do not belong in organic products. Choose only USDA Certified Organic products.
  • Read The Ingredients List … in the tiny print on the back of the package. Use a magnifying glass if you must. Don’t worry if you’re not a cosmetic chemist and you don’t know what those unpronounceable, Greek-looking words mean. The book, Dying To Look Good, can help you determine the safety of the ingredients in the products you’re interested in. It’s small enough to fit in a woman’s purse and to take with you when you shop.
  • The Easiest Way… is to find a list of products that have been pre-screened to make sure that all the ingredients in all the products recommended are safe and healthy. Dying To Look Good “Best Brands” lists the safest and healthiest cosmetics and skin care products, with the highest quality ingredients, on the market today. All the work has been done for you. Just check the lists and choose the products you want to buy. Every product on the Dying To Look Good “Best Brands” list is guaranteed to be safe and healthy.

Now you know what to do. You’re armed with tools that will help you choose the safest and healthiest skin care products on the market. It’s easy when you know what to look for. You can opt to do your own research or take the easy way and select products that have been pre-screened and guaranteed to be safe and healthy. There’s no reason anymore to use skin care products with cancer-causing chemicals. The safest and healthiest natural and organic skin care products are now at your fingertips!

Author's Bio: 

(c) 2009 Christine H. Farlow, D.C., "The Ingredients Investigator," author of Dying To Look Good "Best Brands," gives more information about ingredient safety at DyingToLookGood.com and safe and healthy skin care products at DyingToLookGoodBestBrands.com.