Toxic Toothpaste
by Danielle Wood
I’ve become obsessed with shampoo. Paralyzed in the sunscreen aisle. Completely incapable of choosing a soap. I’m seven months pregnant, so I realize that a little hormonal insanity is par for the course. But it’s getting to be more than just a little…
Ever since I came across something called the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database, put out by the Environmental Working Group, I can’t suds up in peace.
One of the hazards about working at a place like Education.com is this: my desk is piled high with all sorts of reports—reports on things like the perils of plastic, the scary statistics on autism, or the dangers lurking within the foods we eat. As a regular old mom, I probably wouldn’t have such a constant stream of warnings in my life, but as the editor of this website, it’s like I’ve got an iv drip of caution hanging from my arm. Granted, most of the time, this is good. I keep up on the news I may have otherwise ignored. There are the times, though, that I get sideswiped by a piece of information that really throws my world into chaos. Which brings me to the shampoo…
So I came across this report—the skin deep database. And I must admit, I found it strangely captivating. In a nutshell, The Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database is an incredibly long listing, pointing out the levels of toxicity in every type of personal care product you can think of, from face wash to deodorant. The Environmental Working Group, the people behind the database, is a non-profit, so they’ve got no axe to grind with any of these companies. Basically, they looked at over 25,000 products and put together some detailed information, so when you read the label, you’ll know what you can believe and what’s a load of bogus. When the label says, “all natural” or “baby-safe”, take it with a grain of salt. A big grain. The FDA doesn’t force any of these companies to test products before they hit the shelf, so it’s pretty eye-opening to see where your body wash and diaper wipes sit in terms of links to cancer, allergies, and other things.
As for me, I was shocked to find out that my favorite sunscreen brand, Neutrogena, which dermatologists had been recommending to me for years and in the name of which I’ve regularly wrestled by five-year-old to the ground, slathering him until he screamed, was one of the biggest offenders in the bad-for-you department. And a whole bunch of organic products for which I’d been paying through the nose didn’t fare too well either.
For the past week, I’ve been clicking through to the report, obsessively reading the details on every bar of soap, every stick of sunscreen, every tube of toothpaste I’ve ever bought for my family, in addition to a whole set of products I’ve never even heard of before. Knowledge is power, as they say. And so I’m scribbling down all the things I should be buying, and tossing my son’s favorite stuff in the trash at midnight, after he’s gone to sleep. It’s a huge time suck. But it’s making me a little less guilty about unintentionally shooting my son up with toxins for this first five years… For those of you who think you can handle it, here it is:
www.cosmeticsdatabase.com
But beware, sometimes ignorance really is bliss.
Danielle Wood is the Director of Editorial for Education.com. You can reach her at editorial@education.com
Want more info on this topic? Start a discussion with our diverse community. Start a discussion
