BoomerGirl Diary

When you put on your lipstick or slather on some soothing lotion, you don’t want to have to worry that the ingredients in the product may somehow wreak havoc with your body later in life.

Yet most personal care products sold today contain troublesome chemicals you’d probably want to avoid ... if you knew about them. As it turns out, only 11 percent of the 10,500 ingredients the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has documented in hair spray, deodorants, fragrances, nail polish and other personal care products have been assessed for safety by the cosmetics industry.

The worry? Many personal care products contain phthalates, chemicals that can damage the liver, the kidneys, the lungs, and the reproductive system.

Exposure to phthalates are unnecessary, because for virtually every single product they’re in, phthalate-free alternatives are available. In fact, the same companies that produce phthalate-laden beauty products also make products that contain no phthalates

My advice? Read the label! Avoid personal care products that contain not only phthalates, but other toxic ingredients, including:

• Mercury

• Toluene

• Petroleum Distillates

• Parabens

• BHA

• Progesterone

• Aluminum zirconium tetrachlorhydrex

You can find a complete list of the top chemicals to avoid here.

What else can you do? Develop new brand loyalty. Several hundred companies have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics and pledged they will not use chemicals linked to cancer, mutation or birth defects. They have also agreed to implement substitution plans that replace hazardous materials with safer alternatives in every market they serve.

Use your purse. Make your money matter. Choose safe cosmetics.