Natural,” “Nontoxic” or even “Eco-Safe” on the label of your shampoo, deodorant or makeup, makes you think it’d be made with healthy, safety-tested ingredients, right? Well, not always. Unlike drugs, The FDA doesn’t review cosmetic or personal care ingredients for safety before they hit the market. Also, manufacturers routinely do something known as greenwashing: using misleading, vague or even false claims about the eco/health benefits of their products. That leaves us wondering whether our lipstick, skin cream or wrinkle serum is safe. Reports say that many contain chemicals linked to cancer, infertility, hormone imbalances, birth defects, neurological issues and other health problems.
What we put on our skin matters. Our skin is not a barrier... it allows microscopic chemicals to enter our bloodstream which can impact our physiology. What happens inside our bodies when we are exposed to minute amounts of synthetic chemicals every day, for years? No one really knows. So it’s best to play it safe and choose natural, nontoxic products. But, there’s a lot of confusion when it comes to knowing exactly what to look for on the label. To help you out, I’ve created my “Top 10 Greenwashing Watchwords.” These are words and phrases that will help raise your awareness about the subtle distinctions and nuances being used on ingredient labels on your makeup and personal care products.
Reposted from and Courtesy of https://www.huffingtonpost.com/beth-greer/natural-products-labels_b_1024143.html