Perhaps one of the most difficult issues that we’ve tackled as Green Cricket is the search for Green Cosmetics. Ideally, we’d love to recommend a line of cosmetics that reduces both the environmental impacts and the health risks of traditional cosmetics, yet function just as well.

Sadly, that is not as easy as we had hoped. The challenge is that there is not a great deal of consensus around what is acceptable or isn’t in these products. While we always want to err on the side of caution, some of the truly green ones that we’ve found really aren’t a great substitute for more conventional cosmetics.

Some highlights of the debate:

1) Parabens – A widely used preservative to inhibit microbial growth in personal care products, in particular cosmetics. It’s good, because it does a good job of keeping cosmetics safe, extends their shelf life, and it replaced formaldehyde. The challenge is that while both Health Canada, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States currently say that it’s safe, there is mounting concern over its long-term safety too. Most major cosmetic companies are looking for alternatives to phase it out. But there is no easy switch, so companies like Jamieson, Avon and Almay, are experimenting with new options.

2) Nanoparticles – Microscopic particles being added to all kinds of personal care products – usually because of their UV blocking capabilities. The problem is that they haven’t been tested for safety either on people or the environment, and early reviews aren’t optimistic. Again, we’re hoping to avoid it.

3) Propylene Glycol – Used to moisturize both the skin, and to prevent cosmetics from drying out themselves. Again, Health Canada and the FDA have given it the green light, but the debate outside these forums rages on about short-term skin irritation, and long-term safety. A deciding factor for me – if it’s a major component of automotive antifreeze, I probably want to minimize in the products that I put on my face.

So where can we get good information? Well that’s another part of the challenge. The well funded, independent, peer-review science studying these matters is almost non-existent. The internet can be our best and worst friend all at the same time. Its great to have dialogue, but its critically important to consider the source of the information that we’re relying on. Many people believe that if its man-made, its inherently bad. We don’t believe that that is necessarily true, but we still want to apply a healthy dose of precaution all around.

One of our key sources is a site called The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (www.safecosmetics.org). This site was founded by a coalition of non-profit health and environmental organizations, about as good as we could hope for from a bias perspective. They advocate for better research and regulations to protect consumers and workers from the risks of cosmetics, and provide information so that we can make more informed choices. They also partnered with The Environmental Working Group, another non-profit environment and health organization to offer the Cosmetics Database (www.cosmeticsdatabase.com), which we think is the best one stop shop for information on ingredients.

So where does that leave us? With few perfect solutions at this point. After painstaking research, our site offers a selection of products that we’ve tracked down - products that score well on the toxicity side while still performing. We’d love your feedback – either on your experience with our products, or on other products you’ve tried and loved.

In coming attractions, we’ll continue the dialogue on cosmetics, discussing specific products and what to look for. Keep your questions coming!

Tags: cosmetics, Green

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