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 The Environmental Working Group helps sort out which sunscreens are safest. By Barbara Kessler If you want to save your skin from sun damage, you’ll have to do more than just slap on the sunscreen with the highest UVA/UVB number. In fact, there’s a wealth to learn about on the fine print of your prospective skin cancer protectant, but unless you’ve got a master’s in bio-chemistry, you’ll need a little help. That’s where the Environmental Working Group can help.  Badger Sunscreen, protects without adding toxic chemicals According to the EWG, the old method of just looking for the brand that promised the highest protection via the AVA/AVB number listed on its label is simply not good enough. There’s a better way to sort out the most effective and safest sunscreens — by looking for products that use zinc or titanium minerals to block out the sun’s harmful rays, but stay away from a lot of toxic additives. Those minerals work to keep the sun’s harmful rays from damaging your precious epidermis, and while they’re still the lesser of two evils (sun damage with its risk of skin cancer being the true enemy) they’re safer for your skin than many other things that find their way into your sunscreen products. To make this whole process easier on the eyes (those label ingredients are tiny!) and skin, the EWG has put out a list of safer, least or non-toxic, sunscreens that you can shop by. None of its non-toxic “winners” contain harmful ingredients such as oxybenzone or vitamin A (which can increase sun sensitivity) or any other ingredient that’s been found to be a hormone disruptor. (When it comes to protection, kids and teens especially should really avoid these hormone-affecting ingredients.) Some of the brands that made the EWG recommended list (click to see the EWG assessment for each one) include: Most of the sunscreens sold under these labels rate a low 1 or 2 on the toxicity scale developed by the EWG; a few variants might have a higher rating (meaning they contain one or more ingredients of moderate concern). But none rank in the red-alert zone. These brands are commonly available at natural food markets and online. Unfortunately, some of the most popular brands on the market today, sold at big retail outlets, receive some of the worst marks from EWG.  Soleo Organic's 30+ sunscreen can be better for you than some sunscreens with a 100 UVA/UBA rating Some of the big brands offer options, however, that fall into the “moderate” concern rankings. Coppertone, for instance, offers several variations for kids that rank a 3 on the 10-point scale (with products ranking 7-10 listed as “to avoid”). Coppertone Kids Pure and Simple ranks a 3 overall. It does contain some ingredients of concern, such as diazolidinyl urea or formaldehyde and methyl paraben. But on balance, it’s not as problematic as other sunscreens that contain many additives of concern, including synthetic fragrances. Many popular sunscreens rated in the “to avoid” range because of dangerous additives like oxybenzone, which has been linked to reproductive health problems and is considered to be an endocrine disruptor. Banana Boat’s Kids Max Protect and Play Broad Spectrum Sunscreen, SPF 100, is one example of how a product that looks protective can be less effective and even contain harmful ingredients, according to the EWG rating system. Kids Max Protect rates a 7 on the scale because it contains several dubious ingredients, along with oxybenzone, one of the most harmful ingredients found in sunscreens. The EWG is a non-profit dedicated to helping consumers avoid exposure to dangerous chemicals in food, cosmetics and other household products. Copyright © 2010 Green Right Now | Distributed by GRN NetworkI By Harriet Blake and Barbara Kessler Climate and the daily weather forecast will dictate if you entertain al fresco or indoors this summer. Either way, warm weather gatherings lend themselves to being green. To keep the garden party eco-friendly, and still eco-nomical, think about using durable, reusable goods made from low-impact or re-purposed materials, or if the occasion calls for disposables, make them bioplastic. You don’t have to forfeit the magic, see the twinkly solar lights we found! So…before you stock up on plastic plates or throwaway table clothes, let’s take a look at what’s available in the greener patio party department. You might be pleasantly surprised that these finds will keep you outfitted for fetes from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and beyond. Get ready with those summer invitations!  Pier 1's selection of recycled glassware is doubly green We started our hunt looking for tableware, and found this affordable, recycled glass collection at Pier 1. The collection includes goblets ($9), margarita glasses ($8), tumblers ($5) and pitchers ($9). Spokeswoman Jennifer L. Engstrand says the Fort Worth-based store has made eco-friendly products a part of the mix for a long time. In addition to the recycled glassware, their offerings include recycled newspaper baskets, reusable bags, bio-degradable jute rugs and several rugs and accessories made of “rapidly renewable materials” such as rattan, seagrass and bamboo, she said. 
Secret and harmful ingredients in fragrances are not so sexy, according to a consumer study
By Melissa Segrest What is that lovely fragrance you’re wearing? Shhh, it’s a secret. Why? Because the multi-billion dollar perfume industry won’t tell you. Thanks to lax regulatory oversight and the scent industry’s ability to keep their formulas “secret,” the ingredients lurking beneath the word “fragrance” on the label likely contain unhealthy chemicals and additives. Fragrance, it seems, isn’t just a delicate floral note or a deep exotic spice. A new report analyzing 17 popular name-brand scents says that among the hidden ingredients are synthetic chemicals that have been linked to hormone disruption (particularly reproductive hormones), sperm damage in men, thyroid effects, endocrine problems, allergic reactions of all kinds and more. Counting both labeled and unlabeled ingredients, the study identified 91 different chemicals in the 17 products. The organizations that authored the study, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the Environmental Working Group, said that, on average, the products had 14 hidden chemicals. If that wasn’t enough, even ingredients that are on the labels may be health threats. The report, Not So Sexy: The Health Risks of Secret Chemicals in Fragrance, found the largest hidden chemical mix in American Eagle Seventy Seven, which had 24 unseen ingredients. Just behind that was Chanel Coco at 18. The fewest secret chemicals in the mix was Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue. The scent with the most chemicals overall was Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio with 40. All 17 of the tested products had chemicals linked to allergies or asthma– an average of 10 chemicals per product. Among the worrisome elements in the selected scents:
Why doesn’t the Food and Drug Administration step in to scrutinize these chemical ingredients in all perfumes, as well as lotions, cosmetics, deodorants, sprays, shaving creams and many more? Because – with a few minor exceptions – scented and all other cosmetics do not require FDA approval to reach store shelves. Amazingly, the law that started this lack of federal oversight was enacted 82 years ago, the study said, and has hardly been touched since. The rules that govern what ingredients must appear on cosmetic and fragrance labels were issued in 1973, and they cite “trade secret ingredients” as the reason the industry can continue to hide their fragrance ingredients. “Something doesn’t smell right—clearly the system is broken,” said Lisa Archer, national coordinator of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics at the Breast Cancer Fund, in a statement. “We urgently need updated laws that require full disclosure of cosmetic ingredients so consumers can make informed choices about what they are being exposed to.” The perfume and cosmetic groups are quick to defend themselves. They assert that the study is not legitimate because it is self-published (as opposed to having been peer-reviewed in a substantive science journal). They point to what they consider innuendo and unsupported claims. “There is nothing ‘secret’ about the ingredients being used in fragrances,” a statement issued Wednesday by the Fragrance Material Association of the United States said. The association directs consumers to their list of 3,163 ingredients used in fragrances. The list, however, provides the chemical names (in alphabetical order) of all substances used in fragrances. It is not broken down by product, or product category.
Two-thirds of the undisclosed ingredients in the tested fragrances have not been safety tested, nor has a significant portion of disclosed ingredients This issue doesn’t stop with fragrances and cosmetics, the study said. It factors into everything from aerosol sprays to nail polish to dishwashing liquids to scented air refreshers. Many chemicals we come into contact with daily remain unstudied. What can you do to help? The study suggests:
Campaign For Safe Cosmetics, the group that co-authored the study, is a national coalition of nonprofit women’s, environmental, public health and other organizations. The Environmental Working Group also is a nonprofit that aims to use public information to protect health and the environment. If you want more information about cosmetic products that do reveal all of their ingredients, go to the Environmental Working Group’s database of products. Read the complete study (including the complete list of all fragrances tested) at Not So Sexy: The Health Risks of Secret Chemicals in Fragrance. Copyright © 2010 Green Right Now | Distributed by GRN Network |
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