For anyone who's ever used soap, shampoo or makeup, Stacy Malkan has some bad news.
That lotion that moisturizes so well might be doing more than you know. It could contain allergens or potentially toxic chemicals whose long-term effects are unknown, and they might not even be listed on the label.
Potentially harmful ingredients are everywhere, in products that we use every day. Recent studies have found traces of lead in lipstick and 1,4-Dioxane, a possible carcinogen, in children's bath products.
Neither of these are listed on labels as an ingredient because each is "a contaminant that unintentionally ends up in products, that's what (manufacturers) claim," says Malkan, co-founder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (www.safecosmetics.org) and author of "Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry."
"Companies aren't required to safety-test products. (And) it's legal to use nearly any ingredient," she says.
"We only have partial labeling. Companies don't have to tell us what's in fragrances. They don't have to tell us about contaminants."
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