We're all aware that certain seemingly innocent-sounding words on product labels hide some not-so-innocent ingredients (phthalates, parabens ...). What we may not all have realized is just how many pernicious little tricksters are hiding behind the word "fragrance" on cleaners, candles and cosmetics. We're not talking a dozen or so pseudonyms; we're talking about 3,163 ingredients. That fresh, fragrant feeling you were searching for? It very well could be stink-bombed by toxic additives.

The International Fragrance Association has compiled and posted this gargantuan list in an effort to help consumers who are struggling with chemical sensitivities to fragrance additives. The list includes both natural and artificial fragrances masquerading as fragrance.

The fragrance industry has struggled to strike a balance between detailing its ingredients and divulging proprietary blends and secrets. “The publication of the Fragrance Industry list of ingredients is a move towards greater transparency while still protecting proprietary details of specific fragrance formulae,” explained the IFRA's Jean-Pierre Houri. “This initiative shows the responsibility and accountability of the fragrance industry and our commitment to communicate our extensive safety program.” The ingredients listing initiative was led by the Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA), The Soap & Detergent Association (SDA) and the Canadian Consumer Specialty Products Association (CCSPA).

The best way to protect yourself continues to be the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep cosmetics database. Before plunking down your hard-earned cash on pricey cosmetics, candles or household cleaners that turn out to be toxic, take a few minutes to learn how Skin Deep can flag chemicals best avoided.

(Photo credit:ubik2010, SXC)

Prepare yourself: The holiday season is a full contact sport. Packed shopping malls, family gatherings, bustling airports, hectic grocery stores, the party circuit ... No matter how you look at it, you're going to be in close proximity to the unwashed masses over the next month or so—and unwashed they're sure to be, unless there's some new handwashing trend we haven't spotted yet. Frequent, thorough handwashing remains your best defense against catching whatever bug is going around in your neck of the woods. But when you can't make it to a sink with soap, sanitizing lotions can help fill the gap.

Hand sanitizers aren't magic elixirs. They don't remove chemicals you may have picked up on your hands (such as fire retardants from that brand new electronic gizmo you just unwrapped), so hand-to-mouth chemical transfer at mealtime could still be an issue. Sanitizer ingredients—including the harmful ones such as fragrances and antibacterial agents—remain on your skin after use, giving them the chance to become fully absorbed into your body. (Eww.) We recommend passing up that ubiquitous bottle of Purell and reaching for something with more natural, nurturing ingredients.

Two products we like:

• Clean Well makes a completely alcohol-free, Triclosan-free formula that still claims to kill 99.99% of harmful germs on contact, including MRSA, E. coli and Salmonella. Available in small spray bottles or as wipes, it's kid-safe (no harmful ingredients if kids get some in their mouths), cruelty-free (no animal testing) and 100% biodegradable.
• Surya Brasil sanitizers are a good choice if you prefer the reliable germ-killing properties of alcohol (which can be drying to skin when used frequently). The rest of the ingredients, which include júa and açai and are all from renewable resources, are certified organic through Eco Cert. Even more remarkable is what's not inside: no mineral oil, parabens, petrochemicals, carbomer, synthetic fragrance or artificial coloring. This product is also cruelty-free.

(Photo credit:lusi, SXC)

It used to be that if you wanted pure cosmetics and body care products, you had to make them yourself. When my kids were small, stirring and mashing bowls of organic vegetable matter sounded like a fun way to pass the afternoon—but now that deadlines press more briskly upon my schedule, I'd prefer ready-made products. I want to buy things that work as well and are as appealing to use as the products calling out at me from the drugstore shelves. I want affordability. And I don't want the carcinogens, phthalates, parabens or all the other toxic synthetics so prevalent in today's cosmetics and beauty products.

That couldn't be so difficult to find, could it? Actually, it could. Mainstream cosmetics, unfortunately, remain a relatively unhealthy proposition. Greenwashing remains a major hurdle. So we've gathered together a crop of our favorite green beauty and body care resources so that you can let your natural beauty shine.

1. AllNaturalCosmetics.com
2. Beautorium
3. Drugstore.com Green & Natural section
4. Futurenatural
5. HolisticBeauty.net
6. Lavera
7. NaturalOrganicGuide.com
8. Natural Solutions
9. Saffron Rouge
10. Sephora.com Natural & Organic (use caution)
11. SkinBotanica
12. upurea

If that's not enough options for you, find another nice listing at GreenPeople.org. Keep up with news about the natural products industry at the Natural Products Association.

(Photo credit:SkinBotanica.com)

I would not put an anti-bacterial agent like Triclosan on my countertop, no less in my mouth!

Yet there are mouthwashes and toothpastes that contain Triclosan and many other harmful agents. I was recently surprised to find that alcohol in mouthwash has been linked to oral cancer.

Good oral hygiene, like flossing and brushing throughout the day--each day--is so important to maintain good health.

 You can achieve that “fresh” feeling, naturally, here are some tips and links that you may find helpful:

1. Support Eco-friendly toothpaste companies that support the environment by not polluting it via you and your daily oral hygiene. Companies that do not include Triclosan, Parabens, Artificial food colorings and Artificial sweeteners in their formulations.
   
2. When brushing turn the water off and hum a little two-minute tune in your head. Two minutes is recommended as a good amount of time to brush and you definitely do not want the water running that long.
3. Use earth and mouth friendly mouthwashes to gargle, if gargle you must. I like to gargle with simple salt water each day, it is very soothing.
4. Recycle or re-purpose your toothbrush when it is spent. There are so many wonderful uses for old toothbrushes!
5. Support companies that do not test on animals, our fine furry friends will be ever so grateful!

Keep those pearly whites "green" and have an ever so beautiful day!

(Photo credit:jelene on flickr)

Are sunblock manufacturers blowing sunshine up your wallet? A snippet of a report at Mother Jones making the rounds on the internet this week points to a shady effect of the pervasive sunscreen ingredient oxybenzone: it actually hides sunburn. "Eugene Pittz, a chemist in New Jersey was formulating sunscreens for the cosmetics company Warner-Lambert (now a part of Pfizer) in the early '80s when he accidentally gave one of his laboratory animals too much ultraviolet radiation," notes the MJ brief. "He applied sunscreen to the burn, and to his surprise, the rodent's redness faded."

As it turns out, oxybenzone is not only a UVA blocker but also an anti-inflammatory. As you sit "safely" soaking up the summer sun, your skin is turning redder ... and redder ... and redder. You simply don't notice. Unfortunately, avoiding oxybenzone won't be easy. Oxybenzone, which has been linked to allergies, hormone disruption and cell damage, lurks everywhere—our sunscreen products, our bodies ... simply everywhere. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has found oxybenzone in 84% of 910 sunscreens it has examined, and other reports have noted the chemical is present in the bodies of 97% of Americans. 

Frustrating news? In the words of another ubiquitous news-maker, you betcha! Unfortunately, concerns over oxybenzone merely adds to the slow burn of sunscreen concerns.

• Using a sunscreen with as little as SPF15 cuts the skin's vitamin D production by 99 percent, according to recent research.
• An EWG investigation of 1,101 name-brand sunscreens found that four out of five sunscreen products offer inadequate protection from the sun or contain ingredients with significant safety concerns.

Screen out evil chemicals (parabens and toxicity galore) and dastardly sun rays (sizzle, sizzle) with our safe sunscreen solutions. We give a thumbs up to the Soleo and California Baby products, both of which you may be able to find locally at independent natural food and products stores and even big-box retailers like Target.

(Photo credit:_rockinfree, flickr)

What's in a name? At cosmetics megastore Sephora, suspiciously little. Despite a high-profile Natural & Organic initiative featuring more than 1,400 products and 30-plus brands, Sephora's naturals appear to be more (greenwashing) style than (green) substance. With its own dodgy definition of the term "natural"—the "Naturally Sephora" seal—the company has managed to loop green-leaning consumers into meaningless semantics ... and some very not green products.

The problem with the term "natural" is that it's essentially meaningless; there's no set definition of the term. Neither the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) nor the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulate what a cosmetic may or may not contain in order to be labeled as "natural."

In fact, Sephora has come up with its own definition. "As you probably know, the term 'Natural' is not regulated by the FDA (meaning any beauty product can use that term, no matter what it contains!), so we formed an internal committee that worked hard to set our own Natural standards," says Sephora on its blog. "And here are the results: Our Natural products contain fewer to no parabens, petrochemicals, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate and synthetic fragrances and dyes."

"Fewer" hazardous chemicals—does that sound natural to you? It didn't to Slate, which listed Sephora among its four biggest enviro-scams. And it didn't to Terri Bly at Feelgood Style, who tore into Sephora's claims with the zeal of dyed-in-the-wool cosmetics fan who's simply begging to be proven wrong. Bly found ingredient lists packed with petrochemicals, parabens, synthetic fragrances ... toxins ranked moderate to high in the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep cosmetics database.

For now, Sephora continues to hole up behind the green screen of its own definition of what's "natural." But until consumers can get straight answers and clear labeling, better safe than sorry: check every product and brand against the EWG database, and don't be hornswoggled by a meaningless store certification.

(Photo credit:EWG Skin Deep cosmetic safety review)

Do you find it as tough to block out the hype about chemical-saturated sunscreens as we do? Let's not even bring up the greenwashing imposters who gussy up their products to look like healthy, green alternatives—all based on topping off the chemical cocktail with a drop or two of aloe vera or tea tree oil. No, we're talking about the full frontal assault from the big guys. These guys are the ones who make it sound like we're all going to drop dead if we're not slathered up with the latest high-tech chemical to offer SPFs in the triple digits.

It's more likely to be the other way around. Many sunscreen chemicals are potent free radical generators. leading to increased cellular damage and changes that could actually lead to cancer. Hormone-mimicking parabens wreak havoc with their potent estrogenic effects. The skin soaks up synthetic chemicals that end up stored in ever-increasing concentrations in fat cells.

Your best bet is a sunscreen that relies on physically blocking harmful rays with ingredients such as zinc or titanium. Here, we've listed the seven sunscreens that have earned a perfect 0 score on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep cosmetics safety database.

1. Soleo Organics Sunscreen Organic chemical free sunscreen SPF 30+
2. Soleo/Atlantis Resort Organic chemical free sunscreen SPF 30+
3. Soleo/Wyland Sunscreen Organic chemical free sunscreen SPF 30+
4. Keys Soap Solar Rx Cosmetic Moisturizing Sunblock, SPF 30
5. California Baby Sunblock Stick No Fragrance, SPF 30+
6. California Baby Sunblock Stick Everyday/year-Round, SPF 30+
7. Badger Sunscreen, SPF 30

More great sunscreen resources from Skin Deep:

• An investigation of nearly 1,000 brand-name sunscreen products finds that 4 out of 5 contain chemicals that may pose health hazards or don't adequately protect skin from the sun's damaging rays. Some of the worst offenders are leading brands like Coppertone, Banana Boat, and Neutrogena.
• Can't remember specific safe products? Find out the most highly recommended common brands.

(Photo credit:Soleo USA)

Do you know anyone who remembers to stock up on sunscreen before the first sunny outdoor event of the season? Neither do we. If you're like us, you're left grabbing whatever chemical concoction is on sale at the corner drugstore—full of preservatives, parabens and all sorts of toxic glop (stuff you really don't want being absorbed by the largest organ in your body: your skin!).

There's good reason to avoid that scenario. In a new investigation of 1,101 name-brand sunscreens, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that four out of five sunscreen products offer inadequate protection from the sun or contain ingredients with significant safety concerns.

And yes, those brands that you've been snapping up at the drugstore are the worst offenders. Exactly zero of Coppertone's 48 sunscreen products meet EWG's safety and effectiveness criteria, and only one of 115 products from Banana Boat and Neutrogena (the second- and third-largest manufacturers) is actually recommended by EWG. A staggering one out of every eight sunscreens offers no protection against UVA radiation. The situation is aggravated by lagging national safety standards, with the FDA still dragging through comprehensive sunscreen safety standards that were started 30 years ago.

Here are the problem areas the EWG found:

• Only 16% of 1,101 products analyzed met EWG's criteria for safety and effectiveness, blocking both UVA and UVB radiation, remaining stable in sunlight and containing few if any ingredients with significant known or suspected health hazards.
• Many products lack UVA protection.
• Sunscreens break down in the sun.
• Questionable product claims are widespread.
• Many sunscreens contain nano-scale ingredients that raise potential concerns.
• The U.S. lags behind other countries when it comes to products that work and are safe.
• Some sunscreens absorb into the blood and raise safety concerns.

Our suggestion: print out a list of safe, effective choices and hit the stores—before the sun hits your skin first. 

(Photo credit:kweezy mcG, flickr)

2009 is supposed to be the year I finally own up to my disorganization—fine, ADD—and do something about it. That doesn’t mean I’ll be popping Ritalin or Adderall, though. Despite my physician's advice, uppers (FDA-approved amphetamines and stimulants) aren't what I need or want. I'm adamantly opposed to swallowing quadro syllabic chemicals with side-effects like extreme paranoia, suspicion and cotton mouth. Although I could use a little euphoria.

Sorry, doc. I prefer to initiate my healing process (notice I didn’t say “treatment”) from a safer, gentler place. Somewhere between meds and metaphysics, somewhere deep in the middle … of, well, my nose. Technically my olfactory epithelium, the gateway to my overactive yet ironically inattentive hypothalamus, and ultimately to less counterproductive clutter, less chronic lateness and fewer frazzled, fruitless hours.

That’s a tall order for a few daily drops of organic essential oils, the sole (safe!) ingredients of an emerging, clinically proven ADD/ADHD therapy that I'm warming up to 33 years late. To most of you, it's simply called aromatherapy. To me, it's a fast, effective means of getting back thoughts (and those elusive car keys!) that might otherwise get lost in the vortex of distraction.

Continue reading Aromatherapy for ADD ›

(Photo credit:M@rg, flickr)

Emergency “zituations” are old news to me. In fact, Proactiv be damned, a throbbing Mt. Vesuvius of adult acne is hijacking the tip of my nose right now. Ouch!

To say I’m frustrated, even embarrassed, of my bad skin would be a gross understatement. Cystic acne is gross (and extremely painful), so much so that I daydream about dunking my head in a magic pot that would—poof—make my connect-the-dots disappear. When you spot one at the end of a rainbow, let me know.

In the meantime, what’s a green-living girl (fine—woman! I’m 33.) like me to do about her pimply proboscis (and cheeks and chin and ...)? How can I clear up without calling in the big boys—corticosteroid, imidazolidinyl urea, salicylic acid and other potentially carcinogenic tongue twister toxins? I haven't tried it yet, but I'm seriously (desperately!) eyeing Oeco, the first-ever organic acne treatment system.

Here’s Oeco’s green rap sheet:

• Oeco’s OrganiClear™ blend is made from pure botanical extracts and essential oils (certified organic Australian tea tree oil; myrtle; sandalwood; amaranth S, aloe vera and chamomile). There's only one problem: Surprise, Oeco contains drying benzoyl peroxide.
• Its products are free of parabens, GMOs, detergents, sulfates, artificial colors, fragrances and are cruelty-free.
• Oeco contracts exclusively with organic farmers who rely on renewable resources and actively conserve soil and water.
• They use recyclable bottles and other green packaging, all of which come in adorable, reusable satchels.

Continue reading Organic acne relief ›

(Photo credit:Oeco)