If, big "IF" the FDA works for the common people and the good of the people, should we have to get the FDA to make companies test the products that we eat or that go on our skin???? Simple answer... They do not work for us, they work for big business... If you want these companies to listen there is only one way to make them... What do they value??? Money... Stop buying any of their products...

This is true about nano-sized particles in most mineral based makeup. However, Shaklee "Minerals" is the safe exception. Shaklee has done millions of dollars in double blind research and has been in the leader in natrual nutrition and cosmetics for over 50 years. Anyone who has a question about their research can visit their web sight. They will answer any questions one may have on this topic.

Jeff
Why use this site as free advertising space? If you have data to help our limited understanding of the ingredients titanium dioxide, silica, and iron, as used in cosmetics, why not post it. Shaklee is not the leader in the natural products industry, mostly they are a MLM that greenwashes their products like so many ohters. Stop the propaganda and give real data to support your claims

My question is: How would these products be tested?? On animals? Because I wouldn't buy them then either.

Thanks, Shannon. While Enviroblog has a liberal policy regarding the posting of comments we don't endorse products, and the appearance of a comment/sales pitch like that of Mr. vanderHeidjde above is NOT a sign of our approval.

Thanks for looking out.

Another great resource for information on ingredients is a book by Dr. Samuel S. Epstein titled Unreasonable Risk, How to Avoid Cancer and Other Toxic Effects From Cosmetics and Personal Care Products

Oh My, people can be testy!

I use the mineral based cosmetics mentioned in the earlier post and I enjoy them immensely because I believe they are safer than standard cosmetics sold in the marketplace today. I think the poster's point was that there's a lot of research done in this area by the company mentioned. They have been around for 50 years and have a very STRONG history of safety in their products. They have never had to recall a product and to my knowledge, they have never had a product mentioned on this site as unsafe.

I only know of one other mineral based product line and it is sold on QVC quite extensively. Does that make it better than buying it from an MLM company??

There are a lot of good products out there that do not contain mineral oil. I use Arbonne, who's products do not contain mineral oil or lanolin and they never test on animals.

When you find something good and the integrity of their "safe" certified organic skin care products are in a class of their own, why not share ones experience. I buy from One Group, Miessence Certified Organics, here is the site for anyone interested www.tgorganics.mionegroup.com

Laurie,

I use to sell Arbonne and was very happy with the product until I went to safercosmetics.org and found out that Arbonne has not signed the safer cosmetics compact. When I called Arbonne and the marketing dept., they had no response. This is false advertising on their part and I can't sell a product and still have my integrity, by saying pure, safe, beneficial - when they can't sign a compact to promote safer cosmetics. I'm now selling for ONE Group's product line (Miessence), which is 100% organic, USDA certified and feel that I'm being true to myself and to my clients.

Ree

I have to agree with Shannon here. There are so many companies jumping on the "natural" and "organic" bandwagon that the words have become nothing more than a marketing tool. Please feel free to visit my website (http://www.greenmaureenorganics.com) and click on the "Education" tab in the menu bar. There you will find some excellent guidelines for deciphering product labels and understanding the semantics behind the use of the words "natural" and "organic" in the cosmetic industry.

Jeff, you need only read the label of some of the Shaklee products to know that calling the cocktail of chemicals in their products "safe" is a bit of a stretch!!!

I also use Arbonne. It is botanically based.

http://essentials.myarbonne.com

I read this article with much interest as I am in business with a company which bases their whole philosophy around their products being pure, safe, beneficial, never tested on animals with absolutely no animal or human by products - they are completely vegan. Why? Because what you put on your skin in absorbed into your body therefore it matters what you use - many consumers are unaware of this. This is not a shameless plug for my company but rather a sharing of very important info. If you have this and don't share it you are denying people essential information. We do have a mineral powder foundation which is heavily researched and expertly produced, like all our products, to be very pure and safe. Thank goodness there is a company which takes this very seriously and addresses your very concerns. It would be remiss of me not to let you know this - I speak of course of Arbonne International, a company with high ethics and integrity. Use with confidence and peace of mind!

I know this is not an advertisement site, but I sell Arbonne products and just want to say that I know they do spend lots of time & money on researching and safety testing their products on HUMAN volunteers in blind tests. I agree with the previous post, it is very rare that any of the big companies do anything that is not required so I think we should applaud & support the few that do.
I do not have their scientific info on hand but I am sure they'd be happy to give it to you if you asked.
I was horrified when I found out what was in the expensive department store cosmetics I had been using. I was paying $45 for a bottle that was mainly water, rubbing alcohol & acetone.
The FDA should be doing a lot more to educate & protect the public. But since they are not we need to do everything we can. I commend EWG & love what you are doing!

Hi Trudy

i second that! I use Miessence too! Though the website is different...
http://naturallyintended.mionegroup.com

Why arent Miessence in the Skin Deep thing? Does anyone know.

Nic.

I am confused about the Arbonne user,Laurie thinking that it is a good line of products. I looked at the benefits and ingredients list and some of the ingredients I found were Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, methyparaben, propylparaben, lactic acid. Some of these ingredients help the products to absorb deep into the skin. And who whats chemicals deep in our body?

Singing the praises of a company, and blatant advertising by its owner are two diffreent things. EWG which is behind skin deep is not a place for grenwashing or deception of its readers. Presently there are very few products that can legally claim to be organic in the US, Miessence is not one of them. I have been formulating cosmetic products for 15 years, and worked on Shaklee's first natural personal care product, which was 3 years ago. So seeing the owner come on here and claim 50 years of experience,nad testing upset me. I ignored it, but suported the first who called him out. Seeing products that are illegally labeled where i live ,Miessence, also upset me. I believe in Organic products, and companies that truly support sustainable living. We must be vigilant to avoid these scammers, and those who market pseudo green products.

titanium dioxide, in Australia the OFC the organic food chain and a certifying board for cosmetic skincare standards does not permit this ingredient as a safe substance. As the owner of the largest range of Organic and certified organic skincare in Australia I will NOT allow this ingredient into any of my ranges. I have make-up and skincare and sunscreen everthing you can think of, formulated by people that understand high vibrational ingredeints. All of the amazing formula that mother earth provided us that WORK in a healing way do not include this ingredient, titanium dioxide is a quick fix method for a lazy or ignorant formulator.. Just because titanium dioxide works at reflecting sunlight on the roof of a home does NOT mean our skin is of the vibration to sustain the toxic effect this ingredient has to the skin and the lungs. I SAY HUMANS IT'S TIME TO USE YOUR INTUITION!!!!

I've sought out good quality foods and cosmetics for over thirty years. Please remember to check your products for endocrine disruptors such as parabens and other harmful chemicals, which happen to be in both Arbonne and Miessence products. You might try plain olive oil or coconut oil for a moisturizer, and diluted white vinegar for an astringent if necessary. Funny, huh? Works well, though:)

Shaklee mineral makeup contains parabens, and I won't use anything that contains parabens. I looked into Arbonne too, but it's really hard to find their ingredient list without signing up to sell their product...so I'm still unsure about them. I use Larenim mineral makeup and it comes in a pressed version, so there is less chance of inhaling it, as mentioned in the article above. Just thought that might be helpful to someone.

For the past year I had used and sold Arbonne products until I realized some of the ingredients in Arbonne products are on the list of the top worst ingredients to be on the look out for. Alcohol,aluminum,talc, sodium laurly sulfate,Q-15, parabens, diazolidinyl urea, and cocamide DEA are all included in Arbonne's ingredients. They promote their products as being pure, safe, and beneficial, but this is false advertising. They tell you their products are great because they do not contain mineral oil, but they contain all of these other ingredients. If you enter Arbonne products into the skin deep section, it will tell you they have a medium to high risk rating based on the ingredients. I've been to the training and they never mention any of the above questionable ingredients. The consultants are just told of the positives and are therefore misrepresenting the truth of the product. On the Arbonne website when you click on these ingredients, they tell you they are included because several other companies use them and they are not regulated. I have questioned Arbonne about their ingredients and they have either responded without an answer or not responded at all.

I have been using Miessence products for the past 6 months. I have not read that they use parabens in their cosmetics or skin care. Where did you get that info?

I am an esthetician with biochemistry background. I am too much into holistic approach towards skin and body care. Since and I have worked in a lab surrounded by carcinogens and other highly toxic chemiclas. I was appalled to see that the same chemicals we used to be very very careful working with have found places in our skin care products. I researched and I found that there are many european lines that are actually purely organic and there's one line which is my favourite which is Dr haushka. They grow the plants to be used as ingredients biodynamically. I use their produts myself and for my kids. I am very satified with this product line and truly endorse it.

I wanted to respond to the reader above who said Miessence was not organic. It's the only skincare/cosmetic company to be certified organic by the USDA and they're also listed as so with Australia. My fiance' who is a Molecular Biologist Ph.D has researched the ingredients in Miessence and has given his approval. He told me not to join Arbonne, but I didn't listen until I found out from Safercosmetics.org that Arbonne has not signed the compact. Miessence has (look up ONE Group - that's what they're listed under). Also, Miessence looks out for the environment. They hired a company called Green Fleet to come in and measure the amount of carbon their company was releasing into the environment due to trucks and the like. They were informed how many trees it would take to counter the effect and they planted them. They also are now using renewable energy at their factory as of August 2006.

Reegan
I am a cosmetic chemist who is very familiar with the organic laws in this country. Look at the Miessence page:
http://www.miessenceproducts.com/product.asp?productid=24
Look at the ingredients they list. Read the paragraph. They claim Polyglucose as a cleanser, but do you see it listed in their graphic ingredients? Polyglucose is not an INCI name, and it is not able to be produced under the current USDA regulations governing Organics. Therefore their products cannot be organic in the US. This is misleading at the least, and illegal if sold in California. THey maty be a great company, they may help the environment, but they are misleading consumers if they continue to claim to be organic.

I am sure i could find many more examples, this was just the first page i looked at

Peace
C

What about Bare Minerals? They state it was created for Cancer patients. Is this safe? I cannot use most makeups so I've taken to using this product when I decide to wear makeup. I can use it but it does irritate my skin at times (yet my skin is very hyper sensitive).

Regarding alcohol and some of the other ingredients mentioned in some of the posts, there are many different kinds of "alcohol" and also several different types of other ingredients. Some of these ingredients natural some are chemical, some are bad and some are not. You need to be careful not to confuse them. Also there is a big difference in the amounts of ingredients or preservatives in different products. American made cosmetics are so full of chemicals & preservative I've heard they have a shelf life of 7 or more YEARS versus other products which use very few preservatives & have a shelf life of 1-2 years. It's importnat to look at where the ingredients are on the ingredient list as well as what the ingredients are.

I agree with Reegan, I too had been an Arbonne Rep until I found out what was contained in their product lines, which included formaldehyde. it is a "natural" gas HCHO and yes, it is great for preserving the skin and keeping it looking younger, don't you agree? I am now a rep for Miessence, as I believe in the products and the company. Miessence products have every ingredient listed on the product containers and in their brochures. We have nothing to hide.

Hi Carl-
I appreciate your concern. But ONE Group is not misleading. They say on their website that all but two of their products have been certified organic - you pointed out one and then there's also the body wash. They are presently working on a certifiable product now. I'll put this link below. Also, here's a link to their USDA certification. Just scroll to bottom of page and click on USDA certificate. Have a great day everyone!
http://stlorganics.mionegroup.com/AboutUs/OrganicCert.aspx#
http://www.miessence.com/Faqs/FAQ_product.aspx

can anyone tell me about the ingrediants in Jane Iredale makeup. I see in endorsed in many Dermatologist offices.Is it all hype?

What about the new line of skin care that has just come in to the US from Mannatech? I was in other countries...but just was approved for US distribution last month.

In response to Nic's question above, Narelle Chenery, the Director of Research and Development, indicated last week via email that they are currently working with EWG to get our products on their web site.

it is not necessary to wear make up... i don't and i am still called beautiful..give it a try

laura b -
There's more than just makeup. That's just part of the problem. There are chemicals in most of the popular brand name hygiene products consumers use - toothpaste, deodorant, shampoos, and the list goes on. I don't use makeup on a daily basis, but I use other products every single day.

does anybody know about eminence organics? how do they fit into that discussion?

If anyone has any information about Bare Minerals, also called bare escentials, I believe, I would like to know about it. It is sold via QVC, infomercials, and their stores. I have been using it for years and had no idea that it could be harmful.

Donna

I use to like Arbonne as well until i found out they have parabens in their cosmetics, now i use mineral makeup. I know mineral makeup may not be perfect, but i'd rather not have parabens in any of my beauty products.

What about BARE MINERALS, please?

I love their products.

What about BARE ESCENTUALS?

I love their products.

[I called them Bare Minerals, earlier. Sorry. Please disregard that.]

Hi, someone mentioned olive oil and coconut oil for moisturizer. These oils do not penetrate my skin and for some reason it gives me eye allergy , irritates my eyes. Why is it ? Should I discontinue? I appreciate your answer.

Bare Escentuals contains Bismuth, which many on the web claim can be irritating. The B.E. Mineral Veil product contains Parabens, most likely to preserve the cornstarch- why pay their price for cornstarch???

I have found other mineral makeup companies on the web which seem to offer more pure products, and much less expensive- many offer free samples (but for a few dollars for shipping. I do not know how we would know of their honesty or safetly/purity, but I do like these companies products: EverydayMinerals.com, TLMineralMakeup.com, MeowCosmetics.com

Why not just stop wearing make-up? Judy

Thereis a new mineral line from Sweden I believe, that is now available in the USA and sold only in the WALGREENS drug store chain called ISADORA. Their cosmetics line is extensive and while they hyped their mineral line-they offer other cosmetic products as well.A NY Newspaper gave them a higher safety review than the more expensive brands(Iredale-Bare Minerals etc). It is affordable for sure-but just how safe is it really?

Hi,
To all you Miessence fans. I am also an Independent Rep and you may know that there are 66 Miessence products on the EWG website now. for your viewing pleasure.

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/wordsearch.php?query=miessence

This is a great discussion going on here. I love how everyone makes the claim that their product is the best, the cleanest, the safest, etc.

In all reality, everyone is not going to want and use the same products. People will be interested in each product for their own reasons.

I think it is great to have the information to allow us to make an informed choice about what products we use.

In order to do this you must have a complete ingredients list and then you can start to figure out if the product is for you.

The EWG site is a great place to start. There are other sites that you can use also.
Debra Lynn Dadd's website is a great resource: http://www.dld123.com
she has extensive information on so much stuff there.

Another site DyingToLookGood:
http://www.dyingtolookgood.net

Greener Choices by the people who publish Consumer Reports has good information on choosing organic products.

and the Organic Consumers Association website and their campaign called coming clean:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/index.cfm

Keep up the good work everyone, it's best to have many choices for the products we want to use.

Regards,
Erin
http://www.elyorganics.com