February 25, 2023

How to Choose Safer Beauty Products

Big changes start with small actions, including what you put on your face and body. That’s the fundamental principle behind Protect Our Breasts (POB, protectourbreasts.org), a nonprofit educational initiative based at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. POB’s young women ambassadors, clad in the organization’s signature green scarves and led by Executive Director Cynthia Barstow, personify a singular mission: to reduce rates of breast cancer and other diseases linked to toxin exposure from everyday products and choices. Knowing that early-life habits lead to lasting patterns, POB spreads its message through college and community outreach events, arming others—especially young women and men—with […]
January 5, 2021

6 Natural Ways To Keep Your Lips Hydrated

Whether you’re making a beeline for the mistletoe or the dessert table, establishing lip care as a priority during the dry winter months can ensure your mouth stays in tip-top shape all season long. And, although the weather may be partially to blame for less-than-soft kissers, chapped lips are the result of other hectic holiday season habits, too. (Poor food choices, anyone?) Your lips are red for a reason: The skin and moisture barrier isn’t as thick or strong as other parts of the body. So pay attention when they tell you they’re damaged and follow these natural lip tips. […]
March 10, 2020

FDA Tests Find Asbestos in Nearly 20 Percent of Cosmetics

Laboratory tests commissioned by the federal Food and Drug Administration of talc-based cosmetics products found the notorious carcinogen asbestos in roughly 20 percent of the samples assessed. AMA Analytical Services, Inc., the nation’s leading laboratory in matters of asbestos-contaminated talc, was contracted in September 2018 by FDA to test popular cosmetics products that contain talc as an ingredient. Today FDA released the AMA results in its final report, which shows nine out of 52 cosmetics products tested positive for asbestos. Concern over the presence of asbestos in cosmetics, particularly those marketed toward children and that include talc as an ingredient, is […]
January 10, 2017

Hazardous Choices Dominate Cosmetics

In a growing market for Black cosmetics, Black women nonetheless have limited choices for products that score low in potentially harmful ingredients, an EWG analysis of more than 1,100 products found. Because Black women appear to buy and use more personal care products, the limited options could mean they are being exposed to more potentially hazardous chemicals. EWG researchers analyzed more than 1,100 products, looking at the hazards posed by their ingredients, and found that Black women had fewer healthy options based on the products marketed to them. Fewer than 25 percent of the personal care products marketed specifically to […]
April 10, 2016

Shop Smarter, Choose EWG Verified Products

WASHINGTON – The EWG VERIFIED™ program now features 118 products, allowing shoppers to quickly and easily identify cosmetics and personal care items that meet our strictest health and transparency standards. EWG VERIFIED™ products include cosmetics like foundations, blushes, eye shadows and eye liners, lipsticks and lip glosses; skin care products including cleansers and moisturizers; shampoos and soaps; and many more. “Earning the EWG VERIFIED™ mark isn’t easy, as anyone who has read our very detailed application criteriacan attest. So we are thrilled to see that the list of items in the pipeline to be EWG VERIFIED™ continues to grow, and […]
March 3, 0202

Save Face (and Body) with Safe Skin Care

Previously we gave you tips on how to make your own safe, natural skin care products, but if the whole make-it