Activists demand cleaner cosmetics

Stacy Malkan, a cofounder of the advocacy group Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and author of Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry, says cosmetics need extra scrutiny because they are often a direct source of exposure to so many different chemicals. Cosmetics are rubbed right into the skin, inhaled (think perfumes and other sprays), or swallowed (as with lipsticks)—and often on a daily basis.

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To some cancer experts, pinpointing the exact source of these chemicals is not as important as the age of the girls exposed—not just to cosmetics and household and industrial products, but also to cigarette smoke, radiation, and even fatty foods.

"What is known is that when developing breast tissue is exposed to toxic chemicals, it has more effect and impact," says Julia A. Smith, MD, PhD, director of the NYU Cancer Institute's breast cancer screening and prevention program and director of the Lynne Cohen breast cancer preventive care program at New York University.

Dr. Smith also finds it disconcerting that younger girls appear to be using more cosmetic and personal care products than adult women. The EWG’s teenage survey participants used an average of 17 personal care products every day, containing an estimated 174 different ingredients, compared to the roughly 12 products and 168 different chemicals they previously found that adult women each used daily.

Advocates say the problem is serious, and they suggest playing it safe by avoiding chemical-laden cosmetics—and argue that it isn't difficult to do so. Hair sprays and lip liners aren’t exactly essential (although many a junior-high student would disagree).

"While we may not be able to control the carcinogens we breathe from the air or drink from the water, we don't need to be putting these chemicals directly on our skin," says Malkan.

Eventually, she says, there should be no cosmetics that contain hormone-disrupters on the market. "Taking these chemicals out of personal care products should be a no-brainer. It's an easy way, relatively speaking, to reduce the toxic load in the world."

Malkan, who confesses to having been "obsessed with beauty products" in her teenage years, would like to see more research into the effects of cosmetic ingredients on teenagers and children, as well as studies tracking repeated exposures over long periods of time.