A friend of mine refuses to drink the tap water in her block because she is afraid of lead in the pipes. “And what about the phthalates lurking in your plastic water bottle?” I asked. She had no reply to that as she was basically unaware of the dangers of phthalates. She was also alarmed to find that these same chemical components were probably lurking in her aging skincare products. They are used to make everything softer but in the long term they are suspected of being carcinogenic.

She was even more alarmed when I told her about what researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health had discovered. Pregnant women who have premature babies were found to have three times the amount of phthalates in their urine when compared to women who had normal deliveries.

My friend then tentatively asked which products these were found in. When I told her that they were in everything from the ‘fragrance’ in aging skincare products to furnishings, paint, baby shampoo and many personal care products, she decided to change the subject!

What else is in aging skincare products that should NOT be there? There are a lot, I am afraid and before rating skincare products, we need to be aware of the major culprits.

All you have to do is to log on to the website of the Campaign for Safer Cosmetics and you will be shocked at what you find. They mention a well known shampoo which is touted as being natural and organic. In reality, it contains twelve synthetic petrochemicals and is considered moderately toxic by the Environmental Working Group. Another nasty chemical to watch out for is 1.4-dioxane which is now banned in California because it has been shown to be carcinogenic.

The good news is that up to 1,400 companies have signed up to the campaign but there is still a long way to go. They are determined that the European Union directives are there to be followed. There is an upcoming summit in New York for all stakeholders about the challenges the cosmetics industry is facing in providing organic and natural products.

Before you begin rating skincare products, check to see if the company/companies have signed up for this campaign. You will be much more relaxed about using their aging skincare products, should you decide to purchase.