Cosmetics Report Not Pretty

What's in your cosmetics? You may be getting more than you bargained for dangerous chemicals according to a report on name brand off-the-shelf beauty products. Last May, a coalition of environmental and public health groups had 72 products tested at a major American laboratory the largest sampling of its kind, believe the researchers. It was discovered that almost three-quarters of products (52 of 72) contained phthalates, a group of industrial chemicals associated with birth defects in the male reproductive system. What's more, none of the labels indicated the presence of phthalates a loophole in both American and Canadian regulations that permits inadequate testing and labelling requirements.

Popular hairsprays, deodorants and fragrances, as well as name brands such as Revlon, Calvin Klein and Christian Dior, were some of the products tested. The full 20-page report is available free at nottoopretty.org.