Did you know that the government presently has no authority to require companies to test personal care products for safety before they reach the store shelf? That is, personal care items such as cosmetics, shampoos, deodorants, etc. are not subject to FDA premarket approval authority.
The Environmental Working Group has sought to remedy the absence of information on the safety of cosmetics and other personal care products with Skin Deep, an online safety guide intended to help people find safer personal care products, with fewer ingredients that are hazardous or that haven't been thoroughly tested. The Skin Deep database provides easy-to-navigate safety ratings for tens of thousands of personal care products.
Skin Deep's staff scientists determine safety ratings by comparing the ingredients on personal care product labels and websites to information in nearly 60 toxicity and regulatory databases.
Ratings depend on how each product is typically used. For instance, chemicals that are hazardous when they are inhaled would be a concern for products that are sprayed or that are in powder form.
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