Skin Deep: An Online Guide to Safety Ratings for Cosmetics and Other Personal Care Products

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.

Click here to learn more.

About the Author

Tom D'Amore is the founder of D'Amore Law Group and a trial attorney with over 30 years of experience representing injured people and their families across the West Coast, securing more than $325 million in recoveries. He handles cases involving car accidents, trucking accidents, construction injuries, medical malpractice, and sexual abuse. Licensed in Oregon, Washington, and California, Tom is the only NBTA board-certified truck accident attorney in Oregon. He is a national Board of Governors member, past Executive Committee member, and past Budget and Audit Chair of the American Association for Justice, as well as past President of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association and an Eagle member of the Washington State Association for Justice.