A Nation of Guinea Pigs
FDA Considering Warnings on Health Care Products

Years ago—I forget whether it was in The New Yorker or Playboy—there was a cartoon of a woman standing next to a cosmetics counter in a large department store. The salesman is looking at her from behind the counter and says, “No, these products have not been tested on animals, why do you ask?”

The joke is that the cartoonist drew the one-panel comic so that the viewer can see what the woman can’t—a bunch of bunnies, foxes and beavers standing behind the counter wearing lipstick, mascara and rouge.

The not-quite-so-funny truth of the matter is that most cosmetics, soaps, shampoos and other personal items that we use every day are being tested on animals. And those animals are us.

The United States Food and Drug Administration is reconsidering its current policy of not requiring companies to do safety testing of their cosmetic products before marketing, as it does with drugs. The FDA maintains a division called the Office of Cosmetics and Colors that in 1995 declared “a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without an approval from the FDA.”

Although makeup, soaps and shampoos have been with us since the dawn of civilization, many of their ingredients these days are frighteningly new. For many chemical-making corporations, cosmetics and personal hygiene products are the perfect arenas to test the long-term health effects of new chemicals since they are basically unregulated and filled to the brim with willing human guinea pigs who will put the stuff on their head every single day for years at a time.

Don’t believe me? According to the Skin Deep study, 89% of 10,500 ingredients used in personal care products have not been evaluated by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel (CIR), the FDA, nor any other publicly accountable institution.

In its study of nail polish for example, the study found of 123 different brands and colors tested, 71% contained ingredients “known to be, suspected of being or possibly linked to birth defects, including toluene, dibutyl phthalate and ethoxyethanol acetate. And that’s not even taking in to consideration the toxic chemicals that are in nail polish remover.

The study also found that 71% of hair dye products were found to contain ingredients from carcinogenic coal tar and that all 413 shampoos tested had ingredients whose potential adverse health effects have not been fully studied by the industry. The next time you are at the store, look at the list of ingredients on the shampoo bottles. It reads like the list of words at the chemists’ annual spelling bee.

In 67 years, the FDA has banned or restricted only nine personal care product ingredients. By comparison, 450 ingredients are banned for use in cosmetics by the European Union.

The price of beauty. The US Food and Drug Administration is considering putting warning labels on hundreds of cosmetics in the near future.

Ask yourself this: When was the last time you saw a group of American females with none of them wearing makeup? Fashion trends come and go but war paint seems to be here for the duration. We took the lead out of industrial paint years ago because of the slight risk that some kids might peel it off the wall and eat it. Don’t you think we should apply at least the same standards to the experimental mix of chemicals that women are putting on their lips, cheeks and eyelids every day of their lives?

And guys, there’s bad news on the testosterone side of the aisle as well. Nivea for Men Aftershave Balm, Mild with Bonus Face Wash earned a 9.3 (scores range from 0 to 10, with 10 being of highest health concern) from the EWG Safety Assessment Rating in recent tests. This product is just one of 55% of 7,500 personal care products tested that contain what are known as “penetration enhancers.” These are ingredients designed to increase the product’s penetration into the skin, making sure your shave is smoother or your makeup doesn’t flake off while you’re on the treadmill at the gym. What happens is that the penetration continues through your skin, into your bloodstream, and eventually to places like your liver, kidneys, heart and brain. That’s one wild ride for a chemical, but it is the host and his vital organs that are taking the real risk.

Pressure from groups like EWG is starting to make a difference. Last month the FDA showed signs of growing a spine and informed the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association (a tougher group than its name suggests) that untested products may soon have to carry warning labels the way cigarettes and drain cleaners do.

Until that happens, you can visit the Environmental Working Group website for recent test results and a search engine to find out how your favorite products fare on the EWG Safety Assessment Rating.

For more information, visit www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep.