Here are a few shopping tips for a springtime makeup makeover.
x Read labels and avoid the Green Guide’s “Dirty Dozen,” 12 petroleum-derived chemicals that studies have shown to have serious health impacts.
SUKI COLOR Price range: $31.50–$42
Price range: $16.95–$33.95
Availability: sukicolor.com; some natural foods retailers
Why It’s Greener: Suki’s cream cosmetics are made from sensitive-skin-friendly minerals, and they don’t contain bismuth oxychloride, a mineral used in most powdered brands that’s often accused of making skin look oily and shiny. Suki’s products are also packaged in glass, making the containers much easier to recycle than the molded plastic used for nearly all of the other cosmetics on the market. Finally, as signatories of the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, the line’s creators have removed all ingredients banned in the European Union and have substantiated all the other ingredients they use for safety.
Availability: drhauschka.com; Whole Foods Market and other natural foods retailers
• Antibacterials
• Coal tar colors: FD&C Blue 1, Green 3
• Diethanolamine (DEA)
• 1,4-Dioxane (present in sodium laureth sulfate and other –eth ingredients)
• Formaldehyde (from urea-based and quaternium preservatives)
• Fragrance
• Hydroquinone
• Mercury and lead
• Nanoparticles
• Parabens (methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, butyl-, isobutyl-)
• Petroleum distillates
• Phenylenediamine (PPD)
Why It’s Greener: Made by a company based in Germany, these cosmetics adhere to the European Union’s “guilty until proven innocent” cosmetic regulations, which are much stricter than the U.S.’s “innocent until proven guilty” philosophy on chemicals in cosmetics. They’re also independently certified by BDIH, a German agency that requires the use of plant-based ingredients whenever possible and bans petroleum-based ingredients and animal testing. Dr. Hauschka’s plant ingredients are grown on “biodynamic” farms, where, proponents claim, the fertilizers used and astrologically based planting cycles lead to especially healthy and nutrient-rich plants.
x Look for third-party certifications like BDIH, Ecocert, Australia’s Organic Food Chain or even USDA Certified Organic, which is now applicable to personal care products but not as meaningful as the other certifications.
x Buy from companies that have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics (for a complete list, see safecosmetics.org).
x Choose products in recycled-content and/or recyclable packaging.
looking label bedecked with green leaves.
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