Mercury in Mascara? Minn. Law Bans It by Martiga Lohn, Associated Press December 14th, 2007 The quest for thicker lashes and defined eyes should get safer in Minnesota on Jan. 1, when a state law banning mercury from mascara, eye liners and skin-lightening creams takes effect.

Product Safety Debate by Michelle Devera Louie, San Francisco Chronicle November 25th, 2007 The way author and Campaign for Safe Cosmetics co-founder Stacy Malkan sees it, banning potentially harmful chemicals from personal care products like makeup and shampoo is a no-brainer.

Are your products safe? You can't tell. by Susanne Rust, Meg Kissinger and Cary Spivak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel November 4th, 2007 They promise to make skin softer, clothes smell fresher and food keep longer.The problem is, neither the companies that make these products nor federal regulators are telling you that some of these substances may be dangerous.

Some red lipsticks contain unhealthy levels of lead: study by Jessica Wakeman, New York Daily News November 4th, 2007 Earlier this month, the watchdog group Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found that one-third of the lipsticks in a study of 33 red lipsticks contained levels of lead exceeding 0.1 parts per million.

Not Just a Pretty Face Total Health Radio October 23rd, 2007 54-minute broadcast with Stacy Malkan of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

A Poison Kiss: The Problem of Lead in Lipstick Total Health Radio October 23rd, 2007 12-minute radio broadcast with Stacy Malkan of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

Swear Off Cosmetics Until We Are Sure They Are Safe by Susan Campbell, Hartford Courant October 17th, 2007 If you've wandered into a CVS lately and stood before the wall of lipsticks, the choices can be daunting.

Don't Pucker Up: Lead In Lipstick Good Morning America October 12th, 2007 You might want to think twice before touching up your lipstick. According to a new report, some lipsticks are contaminated with lead, from drugstore brands to designer labels.

FDA to Look at Claims of Leaded Lipstick Associated Press October 12th, 2007 The Food and Drug Administration said Friday it would look into claims from an advocacy group that certain lipsticks contain potentially dangerous levels of lead.

Lead tests raise red flag for lipsticks by John C. Drake, Boston Globe October 11th, 2007 Parents worried about the dangers of lead in their children's toys, bibs, and homes are about to be confronted with a new potential hazard: their lipstick.

Lead tests raise concerns for lipstick wearers New England Cable News October 11th, 2007 A detailed report on the tests were released at the Massachusetts State House Thursday.

The High Price of Beauty by Virginia Sole-Smith, The Nation October 8th, 2007 Tomi Tran works as a nail technician in Raleigh, North Carolina. She pays around $100 per week to rent a booth in a hair salon, buys all her polishes and supplies and finds her own clients, often giving free manicures at local malls and distributing fliers to drum up business. It's hard work, but Tran, 22, says it's heaven compared with her last salon job.

More Than Skin Deep: The Chemicals in our Cosmetics A World of Possibilities September 25th, 2007 Jane Houlihan of Environmental Working Group, Horst Rechelbacher of Intelligent Nutrients, Stacy Malkan of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and Jessica Assaf of Teens for Safe Cosmetics examine what we're putting on us that are also going in us — and to what effect.

Health Beat: Reading the Labels by Julie Deardorff, Tribune health and fitness reporter, Chicago Tribune September 4th, 2007 A vigilant label reader, 36-year-old Karen Altschul of Vernon Hills has known her favorite lotions and sunscreens contained parabens, or synthetic chemicals used as preservatives. But now that she routinely sees products at Sephora touted as "paraben-free," she wonders: "What, exactly, are parabens, and are they dangerous?"

The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products by Vanja Petrovic, AlterNet August 17th, 2007 American industry would have you believe that taking potentially hazardous and toxic chemicals out of everyday consumer products — removing phthalates from children's toys and cancer-causing coal tar from hair dye — would damage our economy and result in a loss of American jobs.

An Inconceivable Truth: The link between infertility & the environment by Robert Sullivan, Vogue August 1st, 2007 For decades, women have blamed themselves for fertility problems, but now scientists are looking outside — to your environment, to your backyard — for clues.

The Worst Jobs in America by Jeremy Caplan and Laura Fitzpatrick, Time Magazine July 30th, 2007 A lot of congratulations were passed around by lawmakers a few weeks ago when the federal hourly minimum wage was increased to $5.85, a 70 cent uptick. But wages are just part of the problem for workers in bottom-rung jobs.

Trend Watching: A Toxic Problem for Business? by Marc Gunther, GreenBiz June 1st, 2007 The risks — and even the potential risks — of toxic chemicals in products that we encounter every day has quickly become one of the biggest, most complex and controversial issues facing businesses today.

Safety of cosmetics is a gray area by Robert Cohen, Star-Ledger (New Jersey) May 27th, 2007 OPI Products, a leading professional nail-care company, reformulated its nail polishes, treatments and hardeners in the past year to remove chemicals that some have warned could pose potential health threats.

Beauty secret: The dangers of cosmetics ABC-11 Eyewitness News (Raleigh-Durham, S.C.) May 4th, 2007 They're banned in Europe because of safety concerns, but they're still widely used in this country. Some clinical studies link phthalates to cancer and birth defects and a federal lab in the Raleigh-Durham area is revealing why you should be concerned about the beauty secret.

OPI removes carcinogen from nail care products by Abigail Goldman, Los Angeles Times March 30th, 2007 A San Fernando Valley nail polish maker that is a major supplier to salons across the country said that it had removed the chemical toluene from its products.

Cosmetics Industry Ramps Up Safety P.R. by Kara Alaimo, Women's eNews March 23rd, 2007 In response to emerging studies that raise warnings about the potentially toxic effects of an ingredient in cosmetics, the industry is ramping up efforts to persuade consumers and lawmakers that its products are safe.

HEALTH ANSWERS by Judy Foreman, Boston Globe March 19th, 2007 Q: Can you tell from the labels whether cosmetics contain ingredients that may be harmful? A: In most cases, no, although a coalition of environmentalists known as the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is trying to change this, with some success.

Campaign For Safe Cosmetics Unimpressed By CTFA Consumer Commitments by Ryan Nelson, The Rose Sheet March 19th, 2007 Initiatives from the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association toward greater transparency and tighter self-regulation under its renewed commitment to consumers have not slowed the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

Potentially toxic cosmetics have some people worried by Abigail Leichman, The Record (Bergen, N.J.) March 13th, 2007 In the 1930s, several women's eyes were damaged or blinded by Lash Lure, a coal-tar-based mascara. So in 1938, Congress passed the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act regulating chemical colorants.

Toxic Cosmetics Getting Under the Skin of Concerned Investors by Anne Moore Odell, SocialFunds.com March 1st, 2007 As new studies expose the high number of toxic ingredients in personal care products and cosmetics, many consumers are asking just how safe are the products they use every day. Meanwhile, many investors are asking how safe from liability and market changes are the companies that manufacture and sell these products.

Some recommendations for the safe use of cosmetics and some ingredients to look out for by Herb Denenberg, The Evening Bulletin, Penn. February 22nd, 2007 The Environmental Working Group has come up with some advice for playing it safe with cosmetics. It starts by pointing out, “With no required safety testing, cosmetics companies can use almost any chemical they want, regardless of risks. Always read product labels before buying.”

Why a probable human carcinogen can be found in baby shampoo, other baby products, and cosmetics used by adults by Herb Denenberg, The Evening Bulletin, Penn. February 21st, 2007 One of the most difficult problems of a democracy is to strike the balance between over-regulation and under-regulation. The former stifles productivity, free enterprise, and innovation. The latter may give rise to safety problems, price gouging, and other problems.

Report suggests weak U.S. cosmetic regulation could hit investment by Simon Pitman, Cosmetics Design February 21st, 2007 There is growing concern over 'a largely self-policed' U.S. cosmetics industry that could hit vital investment into the industry as health issues increasingly effect choices, a new report reveals.

Study: Cancer-Causing Chemicals Found In Kids Products Testing Shows Elevated Chemicals In Bath Products WPXI-TV, Pittsburgh February 20th, 2007 The bubble bath and shampoo you’re using on your babies may contain a cancer causing petrochemical.

State mulls cosmetic safety law; Bill based on California measure by Lisa Stiffler, Seattle Post-Intelligencer February 20th, 2007 Shimmery lips, odorless armpits and minty-fresh breath are all possible thanks to countless personal-care products. But what's in that stuff and is it safe for consumers, children and the environment?

Should You Trust Your Makeup? by Natasha Singer, New York Times February 15th, 2007 Momentum has been building for greater oversight of the chemicals in everyday products, with the European Union and California taking the lead in imposing new rules for monitoring what is in the perfumes, creams, nail polish and hair sprays that are sold.

Web-exclusive Commentary: A Thousand Threats by Devra Davis, Newsweek February 15th, 2007 We know that children are not simply little adults. With their quick heartbeats, fast-growing organs and enviable metabolism, the young absorb proportionally more pollutants than those who are older.

Some children's bath products hazardous, groups say by Carlene Olsen, Cox News Service/New York Times News Service, Dallas Morning News February 9th, 2007 Some children's bath products contain a suspected cancer-causing chemical in amounts that reach or exceed recommended limits, environmental groups charged Thursday.

Testing finds traces of carcinogen in bath products by Marla Cone, Los Angeles Times February 9th, 2007 Some shampoos and other bath products still contain traces of a cancer-causing petrochemical that federal health officials have expressed concerns about for more than 20 years, according to test results announced Thursday by environmental activists.

One Great Big Plastic Hassle by Jane Akre, Conscious Choice January 31st, 2007 In the seminal 1967 film, The Graduate, baby-faced Dustin Hoffman was told the wave of the future — "Plastics." The lucrative career tip slipped on the QT to young Benjamin the day of his graduation bore no cautionary message about the veritable Pandora’s Box the petrochemical plastics industry had opened in the post-war era some 20 years before the film's setting. The overzealous Plastic Man knew the only thing he needed to know: the world would always be hungry for plastic.

Opinions: Cosmetics possibly bad for health by Katherine Beck, The Red and Black (University of Georgia student paper) January 30th, 2007 The morning routines of most young women are very similar: wash the face, put on deodorant and then apply make-up. Unfortunately, most young women are completely oblivious to the consequences of powdering their noses.

500 cosmetics firms agree to remove harmful ingredients by Patricia Anstett, Detroit Free Press January 26th, 2007 More than 500 companies have signed agreements to eliminate potentially unsafe ingredients in their cosmetic and body care products, a national health and environmental coalition said Thursday.

How to Green Women's Personal Care Treehugger.com January 25th, 2007 We are bombarded daily with the coaxing of the worldwide cosmetics industry as it tries to sell us products which guarantee to make us look younger, thinner and more gorgeous. Sadly, these products are not regulated to a level that would make most people feel very safe.

Two new laws affect industry and consumers by Momo Chang, Oakland Tribune, ANG Newspapers January 22nd, 2007 As awareness of chemicals in cosmetics has increased, so has the fear of contracting infections from nail salons, as reflected in two new state laws.

What you should know about chemicals in your cosmetics Consumer Reports ShopSmart(SM) January 1st, 2007 If they're on store shelves, it seems reasonable to figure that they're safe to use, despite those unpronounceable ingredient lists. But at least some of what's in your cosmetics might not be so good for you.