Sources of Information about Cosmetics & Health

Weblinks

• http://www.fda.org/ (US Food and Drug Administration; gives information and research results about cosmetics amongst other subjects)
• http://www.ctpa.org/ (this is an organisation representing cosmetic and personal care companies in the UK so it is bound to be slightly "biased" but a good source of information about cosmetic regulations in the UK)
• http://www.theecologist.org/ (monthly periodical with regular beauty product reviews)
• http://www.preventcancer.com/ (the Prevent Cancer Coalition aims to stop the rise of cancer as the biggest killer in the world by providing free information to consumers; here you will find a list of carcinogenic cosmetic ingredients you should avoid)
• http://www.safecosmetics.org/ (US organisation)
• http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/ – The working group "Skindeep" offers excellent online search facilities for ingredients and products.
• http://www.mindfully.org/ – Covers a range of subjects from climate, food and health to nuclear energy, plastics and sustainability.
• http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/ – under “Toxics”, “The Problems”, “Hazardous Chemicals”

Publications:

• A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetics Ingredients, Ruth Winter (Three Rivers Press, 2005)
• Beauty to Die For, Judi Vance
• Don’t Go to the Counter without Me, Paula Begoun
• Dying to Look Good: The Disturbing Truth About What’s Really in Your Cosmetics, Toiletries and Personal Care Products, Christine Hoza Farlow
• Ökotest: If you speak German, you might want to look into subscribing to this most excellent German consumer magazine, which regularly tests, compares and reviews a variety of consumer products. See http://www.oekotest.de/ for details.
• The Ecologist: Environmental affairs magazine, which reports on a multitude of ecological and also health-related issues. Particularly interesting is the regular feature "Behind the Label".
• The Safe Shopper's Bible, A Consumer's Guide to Nontoxic Household Products, Cosmetics and Food, David Steinman & Samuel S. Epstein (Wiley Publishing, Inc., 1995)
  NB: This book was written as a guide for the US-American consumer and consequently reviews products which are available on the US market. A large number of these goods are, however, international brands, which are also distributed in the UK. The book also contains a lot of universally valid information on ingredients and health risks.
• Skin Care and Cosmetic Ingredients Dictionary, Natalia Michalun
  
  To be extended.