Toxic Cosmetics

• Tuesday, 27 July 2010

We try to eat healthy, we exercise, we indulge in a greener lifestyle yet there's still some hidden danger lurking behind us in our products. With the fad on looking younger bombarding us via the media, it's not surprising that many of us fall prey to off-the-shelf beauty products. Apart from making us glow, what else do these products have inside that could pose a threat to our lives. Learn what ingredients used in makeup could be hazardous to your health.

About Face

Artwork for TIME by Corliss Elizabeth Williams; Photograph by Danny Kim

It began, as few great scientific discoveries do, with a $400 hair treatment in West Hollywood. Siobhan O'Connor and Alexandra Spunt had decided to get Brazilian Blowouts — only to find out later that the secret straightening ingredient was formaldehyde, a known carcinogen.

That revelation prompted the two journalists to begin researching the cosmetics industry. They found that it was more toxic and less regulated than they'd ever suspected. They detail their findings in the new book No More Dirty Looks, which also highlights ways to look good and be green at the same time. Some advice from the authors:

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