Personal care products aren’t just for women anymore. As a recent story noted, men are spending increasing amounts on grooming products.
Whatever our gender, we’re slathering stuff on our faces and bodies to make us look and smell “better” and to help us feel younger and more attractive. And around the holidays, with all those parties and other gatherings, we tend to fancy up a little more often, which usually means more products.
But those products can come at a cost to the health, safety, and well-being of ourselves, other people, animals, and the earth. Many personal care and beauty products contain potentially harmful chemicals, are tested on animals, and pollute our land, water and air. And regulations can be iffy. Just one example: Recently a new global treaty limited the use of mercury in certain products, but it doesn’t include a ban on mercury in mascara.
One solution is to avoid using personal care products we don’t really need. For those we do need (such as deodorant), there are often DIY options. (For example, I use baking soda as a deodorant, and even with my sweaty Aikido classes, it works.)
Making our own products may not be an option for every grooming choice, though, which is where these resources for healthier, safer personal care products come in. Use these six resources as a starting place to help you find choices that best meet your beauty needs as well as your values for doing the most good and least harm for all.
- Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is a coalition focused on gaining corporate, regulatory and legislative reforms to make cosmetics and personal care projects safer and healthier. Find resources and news on their website. - Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
EWG’s database offers profiles of thousands of personal care and beauty products and ingredients, highlighting health and safety concerns. - Good Guide
Good Guide offers the “world’s largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of the products in your home.” They provide ratings for more than 70,000 products, including health and beauty products. - Leaping Bunny
Find out about cruelty-free products and see which companies don’t test their products on animals. - The Story of Cosmetics
This film from the Story of Stuff Project examines the toxic ingredients in our personal care products. - Think Dirty App
Swipe the barcode of a cosmetic or personal care product and if it’s in the database, the Think Dirty app will offer information about the product, its ingredients and possible healthier alternatives.
Want more ideas for choosing products that can do more good and less harm? Check out our Ethical Consumerism guide on Pinterest.