If it's on the shelf, it's safe - right?

The irony is not lost on me.  Nope.  For several years now I've been toting my very own preferred brand of kids' sunscreen to our child care center in the summers.  Alba Botanica.  None of those standard brands for my kids, thanks.  No animal testing?  Sign me up.  Worth the price?  Of course.  We must have six FULL tubes of the stuff because there was a sale recently, and rather than bankrupt our family to purchase it when it's not on sale, this mama likes to stock up (yes, it's genetic; I am a full-pantry mama). 

When I heard about the Environmental Working Group's sunscreen database, I was so not worried about my brand.  I typed it in thinking that by buying it from Wild Oats in a cute, groovy lookin' tube, I was all set.  My kids' skin was protected from the sun and any harmful chemicals, right?  Not so, mamas.  Not so. Instead, I've been rubbing oxybenzone into their chubby little cheeks - for years.  Even Wikipedia's short blurb on the chemical notes that in the E.U. there are labeling requirements for it.  Here?  Nah.  Why?  Industry. So what's new.  EWG found only 134 of 830 sunscreens to be safe  - is yours?

Not Exactly Sunscreen Season.  So true.  But the FDA's comment period is now, so what's a mama gonna do?  Well you can check out all your other baby products (shampoos, wipes, nipple creams, you name it) - EWG has a database for those, too, among other cosmetics.  Brace yourself.  There's nothing that says if it's groovy lookin' or expensive, it's safe.  Nature's Gate?  The uber-expensive Mustela?  See for yourself, mamas.  Then...do something about it - besides wondering why, yet again, consumer safety gets trounced by industry and government regulators alike. 

Do Something About It. The FDA is accepting comments until 11.26.07 on its proposed regulation.  Add your voice to the mix - they've weakened proposed standards before (really?), so let them know that you want to see them implement the proposed standards.  EWG has excellent advice on how to comment and spread the word to your friends.  Let's make sure our consumer voices are loud enough to drown out industry's all-too-often louder one.

You know, I've got a few (hundred) other things on my to-do list besides research every product I buy.  Thanks to EWG for making this Herculean task a lot easier, but still, I can't help but ask the obvious rhetorical question here: What products can I trust??  Oh right, all those toys from China!

Comments

[Lisa]

Great news - ha! CPSC head says she doesn't want any more $ from Congress to make products safer. Perfect! More research for us befroe walking in the door of a store: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/washington/30consumer.html?ex=1351483200&en=6e191c83d0ec1250&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

[Lisa]

Interesting article in today's NYT on organic & natural cosmetics and how those terms are not regulated and don't necessarily translter into safer products - see for yourself:http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/01/fashion/01skin.html?ex=1351569600&en=327ec5b0b0b4d7da&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink. That said, if I had afew bucks lying around to invest, these products seem like a sure bet.

[Amanda@EWG]

Thanks for this great post! EWG just made searching for baby products in the cosmetics database a whole lot easier with our Parent's Guide to Children's Personal Care Products. It's a one-page sheet with info on which chemicals to avoid and which products (by brand and by product type) are safest. Here's a link:
http://cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/parentsguide/

[sara]

Great post. I also thought my Alba Botanica was safe for similar reasons. The EWG list is great. Thanks for sharing.