Friday, June 26, 2009
How To Read a Personal Care Label

- Start at the end where preservatives are listed. Try to avoid:
- Words ending in “paraben”
- DMDM hydantoin
- Imidsazolidinyl urea
- Methylchloroisothiazolinone
- Methylisothiazolinone
- Triclosan
- Triclocarban
- Triethanolamine (or “TEA”)
- Next, check the beginning of the ingredients list. Here you’ll find the soap, surfactant, or lubricant that has been added to make the product work. Try to avoid ingredients that start with “PEG” or have an “-eth” in the middle (e.g., sodium laureth sulfate).
- Finally, read the middle ingredients. Here you’ll look for some common – but not essential - additives that may bring excess hazard: fragrance and dyes. On the label look for “FRAGRANCE,” “FD&C,” or “D&C.”
Labels: environmental working group, EWG, Ingredients, living holistically, personal care, skin care, toxic
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