New attention is being paid to what goes inside all those little
bottles of lotions and promises of brand-new, radiant skin. That's because many chemicals in traditional lotions and sunscreens have been
linked to hormone disruption, cancer, premature aging of the skin, coral bleaching, and more.
And there's no doubt that the cold spell is doing serious damage to skin. In fact, we've been tempted to raid grandma's pantry and use her ancient, sticky jug of Mazola as bubble bath. (Ok, not really. Mazola certainly isn't a very enviro-friendly product.) But there are plenty of ways you can help your poor moisture-deprived skin seek refuge and still ensure you don't damage your health or the environment.
The
Environmental Working Group has put together an extensive database that measures the human and environmental impact of numerous brands and types of lotions. The non-profit organization uses a score key to grade the products; a "zero"means the product has the least amount of known hazards and a score of "10" notes a high amount of hazards.
There are more than 500 pages of lotions alone, but you can easily organize by score, e.g., the best and safest products. Additionally, you can search for your
own brand to determine what sorts of hazards ingredients those products might contain and also find brands that have signed the
Compact for Safe Ingredients. Be sure to search for all products within a brand, however. Kiss My Face products, for example, have a hazard score between zero and seven. (The everyday moisturizer with SPF 15 gets a seven.) Clinique products are similar, ranging from one to nine on the hazard score.
Still, to find the best products for whatever ails you, check out the EWG's
list of product types (from bubble bath to cradle cap treatment) to find products free of parabens and other harmful chemicals. And if you can't find the products at your local grocery or department store, they will likely be at your local co-op, which stocks a wide range of safe, organic, and all-natural products for skin and hair.