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Tips >> Greening Your Beauty Regime

1. DO YOUR HOMEWORK.

To get a picture of the enormity of this issue, note that an estimated 17,000 products or new versions of existing products are brought into the Canadian marketplace each year.

2. WHO IS REGULATING THESE PRODUCTS?

Health Canada through its Product Safety Program, publishes a cosmetic ingredient Hotlist which is updated annually, based on current scientific studies and data. The Hotlist lists over 500 substances which are restricted or prohibited for use in cosmetics. Companies using items on the Hotlist may be ordered to remove the ingredients or to modify the formulation in some way. The Canadian Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association (CCTFA) is an industry association representing 175 beauty companies. The CCTFA works along with Health Canada to ensure the safety of cosmetic products and advocates each year for comprehensive labelling standards (now based on the INCI system – or the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients, since 2006).

3. WHAT CAN THE CONSUMER DO TO PROTECT HIS OR HER HEALTH AND SAFETY, IN ADDITION TO MAKING A SOUND GREEN PURCHASING DECISION?

This is a tall order, but there some things to watch out for:
• Read and carefully follow the package directions.
• Routinely try a test patch on your skin.
• Keep cosmetics and other beauty products scrupulously bacteria-free. Never share products.
• Keep the products fresh and discard expired ones immediately, for example eye make-up should be
discarded after three months.
• Any allergic or other reactions to cosmetics should be reported to the Product Safety Program of Health
Canada. They can be called at 613-946-6452 or emailed at cosmetics@hc-sc.gc.ca.
• Contact your doctor or the cosmetic companies themselves for advice and information.

4. MAKING A GREEN BEAUTY PRODUCT PURCHASING DECISION:

Look for companies who operate in an eco-friendly manner. Some of the largest players in this field are The Yves Rocher Foundation; The Body Shop; and Aveda.

Check out the ingredient list to ensure that natural ingredients are used insofar as possible. Simply because a product advertises itself as natural, organic, etc. does not mean that it is completely chemical free. Some companies such as Dr. Hauschka use a farming technique called biodynamics to ensure the chemical-free, self-sustaining nature of its plants.

Look for biodegradable or refillable packaging or a recycling program directly to the product manufacturer, such as M.A.C.’s program.

Be aware of Fair Trade issues in the practices of companies you patronize. Aveda, uses sustainable, organic, and fairly-priced ingredients sourced form its supplying countries.

Finally, watch out for companies who act as good corporate citizens in the foundations they support and who seek to protect the environment through sustainable and ecologically-friendly manufacturing and trading practices.