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Think twice about buying your little or big princess
the toy-cosmetics that are so heavily marketed and so readily
available at dollar bargains - ever think why they are so
cheap?
Why do you care?
- 7 billion (yes ...billion!) dollars is the 2007 retail
value in the US of the hair care, skin care and colour cosmetics
bought for and by teens and tweens - with key "drivers"
being premium image brands, pop-prestige retail stores, kids
green mindedness and creative marketing tactics.1
- Many ingredient used in everyday grooming products contain
ingredients that can build up in a body over a lifetime and
may pose long-term, persistent health risks.
- Persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic chemicals break
down very slowly and persist over time. They are often
stored in the body's fat tissue and can lead to high concentrations
in the body.2
- Hormone disrupting chemicals mimic and interfere with the
human hormone cycle - and implicated in early puberty, development
of breast cancer, reproductive disorders in males.3
- The Falling Age of Puberty in U.S. Girls,
a report commissioned by the Breast Cancer Fund, cites
a combination of factors playing a role in accelerating
puberty in girls including early and ongoing exposure
to endocrine disrupting chemicals.4
- Average age of puberty onset has fallen to just under
10 years old for US white girls and under 9 for US black
girls, with a significant portion starting breast development
before age eight - which may result in increased negative
physical and metal health consequences.
- Fragrances are being used by a much younger audience - in
both fragrances specific products (eau de princess parfum
anyone?) and used to scent other grooming items.
- Fragrances are a major causes of allergic contact dermatitis and a recent study indicated that manufactures of children's products have made products at concentrations which are considered to be unsafe.5
- See The Nose Knows e-bulletin.
The Know How
- Read the labels of any cosmetics or nail polish your teen
or young child use to make sure they're using safer products,
and applying them appropriately, sparingly, and infrequently.
See our Ingredients to Avoid
list.
- Some "natural" or botanical ingredients can trigger
allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.
- The Environmental Working Group Skin Deep database suggests
avoiding these "play
make-up" products:
- Lipstick - can contain harmful impurities that children
swallow in small amounts.
- Nail polish containing dibutyl
phthalate and toluene
- Linked to hormone disruption and cancer.
- Cosmetics in powder form - Children can inhale these
powders, damaging their lungs.
- Fragrance
- Allergens that may contain neurotoxic or hormone-disrupting
chemicals.
- Be aware of lifestyles' impact on early puberty - maintain
healthy weight, be active and eat healthy foods.
Know and Tell
- Patti's 7 year old daughter has fleeting interest in the
make-up mom uses in the morning - she likes to buff her nose
with mom's Kabuki brush and mineral powder and she has her
own collection of Burt's Bee's colored lip shimmers. When
she shows more interest in her "tweens", they'll
be heading to the natural make-up counter.
- Tamey's 8 year old seems to be attracted to lipsticks at
the moment. So at homeshe is allowed to use Mom's lip gloss.
And like Patti's daughter she will be using natural make-up
when she's allowed to wear it outside. When is that age
21?
- Quote from Sandra Steingraber, author of The Falling Age
of Puberty in US Girls: "My biologist brain says, there's
not a lot you can conclude from the environmental evidence,
but I've got a 9-year old girl and as a mother, I say, They've
introduced all these chemicals into the environment, and they
have not idea what its doing. What are they, nuts?"'
1. Packaged Facts. Teen
and Tween Grooming Products, December 2007.
2.Women
and their Toxic World. Women in Europe for a Common Future,
2006.
3. Dying to Look Good: The Disturbing Truth About What is Really
in your Cosmetics, Toiletries and Personal Care Products. Christine
Hoza Farlow. 2006
4. The
Falling Age of Puberty in US Girls, A Breast Cancer Fund
Report. Sandra Steingraber 2007
5. Mapping
of perfume in toys and children's articles. Survey of chemical
substances in consumer products, No. 68, 2006
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