Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Is Best in Beauty claiming that lipstick or lotion can give me cancer?
A. No. This is not our claim. Best in Beauty simply wants you to consider the products you use daily—often more than once a day—and to be aware of the chemicals they contain. Then, think about the number of chemicals your body is exposed to over a lifetime. From nail polish to shampoo to lotions to toothpaste to deodorant, Best in Beauty wants you to know what’s potentially absorbed into your body. The chemical concentrations in any single cosmetic product will not necessarily cause you harm; however, none of us ever use just products just once…
What we do claim: The Federal Drug Administration should pre-screen cosmetics before they are sold to the public, and cosmetic product ingredients should be listed on cosmetic product labels…just like food lists nutrition facts. You don’t have to be a chemist to know Lead is bad for you, but it seems you have to be a scientist to know it’s a chemical found in lipstick. Lipstick manufacturers are not legally required to disclose whether or not lead is an ingredient in their products, so unless you have a lab, you can’t know. It’s just not right!
Q. What is Best in Beauty?
A. Best in Beauty, based out of Tampa, Fla., is dedicated to providing high-quality, healthy beauty products to consumers at a price they can afford. Best in Beauty believes high standards for health and safety in the cosmetic industry are long overdue and offers products through its site from manufacturers that represent what the cosmetic industry should be. Through its program, Labels for Life, Best in Beauty teaches consumers ways to read cosmetic product labels so consumers are aware of harmful chemicals used in mass-market products, such as lead, mercury and formaldehyde. Through partnerships with quality brands such as Ecco Bella, Ferro Cosmetics, Dropwise Cosmetics, etc., Best in Beauty wants to be the leading source for all-natural personal care products available online, as well as consumers’ number-one information source for healthy beauty information and advice. Learn more about Best in Beauty on the About Us page of this Web site.
Q. Many companies claim to offer safe, natural and organic products. How can consumers be sure their claims are true?
A. Unfortunately, due to lack of regulation in the cosmetics industry, it is hard for anyone to know which brands are safe or not. That is the very reason why Best in Beauty wants the FDA to demand all ingredients be listed on cosmetic product labels and ban toxic chemicals from personal care products. However, we offer a solution in the meantime through our “Labels for Life” campaign. We provide easy-to-remember ways to help you feel more confident about products you purchase. Here are some solutions:
Q. How does the government regulate and certify the safety of personal care products?
A. Unfortunately, the FDA does not currently review or approve cosmetic products or their ingredients before manufacturers sell them to the public. Further, the FDA can’t even legally require manufacturers to safety-test their products before selling them. In fact, The FDA states:
“Cosmetic firms are responsible for substantiating the safety of their products and ingredients before marketing. Failure to adequately substantiate the safety of a cosmetic product or its ingredients prior to marketing causes the product to be misbranded unless the following warning statement appears conspicuously on the principal display panel of the product's label:
‘Warning--The safety of this product has not been determined.’ (21 CFR 740.10)”
How often do you see this warning on cosmetic labels?
You can find more information about the FDA standards for cosmetic products on the FDA Web site: FDA Cosmetic Standards and FDA Authority Over Cosmetics.
Q. Only makeup, contains toxic chemicals, right?
A. No. Unfortunately, toxic chemicals can be found in suntan lotions, deodorants bubble bath, toothpaste, shampoo, condition, perfumes, and many other products used by women, men and children. Review our Top 10 Most Common Toxic Chemicals lists to learn where many of these chemicals can be found, and how they might appear on a label.
Q. Does lipstick really contain lead?
A. Yes, many lipstick products contain lead. In fact, according to tests performed by The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, one-third of lipsticks they test tested in 2007 tested exceeded the 0.1 ppm FDA lead limit for candy (that’s right, lead in candy!). If lead is in our lipstick, and we lick our lips, we’re in danger of ingesting lead! Take a look at the full report from The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (PDF).
Q. Why doesn’t the FDA limit lead in lipstick like it does in paint?
A. We don’t know, but we want to find out. The goal for Best in Beauty is to motivate the FDA to regulate personal care products just as it does food, paint, etc. You can help us draw more attention to this problem and voice your concerns about the FDA’s absence in the cosmetics industry by joining our
campaign.
Q. Where can I find lipsticks that do not contain lead?
A. You can shop the Best in Beauty store, because our product partners do not use lead in their lipsticks. You can also visit the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database for more information about lead-containing lipsticks.
Q. Are there sources that list lipstick products that contain lead?
A. Yes. Take a look at A Poison Kiss: The Problem of Lead in Lipstick (PDF) and the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. However, for a quick solution you can find a variety of safe lipsticks at our online store.
Q. Do other makeup products contain lead, (like foundation or eye products)?
A. Possibly. It is currently not illegal to use lead in cosmetics in the U.S., and since no government organization requires pre-market tests for cosmetics, we cannot be sure.
Help us get the FDA involved by joining our
campaign.
Q. Do cosmetic manufacturers have to use these ingredients in their products? Wouldn’t products be totally different without them?
A. No. Our product partners do not use toxic ingredients, and they offer excellent makeup and personal care products. It wouldn’t be hard for other brands to use alternative, safe ingredients also.
Q. What are some of the most harmful ingredients in products?
A. We have created a list of what many feel are the most common harmful ingredients found in personal care products. However, there are many more. We will be adding more information about dangerous ingredients to our site, but in the meantime you can use the European Union’s Cosmetic Directive (PDF) to see a full list of chemicals they have banned from cosmetic products due to potential harmful effects. They have banned 1,300 chemicals so far; the U.S. has only banned ten.
Q. What security measures and safe online shopping technologies does your web site use?
A. BestinBeauty.com offers secure shopping with SSL Security. We use SSL Certificate encryption (128 bit) on checkout. You can rest assured that your credit card information is secure on BestinBeauty.com. Read more about our Site Security.