How many products did you put on your body today? Shampoos, deodorants, lotions, and soaps promise to make us feel shiny, fresh, soft and clean. But how clean are these products, really?

Here are 10 Big Ideas  you should know before you put on a cosmetic product by Stacy Malkan. Stacy  is co-founder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and author of the award-winning book Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry.  She is a leading advocate for safer products, healthy food and clean production.

Top 10 Big Ideas  Healthy Skin: Put Your Best Face Forward

 

Now that we have some perspective and a little  context, another resource is Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me: A unique guide to skin care and makeup products from today’s hottest brands. by Paula Begoun. Paula names names and rates brands in this encyclopedic tome. If you’ve ever bought a brand of cosmetic and wondered just how it stacks up in the world of branded products, this is for you.

It’s still a buyer beware world to navigate. Part of playing the “Is It Healthy?” Game is to be more informed. The more we are,  the savvier and happier a buyer we’ll be. That’s especially true when cosmetics talks turn ugly.

skewed image of woman fashion modelIf you’ve ever considered that maybe not all that’s glamorous is good for us, then see what happens when the imagine clothes for models.

Perhaps there’s something else going on when it comes to how the media treated women this year.

Here’s five minutes of what the media actually does to women. Pervasive media, impossible standards and photoshop are all that’s needed. It’s not wonder cosmetics is such big business.