GreenYour.com

Opt for organic, natural, and cruelty-free blushes, which avoid ingredients that come from petroleum refining—such as coal tar colorants, mineral oil, and propylene glycol—and talc mining.

What to look for when choosing natural blush

1. Avoid talc: Talc is a naturally occurring mined mineral (magnesium silicate) that's usually the main ingredient in blush and provides the powdery base. It also usually contains small amounts of boric acid, zinc oxide, or other powders as a coloring agent. All types of mining are harmful to the environment, and talc mining and processing (crushing and grinding), as well as storing, bagging, and shipping, generates talc dust and noise pollution. Talc mining is an energy-intensive process that burns large amounts of petroleum, releasing greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Talc is a lung irritant with a chemical composition much like asbestos, a known carcinogen. Prolonged inhalation can be damaging to the lungs.
2. Avoid petrochemicals: Petroleum-based ingredients in cosmetics—including mineral oil, a mix of refined liquid hydrocarbons that are byproducts of refining crude oil to make gasoline, and acrylates, a form of petroleum-based plastics used as film-forming agents in cosmetics—are produced through oil refining. The production and use of petroleum products pollutes the air, water, and soil. Oil drilling and exploration may disturb land and ocean habitats. Producing oil at refineries releases pollutants into the air, while faulty oil storage tanks leak oil into the soil. Oil spills pollute rivers and oceans and harm wildlife. Even washing petroleum-based makeup off your face sends petrochemicals down the drain and into drinking water and waterways, where they can harm humans, animals, and marine life. Petroleum byproducts can also cause nasal lesions if inhaled or dermal irritation if applied to the skin.
3. Steer clear of coal tars and propylene glycol (PG): Coal tars (used as colorants) are a thick, liquid waste product that results from the processing of bituminous coal. The coal tar in make-up is the same substance that's elsewhere classified as hazardous waste, and the subject of Superfund cleanups. PG is a clear, colorless liquid made from natural gas, used as a humectant in blush to keep the product from drying out. While it's used in many "natural" products, propylene glycol has been the source of much debate.
4. Go organic: Products that contain 95 percent organic ingredients—plants grown without toxic pesticides, for example—can use the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Organic Seal. With 70 percent organic content, the label can say "made with organic ingredients" but can't have the seal; with less than 70 percent organic ingredients, "organic" can't be used on the packaging except in the ingredients list to call out specific organic ingredients. Bottom line when shopping for blush: If you want to be sure you're getting an organic product, choose one with the USDA Organic Seal.
5. Look for the National Products Association Certified Seal: Natural has no current legal definition, but on May 1, 2008, the Natural Products Association (NPA) announced a new certification program that defines "natural" and includes an easily-identified seal. To be sure the blush you're buying is not made from synthetics, seek out the seal. (NPA certified products must also be cruelty-free.
6. Join the cruelty-free movement: "Cruelty-free" is another term lacking legal definition, but you can be sure a product isn't tested on animals by looking for the Leaping Bunny Logo, created as part of the Humane Cosmetics Standard (HCS), the only international criteria for cosmetic or toiletry products that aren't tested on animals. To get the leaping bunny, manufacturers can't test their ingredients on animals or buy from suppliers that do. In the US, the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC) is the granter of the leaping bunny logo, and it conducts routine checks to ensure that manufacturers toe the line.[1]

Find it! Natural blush

Before you buy

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states, "There are no Federal standards or definitions that govern the use of the term 'hypoallergenic.' The term means whatever a particular company wants it to mean." On the upside, products designated as hypoallergenic may have common irritants removed, and are often fragrance free.

Choosing natural blush helps you go green because…

• It avoids the use of harmful petrochemicals, such as mineral oil, propylene glycol, and coal tar dyes, which pollute the air, water, and soil.
• It doesn't require the energy-intensive mining of talc, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.

Controversies

Although propylene glycol is recommended as a pet-friendly alternative to toxic ethylene glycol in antifreeze, it gets highly mixed reviews when used in foods, drugs, cosmetics, and personal care products. Eco-friendly Tom's of Maine removed propylene glycol from its deodorants and replaced it with a vegetable glycerin in 1993, in an effort to replace petrochemicals. After customer complaints that the deodorant stick was “soft and mushy” and feedback that the vegetable glycerin seemed to actually increase the growth of odor-causing bacteria, Tom's recalled the glycerin-based deodorant and went back to using propylene glycol in its formula. The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for propylene glycol states that in concentrated form it can cause temporary reddening, stinging, or swelling of the eyes or skin, but Tom's points out that MSDS sheets apply to material storage and handling of large amounts of the ingredient in its pure form; this doesn't mean that a product containing the ingredient will have these irritating properties.[2]

External links

• Environmental Working Group - Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database Find out what's in your blush, or find a safer one.
• Natural Products Association - Take Action Download an "Action Pack" with a guide to effective grassroots action and materials to better educate your legislators about the natural products industry. Find out about key bills and votes in the legislature and current federal regulations that pertain to natural products.