High Maintenance Mom

I've been using their Skin Deep site for a few years now - http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/. I use it to look for product safety. We try not to use anything over a 1, and definitely not over a 3. We also look at ingredients one by one to view their concerns (and to determine what we are most/least concerned about). It helps if you are trying to sort through your products and switch over to safer options. We've gradually done this over the last 3 years - shampoos, handsoap, lotion, baby products etc. You can search by name, or by product, or by score (highest or lowest) etc. It takes awhile to go through the process (of looking up all your day to day products and then finding safer alternatives), but it's been really helpful. I should note that there are times when Skin Deep shows an older formulation of something that hasn't yet been updated in their system. For example, a children's shampoo that may used to use PABA or parabens etc. and have now reformulated, but Skin Deep doesn't have the newest formulation updated on their system so they are rating it based on an older formulation. So be sure you then compare the ingredients they list with your actual bottle etc. to ensure it's the right one. Most of the time, it is but a few times it hasn't been and it was showing a negative score for an ingredient that is no longer in the product. I think they now show what date formulation they are referring to, so that helps.

That's a great site! I checked on some products I assumed were OK and they had a 4 or 5! I love Aveeno products and some did very well but my daily face cream was a 5. My biggest concern is for my kids so I use a lot of California Baby but wish their lotions came in bigger tubes since we lube up the kids so much.

I remember being really surprised by some too - for example Desitin. If I remember correctly it was a 4 or a 5. That really mad me angry since so many people use that on their children and probably have no idea. I think my parents probably used it on me, and it's just one of those things parents use - you see people receiving it in the hospital, at showers, all the baby stores etc. When I had my first son (now 4) and was looking into safety of day to day products Desitin was something I looked up and was shocked - ingredients are linked to cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity etc. And we are putting it right on their bottoms etc. That really irked me. I immediately changed to something else. I was fortunate that neither of my kids had to use a diaper rash type cream very often but when they did I no longer used Desitin.

Another thing I like about Skin Deep is you can look up a product, and if you find out its higher/less safe than you want, you can then find safer products of the same type. So if you are researching or ordering or shopping on line or in a store you have some brand options to consider (versus trying to navigate all the brands yourself).

That is shocking...Desitin! Wow, my Mom used that on all 4 of us. Hmmm, makes you think! I will have to research some new brands. Sometimes I think we just fall into the routine of things and what has been used so much in the past and by our trusted Mothers and friends. My Mom would be shocked to see what is considered unsafe by this web site....she is shocked by a lot of things we now know.