I received a newsletter from Gwyneth Paltrow's mailing list recently:
Dear Friend,
It’s a well-known fact that lead is toxic, especially to children. But did you know it could be lurking in your lipstick, eye shadow or shampoo?!
Most people mistakenly believe that the personal care industry is highly regulated. It’s not. At all. Companies are not even required to say on the label whether a product contains lead – no matter how much is in it!
Many cosmetic ingredients have come under consumer scrutiny in recent years. It has become incredibly difficult to navigate the wide array of claims of safety with so many ingredients being called into question. In September I will be participating in a broadcast (stay tuned for air dates) discussing natural vs. synthetic ingredients in personal care products. Of course I have said may times not all natural ingredients are the best choice and not all synthetics are the wrong choice when formulating cosmetics.
Let me preface this by stating that I am in full support of safe, useful, and effective cosmetics.
I personally respond to feedback from my consumers every day, and have continually adjusted my retail offering and manufacturing processes to meet their exacting standards.
However, as an owner of a cosmetics company, I have never bent to the pressure of lobby groups, least of all the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
