Good enough to eat: natural skin care

You’ll find lots of natural skin and body care products with botanical ingredients and earthy-looking packages. But what do the labels—“pure,” “natural,” “plant ingredients”—really mean?

In many cases, not much. While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies cosmetics and personal care products, it does not require pre-market health or safety studies or testing. With the exception of a handful of prohibited ingredients, manufacturers may use almost any raw material in product formulations, without FDA approval. As a result, personal care products may contain all kinds of scary chemicals (see a partial list below).

A better option: good-enough-to-eat cosmetics made with organic food ingredients. Whip up a batch of each, and refrigerate leftovers in glass jars for healthy (and less-pricey) skin care:

Grapefruit and rosemary body scrub. Add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 5 drops of grapefruit oil and 3 drops of rosemary oil to half a cup of sugar. In the shower, wet skin thoroughly, scrub gently, and rinse well.

Honey-oatmeal facial scrub. Combine 2 tablespoons yogurt, 2 tablespoons very finely ground oats (use a clean coffee grinder), and 1 tablespoon honey. Smooth mixture onto damp face, let it sit for 5 minutes, then gently scrub and rinse off.

Banana and macadamia nut mask. Mash 1 banana, then beat by hand until creamy and smooth. Beat in 1 tablespoon macadamia nut oil and 1 tablespoon honey. Smooth onto face and let sit for 10 minutes, then rinse well and pat skin dry. Gently pat on a few drops of macadamia nut oil to seal in moisture.

Coconut-lavender hand treatment. Add 10 drops lavender oil to 1/2 cup coconut oil and mix well. Slather onto hands before bed, slip on thin cotton gloves, and allow the moisturizing oils to penetrate all night.

Chocolate-mint lip balm. Gently melt 1/4 cup cocoa butter. Let cool, then stir in 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, and 7 drops peppermint extract. Smooth onto chapped, dry lips to moisturize and protect, and store at room temperature for up to 2 months.

Vanilla-almond and rose body moisturizer. Melt 1/4 cup shaved beeswax, 1/3 cup coconut oil and 1/3 cup rosewater over low heat, let cool. Whisk in 1/3 cup almond oil, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup aloe vera gel. Beat until creamy, and slather on skin after bathing.

Rose geranium bath milk. Combine 1 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup rose water and 10 drops rose geranium oil. Add to warm water and luxuriate for 20 minutes. Gently pat skin dry, or use your hands to wipe excess water from your body, leaving skin slightly damp. Slather on vanilla-almond body moisturizer before dressing.

Sandlewood-patchouli bath salts. Add 10 drops sandalwood oil and 5 drops patchouli oil to 1/2 cup finely ground sea salt. Mix thoroughly with fingers until oil is evenly dispersed through salt. Stir in 1 cup Epsom salts and mix well to blend. Add 1/4 cup to bath water, swirl to mix, and soak for 15 minutes.

Avocado-carrot antioxidant hair mask. Mash 1 avocado. Beat in 1/2 cup carrot juice until creamy and smooth. Poke a hole into a vitamin E capsule and squeeze contents into mixture. Repeat with a vitamin A capsule. Apply to clean, damp hair. Pile hair onto top of head, wrap in a towel, and let sit for 15 minutes. Rinse hair well, then let air dry.

Scary chemicals in your personal care products:

• Phthalates, found in synthetic fragrances, are endocrine disruptors that have been linked with developmental and reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity, and organ system toxicity. If a product’s ingredient list contains the word “fragrance” (rather than “pure essential oils”), that product probably contains phthalates.

• Propylene glycol, linked to cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity, allergies and immunotoxicity, and skin and eye irritation, is often included in lotions, creams, cleansers, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, and antiperspirants. It may be listed as 1,2-dihydroxypropane; 2-hydroxypropanol; methylethyl glycol; 1,2-propanediol; or propane-1,2-diol.

• Parabens, used as preservatives in a wide variety of body care products, are linked to cancer, developmental toxicity, and reproductive damage. They may be listed as 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, benzoic acid, 4-hydroxy-; p-carboxyphenol; p-hydroxybenzoic acid; p-salicyclic acid; 4-hydroxy- benzoic acid; or parabens.

• Mineral oil is a petroleum derivative that has been linked to cancer, organ system toxicity, and immunotoxicity. It may be listed as deobase, heavy mineral oil, hydrocarbon oils, light mineral oil, liquid paraffin, liquid petrolatum, paraffin oil, paraffin oils, paraffinum liquidum, prolatum oil, white mineral oil, or petroleum.

• Sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate is used as a foaming or sudsing agent in soaps, shampoos, bubble baths, and body washes; it can cause organ system toxicity and irritation of the skin, eyes and hair. May be listed as PEG- (1-4) lauryl ether sulfate, sodium salt; polyethylene glycol (1-4) lauryl ether sulfate, sodium salt, and other names.

• Oxybenzone, widely used in sunscreens and other skin care products with SPF protection, is linked with endocrine disruption, reproductive damage, allergies, and cell damage. It may be listed as benzophenone-3, 2-benzoyl-5-methoxyphenol; 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone; (2-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl) phenylmethanone; and other names. For safer sun protection, avoid oxybenzone and choose a product with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.