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I don’t know whether it is apocryphal or true but I once read a charming story about the way the French choose a melon based on the day it's to be served! That’s why the classical beauty of French women is so well-established.

That's lovely and civilized.

Did you know that in September 2004, the European Union passed a rule banning hundreds of known or probable carcinogens, mutagens, or reproductive toxicants from cosmetics? Yet in the United States, neither cosmetic products nor their ingredients are reviewed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before being sold.

The cosmetic industry in the US is virtually unregulated. Almost any substance -- no matter how toxic --can be used in a cosmetic product. The result is that almost every body care product that you are currently using, face creams, hair spray, deodorants, toothpaste, shampoo, skin lotion, makeup, soap is loaded with chemicals which are decidedly harmful for you and on which no safety test has ever been conducted.

In Make-Up Call: Beauty Care Doesn't Have to Be a Chemical Stew, author Erickson, K gives the following list of toxic chemicals in beauty products:

Formaldehyde, used as a preservative and disinfectant, is a suspected carcinogen often found in shampoos;

* Listed as FD&C or D&C colors, Coal Tar is a common ingredient in cosmetics, hair dyes and dandruff shampoos. Found to cause cancer, it's also been linked to frequent allergic reactions, including asthma attacks, headaches, nausea, fatigue, nervousness and lack of concentration;

* Both Benzene and Toluene are found in nail polishes and removers. Used as solvents, they are highly toxic and can cause depression and convulsions, or induce coma or death;

* Propylene glycol, a solvent used for texture and stability, can cause allergic reactions. Frequently used in cosmetics, it's also found in brake fluid and antifreeze.

* Nitrosamines, though not primary ingredients in cosmetics, are also cautionary chemicals. According to Dr. Aubrey Hampton, founder of Aubrey Organics, nitrosamines are formed when two otherwise safe ingredients, nitrous acid and amines, are combined. Readily absorbed into the skin, the result is highly carcinogenic. "In fact," says Hampton, "nitrosamines are absorbed through the skin in far greater amounts than when nitrite-preserved foods [such as bacon] are eaten." To avoid the problem, he advises steering clear of products containing DEA or TEA in the name. For example, TEA-lauryl sulfate or Cocoamide DEA.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that male reproductive problems, including undescended testicles and hypospadias, doubled between 1970 and 1993. Environmental chemicals were strongly suspected to be contributing factors. Meanwhile, several recent reports also highlight the presence of low-level concentrations of potential reproductive or developmental toxicants, particularly phthalates, in cosmetics and personal care products.

In June 2004, Environment California issued Growing Up Toxic: Chemical Exposures and Increases in Developmental Diseases, which details chemicals found in consumer products and their potential health impacts. Other reports released around the same time by the Environmental Working Group (Skin Deep: A Safety Assessment of Ingredients in Personal Care Products) and Friends of the Earth (Shop Till You Drop? Survey of High Street Retailers on Risk; Chemicals in Products 2003-2004) support Environment California's publication. (Barrett, 2005)

According to these three reports, makeup, shampoo, skin lotion, nail polish, and other personal care products contain chemical ingredients that lack safety data. Moreover, some of these chemicals have been linked in animal studies to male genital birth defects, decreased sperm counts, and altered pregnancy outcomes. Although there is no definitive evidence for the same effects in humans, but widespread exposure, primarily to phthalates, has been shown to occur. Phthalates, as key components in plastics, appear in many consumer products. The main phthalates in cosmetics and personal care products are dibutyl phthalate in nail polish, diethyl phthalate in perfumes and lotions, and dimethyl phthalate in hair spray. Worse, very often, their presence is not mentioned on the labels!
Small wonder that alarmed by these reports, consumers the world over are now resorting to safe, organic products, even if they cost a wee bit extra.

According to available market estimates, the global $25 billion business in organic products is not inspiring farmers to devote 11.5 million hectares--roughly the size of Cuba to a cultivation of nothing but organic produce.

In every nation for which data exist, farmers are bringing between 10 and 40 percent more land under organic cultivation each year, and a recent U.N. survey found commercial organic food production in every inhabited nation on the planet! Organic cultivation now accounts for nearly 3 percent of all the farmland in the European Union. In Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Italy, and Switzerland, it accounts for 5 to 10 percent, in the United States and Canada, organic area in cultivation has grown between 15 and 20 percent and in some Austrian provinces as much as 50 percent!

I wouldn’t like to play favourite or endorse brands, as I believe that an informed consumer should be his own chooser, what I would recommend is that read all the labels carefully before buying any beauty or health product.

The key to your safety lies in reading the ingredient lists carefully, especially the fine print. Until ingredient bans are adopted worldwide, it's best to read labels. Further, instead of using sun screen creams or mosquito repellants on your children, a better alternative is to wear protective clothing, avoid tick-prone areas, and stay indoors when the sun or mosquitoes are out. Soybean oil and some botanical oils, such as citronella, lemongrass, peppermint, and cedarwood, also repel bugs.

Dr Kevin Lau is a Chiropractor and Nutritionist. In 2006, he was awarded the "Practitioner of the Year Award" by the Straits Time, Singapore. To date, Dr. Lau has successfully treated patients with scoliosis, disc herniation, sciatica and other chronic conditions. www.spinal.com.sg