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Singer, Natasha. "Should You Trust Your Makeup?" The New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/15/fashion/15skin.html?ref=health&pagewanted=print

This article "Should you trust your makeup" by Natasha Singer in the New York Times questions the validity of current federal standards regarding beauty products. The European Union and California already have stricter standards regarding levels of toxic chemicals in makeup and skin creams. California requires cosmetics companies to tell state health authorities if a product contains any chemical on several government lists of possible cancer-causing agents or substances that may harm the reproductive system. The bill was passed in the hopes that hope that manufacturers might voluntarily eliminate suspect ingredients from cosmetics, even in trace amounts. This is controversial because no studies exist that conclusively prove that the substances under scrutiny in these cosmetics are linked to disease, although some small case reports published in medical journals suggest that a few substances used in cosmetics may affect hormone function in humans.

Most of the substances are in such small doses, and tests are already being performed by the companies regarding their safety, that additional warning labels seem more confusing than helpful to the consumer. The inconclusive evidence shows the difficulty of regulating issues of science rather than policy, and given that it is not certain that these substances are dangerous in the amounts in cosmetics, the warning labels seem unlikely to influence consumer behavior.

I ask the question: does more information promote better behavior? The answer is: not always. Millions of people eat artificial sweeteners, drink alcohol, and smoke cigarettes, despite warning labels on these products. Also, people use cosmetics tested on animals -- and even inject Botox, a paralyzing chemical in their foreheads, in the name of beauty. Additional warning labels will do little to change consumer behavior, especially when it comes to style, unless there is more research that proves that these chemicals pose a health risk.