Avoiding chemicals in cosmetics: the David Suzuki Foundation's Dirty Dozen

As part of my health links on Monday, I mentioned Breast Cancer Action Montreal's list, Toxic Twenty, twenty cosmetic additives they think consumers should be avoiding. Today, I'm passing along the David Suzuki Foundation's Dirty Dozen. For more  indepth coverage, here is a link to the full report.

And in case you want one place to skim both lists, (just occasionally right because I really want you to read the full reports) I'll provide them below:

BCAM's Toxic Twenty

1. Benzalkonium Chloride
2. Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) / Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)
3. Coal Tar
4. Cocamide DEA / Lauramide DEA, TEA, MEA
5. DMDM Hydantoin
6. FD&C Colours
7. Formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasing preservatives (note: not usually listed but according to them it is in almost everything. They say it will likely be listed as fragrance, parfum or aroma
8. Fragrance
9. Heavy Metals (note: again, not listed. Often present as a contaminant but sometimes added intentionally)
10. Oxybenzone
11. Parabens
12. P Phenylenediamine
13. Phthalates
14. Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)
15. Propylene Glycol
16. Selenium Sulfide
17. Sodium Laurel Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate
18. Synthetic Musks
19. Talc
20. Triclosan

David Suzuki Foundation's Dirty Dozen

1. BHA and BHT
2. Coal Tar Dyes
3. DEA (and MEA and TEA)
4. Dibutyl Phthalate
5. Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives
6. Parabens
7. Parfum (Frangrance)
8. PEG comounds
9. Petrolatum
10. Siloxanes
11. Sodium Laureth Sulfate
12. Triclosan

So that you are able to make informed choices in the drugstore or at the cosmetic counter, the Foundation has provided a handy pocket-sized list of the Dirty Dozen, available for download here.