A Great Resource!

A few years ago, I stumbled upon the Environmental Working Group (EWG) site, and it has proven to be a really fantastic resource. If you want to know more about the toxicity and dangers of the products you purchase and use, I would highly recommend giving this site a browse!

What is it?
On the EWG site, it describes itself as "the nation’s most effective environmental health research and advocacy organization... [Its] mission is to conduct original, game-changing research that inspires people, businesses and governments to take action to protect human health and the environment."

Basically, the EWG is a database full of research that has been laid out in a very accessible format for the average consumer. There are consumer guides (more on that in a minute), articles, videos, news, apps, and more in a format that is easy to read and understand. I am a fan! 

Skin Deep
Quite possibly my favourite part of this site, and definitely the one I use most, is the Skin Deep Database. Skin Deep is the cosmetics guide, and features almost 80,000 products ranging from make-up, to toothpaste, to shampoo. You can search basically any product you might use on your body here. Each product is rated from 1-10 for toxicity, and that label is broken down into categories to explain whether the rating is for allergens, carcinogens, etc. It even tells you which ingredient is the culprit and why. 

The best part? They have a mobile app for this database! I have been having fun using this one in stores. If want to find me while I'm shopping, just look for the crazy lady scanning bottles of soap with her phone like it's normal. It's just so useful! Because really, you want to know about the product when it's in front of you and you are trying to decide if it's a good purchase. It's annoying to have to go home and google something and then have to go back to the store after making your decision! 

Here's how it works.

Step One: Open the app, and scan a barcode or type in a product name. 

Step 2: The available results will come up. Select your product. Mine is the first one.

Step 3: Continue to click through the information if you want to see more. If you are viewing it on your computer, you will get a description/explanation beside each risk as well. The mobile app simply has the rating beside each ingredient. 

That's all there is to it - check it out!