For the first time in 70 years, Congress is poised to close the gaping holes in the outdated federal law that allows chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects, learning disabilities and other illnesses in the products we use on our bodies every day.

Today, Reps. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., introduced the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010, (HR 5786), which gives the Food and Drug Administration authority to ensure that personal care products are free of harmful ingredients. Existing law, passed in 1938, granted decision-making about ingredient safety to the cosmetics industry.

“Harmful chemicals have no place in the products we put on our bodies or on our children’s bodies,” said Rep. Schakowsky. “Our cosmetics laws are woefully out of date—manufacturers aren’t even required to disclose all their ingredients on labels, leaving Americans unknowingly exposed to harmful mystery ingredients. This bill will finally protect those consumers.”

According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, Americans use an average of 10 personal care products each day, resulting in exposure to more than 126 unique chemicals—not counting the many undisclosed chemicals in “fragrance.” Toxic exposures from personal care products add to our daily dose of hazardous chemicals from air, water, food and other consumer products.

“The cosmetics industry says the amounts of potentially toxic chemicals in their products are so small that they carry no risk, but we know that for some chemicals small doses can have big effects,” said Maryann Donovan, Ph.D., an expert on environmental exposures and biological effects from the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. “We need to better understand the short- and long-term health effects resulting from small doses of toxic chemicals, repeated daily exposures, exposures during fetal or infant development, and exposures to mixtures of chemicals in personal care products.”

Major provisions of the legislation would:

• Phase out ingredients linked to cancer, birth defects and developmental harm
• Create a health-based safety standard that includes protections for children, the elderly, workers and other vulnerable populations
• Close labeling loopholes by requiring full ingredient disclosure, including the constituent ingredients of fragrance and salon products, on product labels and company Web sites
• Give workers access to information about unsafe chemicals in personal care products
• Require data sharing to avoid duplicative testing and encourage the development of alternatives to animal testing
• Provide adequate funding the FDA Office of Cosmetics and Colors so it has the resources it needs to provide effective oversight of the cosmetics industry
• Level the playing field so small businesses can compete fairly

Rep. Markey applauded the bill: “From lipstick to lotion, our medicine cabinets are filled with cosmetics that may contain potentially dangerous chemicals. This important bill closes a gaping hole in our Federal laws that allows potentially dangerous chemicals to remain in the cosmetic products we use every day.”

Rep. Baldwin concurred: “Scientists are increasingly linking chemicals in personal care products to cancer, learning disabilities and other widespread health problems in our society. I am proud to contribute to common-sense legislation that says it’s time to ensure the products we use are safe.”

To help generate support for the legislation, today the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics also launched The Story of Cosmetics, a 7-minute video produced by Annie Leonard and Free Range Graphics, creators of the viral hit The Story of Stuff, which has been viewed more than 12 million times. In the new film, Leonard reveals the toxic side of the beauty industry and explains that it’s not the choices we make at the store, but the choices made behind the scenes – by industry and the government – that affect the health of our families. The film concludes with a call for viewers to support legislation aimed at ensuring the safety of cosmetics and personal care products.

“When there are cancer-causing chemicals in baby shampoo and mercury in skin cream, you know the regulatory system is broken,” said Janet Nudelman of the Breast Cancer Fund and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. “Industry self-regulation just isn’t working. The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 recognizes that consumers have a right to safe personal care products, that companies have a responsibility to understand the health effects of the chemicals in their products, and that we need government to helps us get there.”

For more information, visit www.breastcancerfund.org

Introducing Silky Cosmetics, a fresh and fun bath and body product line.

“Our products have a Youthful Sophistication” says founder Shari Eddington. “We created a product line  that gives women the best of both worlds, healthier products with safer ingredients that are fun and smell great!”

Check out the100% Vegan and 100% Natural Body Products including:

Hydrating Body Wash
Quench thirsty skin with this, sulfate-free,
hydrating body wash. Aloe Vera juice, chamomile
and lavender are used as the product base to ensure
that your skin is hydrated, soothed and toned.
8.5 oz.
$13.00
Scents: Bliss, Sorbet, Charm & Sweet Mint
NO Parabens, Synthetic Preservatives, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Petroleum and Mineral Oils

Buttery Body Crème
With our buttery body crème you get tons of butter without the calories! A little goes a long way with this luxurious moisturizer containing a skin loving combination of Shea, Cocoa and Mango butters to condition, strengthen and add nutrients to the skin.
8 oz
$25.00
Scents: Bliss, Sorbet, Charm & Sweet Mint
100% Vegan NO Parabens, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Petroleum and Mineral Oils

Whipped Sugar Polish
Want Silky smooth skin? Exfoliate and moisturize at the same time with this gentle scrub. The blend of Shea butter, coconut oil and soybean oil leave your skin touch ably soft without the greasy feeling and as an added bonus you’ll smell yummy
8 oz.
$18.00

Scents: Bliss,Sorbet,Charm & Sweet Mint
100% Vegan and 100% Natural
NO Parabens, Synthetic Preservatives, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Petroleum and Mineral Oils

Refresh Bath Salts
Need a pick me up? In these salts grapefruit and bergamot create the perfect combination to make you feel relaxed and refreshed all in one bath.
Serenity Bath Salts
These salts are a perfect way to end the day. The
combination of lavender and peppermint sooth your body while melting away fatigue
16 oz.
$18.00

100% Vegan and 100% Natural
NO Parabens, Synthetic Preservatives,
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Petroleum
and Mineral Oils

Available online at www.silkycos.com

On occasion, Caroline Duell, president and founder of Elemental Herbs, can still be found in the kitchen mixing up a batch of “All Good Goop™” healing skin balm, considered a medicine-cabinet staple, and an alternative to petroleum jelly-based formulas. As Elemental Herbs’ premiere product, it put the company on the map nationally in 2006 as a manufacturer of organic herbal-based healing formulas.

These days, All Good Goop is made at a solar powered community center facility near Duell’s headquarters in Morro Bay, CA, and she still likes to keep her finger in the pot, so to speak, overseeing everything from sourcing the highest medicinal quality herbs to making additional batches when necessary to fill customer demands for the exceptional healing ointment.

With an unparalleled combination of herbs and botanicals, All Good Goop’s popularity stems from the fact that its all-natural, organic formula benefits literally most any skin condition. For example, the balm can be used for:

· rough, dry hands, whether a climber or construction worker
· minor burns, cuts and scrapes
· diaper rash and other skin reactions
· chapped lips
· cracked heels and other skin irritations, including bug bites

Duell initially created the balm using well-known healing herbs grown in her garden – herbs relied upon for centuries for their skin-healing properties. The formula includes all organic calendula, comfrey, lavender, plantain and yarrow, which are infused in organic extra virgin olive oil with pure beeswax, vitamin E and lavender essential oil. It is free of artificial fragrances and preservatives.

All Good Goop is available at retailers nationwide or at www.elementalherbs.com.

Terra Firma Cosmetics offers you paraben free mineral makeup like their natural mineral foundation makeup, natural body butters and so much more.Their unique hydrating mineral blend with silk amino acids helps balance PH and provide a soft focus effect while nourishing your skin with vitamins and minerals.  Their cosmetics do not contain any ingredients that are considered carcinogenic or that can be harmful to our environment.

Go for the holiday “Dream Kit” for the best value on high-quality, mineral cosmetics! www.terrafirmacosmetics.com