Cosmetics Dirty Dozen

12 Toxic Ingredients to Avoid

By Colleen Wachob

We knew about the "Dirty Dozen" list for fruits and veggies, but our friends at No More Dirty Looks tipped us off to the David Suzuki Foundation's new "Dirty Dozen" list of toxic ingredients in cosmetics and personal care.

If you're not familiar with David Suzuki, he's a beloved Canadian geneticist, educator, environmentalist and co-founder of the foundation that bears his name. Based on an online survey of 6,243 people and 12,550 products, the Suzuki foundation concluded that 80% of participants' beauty products contained at least one of the "Dirty Dozen" ingredients. Yikes!

The path to developing a toxic-free beauty routine begins with an inventory of what's behind your shower curtain and inside your medicine cabinet or dopp kit. Whether you are shopping for shampoo, conditioner, nail polish, sunscreen or moisturizer, be sure to read the ingredient label with the same scrutiny as you would read your food's nutrition label and ANDI score. You can also check out No More Dirty Looks for potent product picks that deliver natural, safe results across a range of budgets.

Here's the Dirty Dozen list of toxic ingredients to avoid. You can check out David Suzuki's full report here (pdf):

1. BHA and BHT
2. Coal tar dyes
3. DEA
4. Dibutyl phthalate
5. Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives
6. Parabens
7. Parfum (a.k.a. fragrance)
8. PEG compounds
9. Petrolatum
10. Siloxanes
11. Sodium laureth sulfate
12. Triclosan