Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group

For the Environmental Working Group assignment I chose to enter the face wash that I use every day, just to see how safe it actually was.  I use Cetaphil face wash, for all akin types.  My idea was that it was not going to score very high.  On the box they say its a face wash for all ages, gentle, and fragrance free.  I thought that because of all of this that it would score really low.  I cannot believe how wrong I was.  It scored a 7 which is very high and it also said that 90% of face washes would score lower.  It says that the ingredients in the product may be linked to allergies, use restrictions, organ system toxcisity, and changes in the biochemical and cellular levels.  Most of the ingredients in it were things that sounded like a toxic chemical and most were something I had never heard of including methylparaben, phenoxyethanol, which is even restricted for use in cosmetics in Japan because if its harmful effects and links to cancer. This was so scary to me I couldnt believe that something as simple as face wash could score that high.  One of the ingredients that scored the highest was fragrance which scored a 10!!  This was so shocking to me considering the box says fragrance free.. it really makes you wonder.  Some of the ingredients that scored the lowest are water and hydrogenated palm glycerides.  Overall I still cant believe that it scored so high it makes you wonder what else you are unknowingly putting in your body. It kind of makes sense why people are getting so sick all the time, its hard not to when you are poising your body.  Hopefully websites like this can continue to help us find out more.