wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Helpful info but all 3 of the people are a bit OMG annoying. lopate would have off set problem a bit. interviewer is not the best and the 2 girls do the end on a high note sorority inflecTIONS. OMG. XactLY. sorry, i just find it annoying and i miss a lot of the content.

Late reply to Jeb from Brooklyn who states:
"Well done! You ensured that listeners heard only one side of the story, and obviously no industry experts/chemists, furnishing actual data, were thought to be necessary for a well-rounded discussion. This is at least the second time WNYC has provided listeners with one-sided chemophobic discussions surround cosmetics and fragrance. So far you're batting 1000 for ignorance. Who needs facts? Let's just be scared."

Do you really not understand the profit motive?? The tobacco industry found medical experts willing to say that smoking did not cause the health problems that we all knew resulted from its use! Do you really not remember that??

Let's get our terms straight. I am ANGRY not scared and trying to do something about it ... hence, my phone calls and letters. You are the one who is SCARED and responding to that fear by sticking your head up your a_ _ thinking everyone else is sh _ _ because that is the vision you have created and all you allow yourself to see.

There is a big difference between productively focused anger and using feeling scared as an excuse to act like an ostrich trying to escape danger by sticking its head in the ground!!

Yvonne from Park Slope:
Baking Soda is a great solution for pimples, give it a try. Add a couple tablespoons to your face wash, you'll have the same sloughing results as scrubs beads. In fact, some scrub beads can let lodged in pores and enlarge or irritate them so something finer like baking soda can help.
Baking soda will also help clear out oils and bacterias that can cause pimples. It can however, be drying. Try baking soda once or twice a week and follow up with an alcohol free moisturizer. Also keep in mind, too much attention of any kind can prompt acne or blotchiness. If you have a blender, strawberry seeds are a smoother scrub option if nut shell-based scrubs are too irritating. Best of luck!

I think this is a very important topic that I have been trying to address for myself and my two daughters. The cosmetics that are recommended by the EWG are sometimes hard to get. Thanks for the informative program and I hope this spurs further investigation.

I called in to the show segment on No More Dirty Looks to express concern about the possible negative impact on our water supply of facial scrubs with polyethylene beads. I did not mention why I was choosing to use a facial scrub and was already disconnected when the authors response to my concerns focused on the assumption that the scrub was being used either to attain "glow" or "erase fine lines" neither of which is my concern and expressed their conviction that scrubs are an unnecessary product.

I have adult onset pimples which I was told was the result of the combination of my skin no longer doing a good job of sloughing off dead skin cells and those accumulated cells clogging up and sealing off my pores. The regular use of exfoliants was suggested.

Do the authors think what I was told was misinformed?? I did mention that I am African American; as a group, we are concerned neither about "fine lines" or "glow" (I do not have a natural blush.) but, as a group, we do have oily skin and, at age 62 with skin that is prone to small pimples as it never was before in my life, I was confused by the negative stance the authors take on facial scrub which, so far, is the only thing I have tried that works.

The product I was using was BLACKHEAD ELIMINATING DAILY SCRUB by Neutrogena which has polyethylene beads.

Do they really feel such use has no validity?? As soon as I stop using some sort of exfoliant, my skin erupts. They mentioned baking soda as a scrub but made a point of stating that they are against the use of scrubs. I could not be the only person using scrubs to address skin break-outs since there are many scrubs intended for that purpose.

What would be better??

I always, always, always check cosmeticsdatabase.com before I purchase a beauty product. The site is maintained by the Environmental Working Group. It also lets you look up specific ingredients. Do your homework!

There are products that are certified organic to international food standards that are pure, safe and effective. I have been using them for years. Find a company you trust, then you won't need a degree in chemistry to get clean safely. Learn more at http://nurturingorganics.com/. There's also a link to Annie Leonard's "Story of Cosmetics".

Thanks for all these questions (and to the Lopate show for having us on). I'm one of the authors—just finished the show. We recommend a lot of specific products we love in the book, as well as explaining the top 20 chemicals of concern and how to avoid them. You can also check out our blog for more on the subject. We definitely want to keep this conversation alive and thriving.

Here's a question.. I know the segment is over.. but it left me with a question which I wonder if NPR can investigate further. Your guests mention that nearly 12, 000 ingredients are being used in these products of which 12% have been investigated. In their research, did they come across any chemical that can or is proven to cause birth defects? we continue to have great number of kids being born with autism... and more and more health and beauty products being sold... could there be a connection...?

Well done! You ensured that listeners heard only one side of the story, and obviously no industry experts/chemists, furnishing actual data, were thought to be necessary for a well-rounded discussion. This is at least the second time WNYC has provided listeners with one-sided chemophobic discussions surround cosmetics and fragrance. So far you're batting 1000 for ignorance. Who needs facts? Let's just be scared.

Another interesting thing, is that the EU has mandated further testing of ingredients for their cosmetics. The cosmetic complanies are changing their formulations to cleaner/safer ingredients to sell in the EUzone, but they dont plan to sell those safer items in the USA.

On an unrelated note, is the woman on the phone Canadian by any chance?

Would you please quickly discuss Sun Screen again? I use a facial moisterizer with Sun Scree
everyday....along with half the US population.

Thanks for a great segment.

One theory concerning the increase in pediatric food allergies, especially nut allergies, is that peanut products are pervasive in cosmetics and body lotions, leading to prenatal exposure to peanut antigen through maternal use of supposedly innocuous products. Does the book address this issue at all?

Do you have a recommendation for an oil free moisturizer for Rosacea? With this skin condition one shouldn't use oil based products and I find that to be true.

The guests said zinc oxide & titanium oxide sunscreens are safe. Those ingredients may be fine, but then you have to check what else is in the product.

Are you going to discuss how there's no legal definition of "organic" in cosmetics, so that such a claim on a label is pretty much meaningless?

I think there is the general perception that if you can pull something off the shelf at CVS, for example, it must be ok. Until there are warnings on personal care products and beauty products-- like there are on cigarettes and alcohol-- many people wont know to be concerned about the ingredients.

What are some of those brands that are safe? I use Origins, which I do trust, but want to be sure I'm not being fooled by their marketing.

I'm confused. July 23rd's "Please Explain" featured a dermatologist who said in no uncertain terms that we should all be using sunscreens, of any type, with an SPF of 30 or more. The doctor said that she didn't believe that there was any harm in sunscreen ingredients. Whom shall we believe?

The Environmental Working Group http://www.ewg.org/ has a cosmetics data base which rates products including sunscreens.

I wonder if the authors made use of this extensive resource.

for scrub: ground up azuki beans/dried [use a coffee grinder, just for this only]
then wet @ 1T in your palm in the shower. for both sexes, rub lightly, wash. just the face.

also, lightly use a dry loofah before washing, to get dried skin off. whole body.

It seems that companies can release anything with any claims and only after the fact does the government investigate. It should be the other way around. What can we do to help change the system? Writing our representatives is an obvious answer but I doubt it will get anywhere.

Any advice on Deodorant?

did you look in to the keratin treatments or "brazillian" hair treatment? are they the same?

What are good products for dealing with blackheads on your face?

I want to add that there is a website that goes intodepth about this topic.
The environmental working group - http://www.ewg.org/ has a link to a database called skin deep cosmetics safetly database. http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/
you can look up your specific products to see where they fall on the safety spectrum.

There are plenty of brands that are all natural ingredients. You just have to research. http://www.arcona.com/

Thank you for an informative segment, this book will be on my list! The scrubs with polyethelyne beads are a growing ecological concern that need to be adressed.

Thanks

Is there a difference between "unscented" and "fragrance free"?

You mention to avoid nano particles on physical sunscreens. How can you tell which physical sunscreens are nano particle free?

I would like to know what the guests' response is to those who call this fear-mongering.

While it's great people are finally waking up to what's in these products, this is topic is nothing new. Just read the ingredients.. it's common sense. The alternative press has talked about this for-evah.

does your book discuss animal ingredients or animal testing at all?