Inside Prevention

Campaign gets companies to make safer cosmetics (Associated Press, 11/30/2011)

More than 400 cosmetics companies have removed chemicals linked to disease from their products under the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' seven-year effort to shift the market toward safer products, as reported by the Associated Press today:

More than 400 companies selling cosmetic and other personal care products have removed potentially hazardous chemicals from them, after a seven-year campaign by a large coalition of consumer, health and environmental groups.

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The coalition of about 150 groups worked with the companies to get them to remove substances banned by health authorities in other countries, particularly chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects and preservatives that release formaldehyde, which can cause cancer as well as burn the eyes, nose and throat. The coalition also pushed for companies to list all ingredients in their products, which many companies don't do. (Read complete article.)

The Campaign, a project of the Breast Cancer Fund, launched a voluntary pledge for manufacturers called the Compact for Safe Cosmetics in 2004. In the Compact's seven years (closed in 2011, although the broader Campaign continues) more than 1,500 companies signed on.

A report released by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics today, Market Shift, celebrates the 321 companies that met all requirements of the Compact, as well as 111 that made significant progress toward those goals.

Market shift: hundreds of cosmetics companies fulfill safe-products pledge

Good news! The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a project of the Breast Cancer Fund, announced today that 321 cosmetics companies have met the goals of the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, the Campaign's voluntary pledge to avoid chemicals banned by health agencies outside the U.S. and to fully disclose product ingredients—a pioneering practice in the cosmetics industry. An additional 111 companies made significant progress toward those goals. Read all about it and see the list of companies in the new report, Market Shift: The story of the Compact for Safe Cosmetics and the growth in demand for safe cosmetics.

This is great news for consumers, who can vote with our dollars this holiday season to support companies that are doing the right thing. It's also great news for all of us who are working to pass the Safe Cosmetics Act because these companies are proving that it's possible to make quality products without using the hazardous chemicals that are all too common in conventional personal care products. You can show your support for this legislation by asking your Representative to sign on as a co-sponsor of the Safe Cosmetics Act.

Johnson & Johnson, amid activists' push, steadily removing toxic chemicals from baby products (Associated Press, 11/16/2011)

Iconic baby shampoo maker Johnson & Johnson has committed to a two-year timeline to remove formaldehyde-releasing preservatives 
from its baby products worldwide, under pressure from the Breast Cancer Fund's Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen. The Associated Press broke the news late yesterday, based on a letter from J&J to the Campaign. (Read the letter and the Campaign press release.)

Also included in the letter is confirmation from J&J that it is actively working to strip the carcinogen 1,4-dioxane from its baby products, and it has already removed phthalates (hormone-disrupting chemicals) from all baby products worldwide, including phthalates found in fragrance.

The letter and transparent public commitment follow the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' Nov. 1 release of an analysis, Baby's Tub Is Still Toxic, that found different formulations of Johnson's Baby Shampoo in different countries--some of which were already using safer formulations.

From the Associated Press:

Amid pressure from activists, Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday that it is continuing efforts to remove traces of two harmful chemicals from its baby products around the world.

An international coalition of consumer and environmental groups has been pressing J&J since May 2009 to remove two potentially cancer-causing chemicals from products including its signature Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, long advertised under the slogan “No More Tears.”

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The New Brunswick, N.J., company generally still has a Teflon reputation, but questions about the safety of its baby products led to a rebuke from the Chinese government earlier this month and thousands of consumers writing the company that they would no longer buy those products, according to the campaign. (Read complete article.)

This is a monumental victory for children's health and safety, and for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. At the Breast Cancer Fund, we're incredibly proud to have been part of this win. Today we celebrate the tireless work by our staff and partner organizations; together over the last two and a half years we moved a corporate giant to make lasting global change in the name of health.

Groups push J&J on baby shampoo chemicals (Associated Press, 11/1/2011)

A new report from the Breast Cancer Fund's Campaign for Safe Cosmetics reveals that Johnson's Baby Shampoo sold in some countries—including the U.S.—contains a formaldeyhde-releasing preservative, while formulations of the product sold in Japan, the U.K. and several other countries use safer alternatives. Formaldehyde isn't directly linked to breast cancer, but it is classified as a known human carcinogen. The Associated Press reports:

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has unsuccessfully been urging the world's largest health care company for 2 1/2 years to remove the trace amounts of potentially cancer-causing chemicals — dioxane and a substance called quaternium-15 that releases formaldehyde — from Johnson's Baby Shampoo, one of its signature products.

Johnson & Johnson said it is reducing or gradually phasing out the chemicals, but did not respond directly to the campaign's demands.

Now the group is ratcheting up the pressure.... (Read complete article.)

More bad news on BPA? (KQED-FM, 9/16/2011)

A few days ago we told you about significant new research that found both BPA and methylparaben can cause human breast cells to act like cancer cells, AND interfere with the drug tamoxifen.

Today NPR station KQED hosted lead researcher William Goodson, M.D. of California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, as well as San Francisco Chronicle health care reporter Victoria Colliver, in a conversation about this important research and what it means.

They also reference the study of BPA in food packaging we published with Silent Spring Institute in March, in which we found that avoiding packaged food for just three days resulted in significantly lower BPA levels in study participants.

Listen now:

Study: BPA, methylparaben block breast cancer drugs (San Francisco Chronicle, 9/13/2011)

For years, the Breast Cancer Fund has advocated to eliminate BPA (in hard plastics and can linings) and parabens (in cosmetics) from consumer products because of their links to breast cancer risk. Now we have new evidence that BPA and methylparaben not only spur normal human breast cells to behave like cancer cells, they also resist the cancer-inhibiting effects of the drug tamoxifen.

Our CEO Jeanne Rizzo spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle about this new research from California Pacific Medical Center:

Jeanne Rizzo, chief executive officer of the Breast Cancer Fund, a San Francisco advocacy group, said the study shows that BPA and methylparaben have a triggering effect when it comes to cancer. The next step, she said, has to be for consumers to demand changes that reduce environmental exposure to these chemicals.

A bill sitting on the governor's desk would ban BPA in sippy cups and baby bottles manufactured or sold in California. AB1319 was authored by Assemblywoman Betsy Butler, D-Los Angeles.

This research is sharp warning to consumer, legislators, manufacturers and researchers alike. As the Chronicle article explains:

Since most breast cancers are driven by the hormone estrogen, the bulk of the drugs used to treat breast cancer are designed to knock down estrogen. BPA and methylparaben not only mimic estrogen's ability to drive cancer, but appear to be even better than the natural hormone in bypassing the ability of drugs to treat it, [lead researcher Dr. William] Goodson said. (Read complete article.)

Triclosan: Is Bath & Body Works' new soap harmful to teens? (LA Times Greenspace blog, 7/18/2011)

Triclosan is an antimicrobial chemical used in many antibacterial cosmetics and other consumer products. It's also classified as a pesticide by the EPA, and it disrupts hormones (and thus is an emerging chemical of concern for breast cancer), yet it's no more effective than plain soap and water. That's why the Breast Cancer Fund's Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is targeting Bath & Body Works for the company's use of triclosan in hand soaps marketed to teens, as reported by the LA Times Greenspace blog:

Health and environmental groups have mounted a campaign against Bath & Body Works, urging the retailer to stop selling its line of “Summertime Scent” soaps that contain triclosan, a chemical categorized as a pesticide.

Scientific studies have linked triclosan to hormone disruption, which could be hazardous to teenagers whose bodies are still developing.

"A chemical like triclosan that can disrupt hormones and may affect fetal growth and development does not belong in our soap," said Lisa Archer, director of the San Francisco-based Campaign for Safe Cosmetics at the Breast Cancer Fund. "Studies show that triclosan is no more effective at preventing illness or removing germs than soap and water."

The line, which includes products with names like "Tangelo Orange Twist" and "Sugar Lemon Fizz," is marketed to teenagers using the slogan "spread love, not germs."

According to the Breast Cancer Fund, major companies, including Johnson & Johnson, L’Oreal, The Body Shop, and Staples, are either no longer using the chemical or are phasing it out of products. Colgate-Palmolive has eliminated triclosan from its dishwashing liquids and Softsoap hand soaps, but continues to use the chemical in Total brand toothpaste. (Read complete post.)

New and improved Safe Cosmetics Act could boost green chemistry (Forbes, 6/27/2011)

The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011, federal legislation strongly supported by the Breast Cancer Fund and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (a project of ours), was introduced in the U.S. House on Friday, June 24, 2011.

This is excellent news for consumers left scratching their heads about which shampoo to buy; many cosmetics contain harmful chemicals, a legal practice under current law. But as a new piece on Forbes' blog points out, it's also a boon for cosmetics companies that want to make safe, healthy products but don't currently get all the information they need from ingredient suppliers.

The Breast Cancer Fund's Program and Policy Director Janet Nudelman explains some of the benefits for small businesses, including supplier transparency:

Nudelman says other companies are pleased with this part of the Act as well. "We call this the Producer Right-to-Know, and the companies we're working with are quite pleased with it," she says. "We always talk about consumers' right-to-know, but producers have a right to know as well—they are the ones that will be held liable if a harmful ingredient sneaks into their product." (Read complete article.)

Quit the pesticide man (Huffington Post, 1/5/2011)

The "Dirt Diva" herself, Annie Spiegelman, has a great recommendation for your new year: ditch the pesticides. That includes household weed killers, chemical fertilizers, rat poison, ant traps, cockroach killer...all that stuff designed to kill other living things is likely not so good for you.

She wrote a piece on the Huffington Post this week featuring our Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) colleague Kristin Schafer, and together they do a great job weaving strawberry pesticides, breast cancer (and our State of the Evidence report), the problem with the EPA, safe cosmetics and being a Debbie Downer into something that you really do want to read:

Annie: Recent scientific studies show that the weedkiller atrazine changes the sex of male frogs. The pesticide methyl iodide, which is a known neurotoxin (nerve poison), will now be legal to fumigate onto California strawberry fields. American beekeepers believe the pesticide clothianidin, with a soil half-life of up to 19 years in heavy soils, is taking away their livelihoods. The latest President's Cancer Panel report on carcinogens in our environment is especially gloomy. Should we all just go hide under the covers?

Kristin: No. The more we know, the smarter choices we can all make. For the first time ever, the President's Cancer Panel analyzed the contribution carcinogens in our environment play in causing cancer. The Bush-appointed cancer scientists on the Panel found that the importance of these chemicals has been dramatically underestimated. They were so concerned that they actually recommended President Obama do something: get toxic chemicals that cause cancer out of our food, water and air. (Read complete article.)

Breast Cancer Fund chief's balanced wisdom (Practically Green, 11/30/2010)

Practically Green interviewed Breast Cancer Fund President and CEO Jeanne Rizzo for practical prevention advice:

It’s easy to get alarmed and overwhelmed about all the possible toxins that might lurk in supposedly safe products these days, from shampoo to bed mattresses, from berries to wall paint. We found a seriously experienced public-health advocate for advice on how a normal person gets a handle on this.

Jeanne Rizzo is the President and CEO of the Breast Cancer Fund, a leader in disease prevention and strategic policy initiatives....

Read the whole post and pass it on!