There is a lot of junk out there wreaking havoc on our bodies and though a lot of it is out of our control, some of it is. I’m not a freak about it. I don’t stress about it. But I do choose to exercise care and caution when it comes to what I use in my home and on my skin. For good reason. Most countries outright BAN ingredients that the US gladly allows even though there is proof that they disrupt our endocrine system and are known carcinogens.
I’ve used the Environmental Working Group’s app for years now. It’s an easy way to learn what ingredients are ok and what ingredients you should 100% avoid. They examine product ingredients based on 4 things and rate them accordingly. Allergy, Cancer, Developmental, and Use Restrictions. You can look up any ingredient and it will tell you where it’s at on a scale from 1 to 10. 1 being the best, 10 being the worst. For the Food category, they rate products based on Ingredients, Nutrition, and Processing. The App (and website) has sections for Personal Care, Food, Sunscreens, Household Cleaners, and a tap water database.
They have over 100k products in their skin-deep database, making it easy to decide whether or not you want to use a product. You can search by brand or by ingredient. I use this app (or website) anytime I’m considering buying something new and I’m not sure about the ingredients. It’s free to download and an awesome resource to have right at your fingertips. It takes the guesswork out of wondering if a product will help you or potentially harm you. Both for what you put IN your body, and what you put ON your body. If it has the EWG Verified rating, that means it meets their strict standards for health and safety.
They are also the organization that puts out the list of the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15” every year to help you know what produce to buy organic. The Dirty Dozen are the top items that are sprayed with pesticides and that you really should buy organic. The Clean 15 are the 15 items that are the least sprayed with pesticides and are generally considered ok to buy non-organic. They release this list every year and you can usually find a graphic you can save to your phone to reference when you’re at the store and can’t remember what you should be buying organic. Spinach and Strawberries always top the list of the most heavily sprayed!
Do you use EWG’s resources?
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I do! Love the app.