Look Beautiful Naturally

April 24, 2008 — -- Maybe you consider yourself a bit of a green goddess. After all, you recycle, you haven't taken a sip of bottled water in years, you buy your sweaters from an all-female Guatemalan knitters' co-op and your shoes are made from recycled tires.

But hold on a minute. Have you checked your makeup bag? What you use to look naturally beautiful just might be chock-full of chemically enhanced cosmetics encased in large, nonrecyclable plastic containers.

But, you say, what choice do you have?

What woman doesn't want to put on a little luscious lip shimmer or glam eye shadow from time to time, even if there could be a cost to the environment, nevertheless your health?

This dilemma has many beauty buffs wondering if it's possible to be green and still look good.

"There are no definitions or standards in terms of what's organic and what's natural, so for consumers right now, it's buyer beware," said Jane Houlihan, vice president of research for the Environmental Research Group.

It comes down to "buyer beware" because the Food and Drug Administration doesn't set standards on ingredients manufacturers are allowed to use in beauty products. Your lipstick could contain petroleum-based preservatives, hormone-disrupting benzophenone, or your foundation might have a formaldehyde-based preservative, and mascara could contain mercury.

More cosmetic companies are making an effort to go green, offering environmentally friendly products that contain natural and organic ingredients, fewer chemicals and preservatives, and recyclable packaging.

Kiehl's, the New York-based skin and hair care company, has been using natural ingredients for about 150 years, ever since the company began as a small apothecary selling tonics and salves to Manhattan locals.

The company Web site, Kiehls.com, shows a lengthy list of natural ingredients, from sweet almond oil to avocado oil to yerba mate tea. Recently, the company began a fair trade initiative with a woman's cooperative in Morocco.