How to Choose Safe Beauty Products: Insights from a Testing Expert

Whether you’re buying skincare products, supplements, or cosmetics, how do you know if those products are safe? Do they meet regulations? And what ARE the regulations? Who controls them? In the information age, there’s no reason why consumers shouldn’t be able to confidently answer these questions and invest in quality products they know they can trust. 

The landscape of product safety is definitely improving. Our regulations in the United States are miles ahead of what they used to be on cosmetics as far as consumer safety is concerned. But there’s still a long way to go. In this article, we’re going to talk about choosing safe products, and if you want to hear more about this, please check out Episode 003 of the Nourify & Beautify Podcast here: Are My Beauty Products Safe? with Nour Abochama

 

How Are Cosmetic and Skincare Products Regulated?

It’s important to understand that not all products are regulated equally. The products that are most heavily regulated by the FDA are pharmaceuticals. So whatever you’re buying from the pharmacy, whether it’s a medication or some kind of supplement, has gone through a rigorous testing process.

When it comes to skincare or beauty products, there is some regulation, but definitely not as much. Many larger companies have their own internal regulations and processes that are more strict than the federal regulations that come from the FDA. 

And what about products people make at home and sell at the Farmer’s Market or on their TikTok shops? Well, unfortunately, those products aren’t regulated at all. The regulations from the FDA are mostly enforced after the fact after problems occur (with a few exceptions - products that claim to have therapeutic benefits like acne treatments and sunscreen have to meet certain standards that other lotions and potions do not).

 

What We Test For

The first thing we have to look at with any product is contamination. Contamination happens when some kind of unwanted pathogen (yeast or bacteria) or byproduct of the production process (heavy metals or residual solvents) gets mixed into the final product. 

We also test to see if products actually contain the ingredients they claim to. If you’re buying a multivitamin, for example, we can test to see if each vitamin contains the amount of the vitamins it lists on the label. That’s one thing that federal regulations are very strict about - if you’re buying something with active ingredients on it and it lists the amount of that ingredient on the label, manufacturers are responsible for testing to ensure they’re meeting that claim.

 

What Happens Products Fail Testing

In the case of contamination, the manufacturer is responsible for determining at what point in their production process the contamination happened. In some cases, the products can be sterilized using UV light, and then they return to the lab for further testing to see how successful the sterilization was. In other cases, the product can’t be sterilized and has to be recalled and thrown out. This happens more frequently than you might think - in the past, infant formula has been recalled due to contamination from a major supplier, which led to shortages on the consumer side. 

If we’re testing something like a multivitamin to see if it actually contains the active ingredients it lists on the label, it does get very technical, so I’ll spare you some of the details. There are a few ways the product can fail its specifications, and either the formulation needs to be adjusted, or the test itself picks up inactive ingredients that are causing an inaccuracy in the test itself. 

 

More Regulations in Product Testing Are Needed

There are revisions to the product testing requirements every year, and both product testers and manufacturers need to stay up-to-date on them. Many states also have additional regulations on top of what the FDA requires, and it’s worth looking into the policies in the state where you live. But ultimately, if you live in the United States, more regulations are needed.

And it’s the consumers who will have to push for them.

That’s where the difficulty lies. Enacting stronger policies for product testing is a huge undertaking, but it will lead to more safe products for consumers. It’s clear we’re not there yet, and we still need to make good decisions in the meantime. While the federal regulations are better than they have ever been in the history of the U.S., most of the responsibility is placed on manufacturers to police themselves, and ultimately, it’s the consumer’s responsibility to do their research and figure out what is safe.

 

Advice for Choosing Safe Products

1. Visit company websites and look for their testing certificates. Many companies that have paid to undergo rigorous testing on their products want to show that they have done so. Even smaller companies who care about your safety will invest in testing. Find companies like these who are showing you, very clearly, that they value your health and safety.

 

2. Stick to bigger brands that use more natural ingredients. The bigger the brand, the more likely they are to have internal regulations that go beyond what federal regulations require of them. And within that sphere, if you can find big companies that use organic, natural ingredients, that’s a good place to start.

 

3. Listen to your body. If you’ve been using the same products for a long time and they’re working, that can be a good indicator that they’re safe. On the other hand, if you add something to your routine or regimen and suddenly notice you’ve got a rash, toss it. Talk to friends and especially family about what works for them, too. Chances are, your family members may have some of the same sensitivities as you.

 

4. If you’re concerned, consult with a professional. Dermatologists, estheticians, and your regular doctor are all good resources. They often have products they recommend, and it’s in their best interest to only recommend the best products to you. 

 

Choosing the Safest Products for You (and Your Loved Ones)

It can be overwhelming to think about how many products are out there. How do you pick a Christmas gift for your parent or friend that you know won’t cause them any harm? And how do you make those decisions for yourself? We hope we’ve helped you start to answer that question, but we’ve just barely scratched the surface. For more information about product testing, safety, and health in the beauty and wellness industries, subscribe to our podcast, Nourify and Beautify, where we show you the other side of beauty. And as always, you can find us here on our blog, where we upload a new article every week. Thanks for reading!