A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients: Complete Information About the Harmful and Desirable Ingredients Found in Cosmetics and Cosmeceuticals (1400052335)

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Editorial Review:

Take the guesswork out of choosing safe and effective cosmetics and cosmeceuticals.
You wouldn't eat something without knowing what it was. Don't you want to take the same care with what you put on your face, hair, and body? Find out what's in your health and beauty products with Ruth Winter's A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients. This updated and expanded sixth edition gives you all the facts you need to protect yourself and your family from possible irritants, confusing chemical names, or exaggerated claims of beauty from gimmick additives.
Virtually every chemical found in toiletries, cosmetics, and cosmeceuticals--from body and face creams to toothpaste, hand lotion, shaving cream, shampoo, soap, perfume, and makeup--is evaluated in this book, including those ingredients marketed as being all-natural, for children, and for people of color. The alphabetical arrangement makes it easy to look up the ingredients in the products you use.
With new substances popping up in products we utilize every day--and with the continuing deregulation of the cosmetics industry--A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients is more indispensable than ever.

You wouldn't eat something without knowing what it was--don't you want to take the same care with what you put on your face, hair, and body? Find out what's in that shampoo, makeup, toothpaste, lotion, or perfume here, with more than 6,000 entries, organized alphabetically. Cosmetics are barely regulated these days, leaving it up to you to learn what those strange-sounding names mean and how they might affect you. For example, did you know these intriguing tidbits?

• Abietic acid, a texturizer in soaps, is harmless when injected into mice but causes paralysis in frogs.
  
• The American Medical Association frowns on medicated makeup, because their potential to do harm often outweighs their benefit.
  
• Mayonnaise is as effective a dry-hair conditioner as the expensive preparations.
  
• Milk is a good face wash, but you'd better rinse it off well, or rancidity will give rise to bacteria that will cause pimples.
  

Don't skip the introduction, a provocative discussion of "cosmeceuticals," anti-aging products, what's really meant by the word "natural," "culture and cosmetics," and what to do if you have an adverse reaction. This is the fifth edition of this guide, which originally appeared in 1978. Even if you own the fourth edition, you'll want to update, because this edition includes 1,400 newly developed chemicals and hundreds of name changes. --Joan Price

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

Not Impressed:

I was expecting more information under many ingredients and less opinions from the author. The Milady's version is much better. Overall I was disappointed.

A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients:

You can find any ingredient possible that is in your cosmetics and personal care products. The information will help you make informed decisions about your personal care purchases.

Pretty Good:

This book is good. It does provide the basic and some detailed information you need to make an informed decision regarding a product but one thing I was dissatisfied with was that regarding shea butter she may have been afraid to comment whether good or bad because of the popularity of this particular ingredient. She didn't say whether it was toxic or nontoxic; irritating or nonirritating or maybe she doesn't have enough information about it. I'm more interested in natural ingredients so I want more details... more info

Dated:

I think it is dated, the info is old and not enough of it! Keeps referring to the next definition. Spend a lot of time just to find the word since it keeps referring to smth else. Don't waste your money. Miladys is more expensive but MUCH MUCH better.

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