Curious…About What’s in That Bottle

Britney Spears Curious Perfume contains some curious chemicals. Old Spice, “crisp and clean”? Far from it. And the most mysterious thing about Bath and Body Works’ “seductive and mysterious” Japanese Cherry Blossom is its secret list of dangerous ingredients.

These were among the popular products put on trial last Wednesday at a fun Portland event put together by our Community Organizer Anne Sheldon and other members of the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine.

Beauty products may be advertised as magical beauty-boosting potions, but the reality is that many of them are chock full of hidden chemicals that sneak into the bottle and seap into our skin in an entirely unregulated process.

Concerned folk gathered round a panel of local celebrities for a rousing smell-off as the contestants sniffed several scents to test toxicity. The winner? Our very own Associate Director Charlotte Warren, whose clever nose detected a dangerous dose of toxic chemicals in each and every product.

Despite the lighthearted nature of the event, toxic chemicals are not a matter to laugh about. Anything that we spray on our head, smother into our skin, or rub into our fingernails finds its way into our bodies. As part of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and in response to its recently published “Not So Sexy” report, more and more people are joining the cause.

Not only is this unsexy, this is scary!