Bio-factory Production on the Horizon [May 6, 2008] Antiaging Peptide Cream [May 6, 2008] Ringing Gel Pomade [May 6, 2008] European Chemicals Agency to Take the Reins [May 6, 2008] Bold and Pearlescent Cosmetic Pigments [May 6, 2008] Next »

Women in cities across the United States reportedly have delivered letters to nail salons that sell OPI nail products to urge them to sell safer brands of nail polish, according to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics coalition. The letters also are said to demand that OPI Products Inc. remove chemicals from its formulas that are known or suspected to be toxic. This consumer and retailer effort, organized by the coalition of health and environmental groups, follows findings from a recent study that reportedly revealed that OPI nail polishes contain some of the most toxic ingredients on the market.

Skin Deep, a report on cosmetics and body care ingredients by the Environmental Working Group, a founding member of the coalition, reports that many of the company’s nail polishes and treatments contain formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phthalate (DBP), three of the top 10 ingredients of concern in the report. The three ingredients also are identified by California’s Proposition 65. In 2004, the European Union banned the use of DBP from cosmetics, reportedly forcing OPI and other companies to remove DBP from nail products sold in 25 European countries. No such ban exists in the United States. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is an active coalition of U.S.-based health and environmental groups. To date, more than 300 cosmetics and personal care product manufacturers have signed the “Compact for the Global Production of Safe Health and Beauty Products,” a pledge to replace potentially hazardous ingredients with safer alternatives.