Bath & Body Works Targeted by Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

Marketing anti-bacterial soap and hand cleansers with fruity names "Tangelo Orange Twist" and "Sugar Lemon Fizz" and a promise of “spreading love, not germs” sure sound like they are sweet fun — but not if they contain an ingredient that some health and environmental groups say is bad for teenagers, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Bath & Body Works' anti-bacterial "gentle foaming hand soap" collection and related hand sanitizer line-up, a backpack sized "PocketBac" collection marketed to teens as part of a back-to-school promotion, apparently contain a chemical that is considered a dangerous (to humans, not just germs) pesticide called triclosan.

“Scientific studies have linked triclosan to hormone disruption, which could be hazardous to teenagers whose bodies are still developing,” the Times points out.

Brands including Johnson & Johnson, L’Oreal, Staples, and The Body Shop have stopped using triclosan or are in the process of eliminating it from their products, the newspaper adds.Continue reading...