How to Check the Safety of Cosmetics in 1 Second
CosDNA is a website where you can submit cosmetic products ingredients list to check their safety. It is very effective and quick, and I absolutely love it.
Look, I’m not pretending that you learn about each and every ingredient in order to find out if the cosmetic you’re interested in is safe or not (although I find it would be good for you to at least be able to read the list and see straight away if there’s a no-no ingredient in the ingredients’ list).
(Here’s an article that shows you what ingredients you should avoid in cosmetics and here’s another article on why not all ingredients mean the same to all people.)
But there’s an easy, simple way to find out if a cosmetic product has ingredients you should avoid or that you’re not entirely happy with (be it a type of preservative or an ingredient in particular).
And this is by copying and pasting the list of ingredients inside the box on the CosDNA website (you can look for the ingredients list of a particular product online by Googling the product’s name + ingredient list. Here’s an example. When you get the results simply open the first one which probably has the entire list of ingredients and copy it. They’re usually under the tab ‘Ingredients’. It might take you a little while with some products but a website will have their ingredients, I have never failed to find the list somewhere on the Internet).
http://www.cosdna.com/eng/ingredients.php
Click “Ingredients Analysis” and, voilá! Your list is ready for immediate inspection!
Scroll and check what the results are. SO EASY!
What I love about this 1 second analysis is that it gives you the function, comedogenicity (acne) and irritability levels of each ingredient as well as thei safety levels.
Here’s how CosDNA rates the results.
The purpose of the index is more inclined to assess whether long-term injury of skin, cells or the human body. Our data source include international experts, institutions and publications. […] We want to remind our user, the effect of cosmetics depends on concentration, quality, process and mutual influence of ingredients. The skin condition of each person are different (even constantly changing), pay attention and understand the ingredients is a right attitude, but you still need professional physicians to diagnose skin problems.
CosDNA FAQ
The safety levels are taken from EWG Skin Deep’s website and although some people complain about its accuracy I’d say it is pretty accurate given than some ingredients are not that easy to score (due to skin issues, amounts used in product, testing accuracy, how ingredients work together, etc). You can use the search box to look up any ingredient you like.
Other great things about this website?
You can search by product and by ingredient (there are other functions but I’d say these are the ones I like the most).
Have fun, play around with both websites and deepen your knowledge about the safety of cosmetic ingredients from today. It couldn’t be easier.
I’ll leave you an ingredient list below so you can get started playing around with CosDNA. Just copy and paste inside their box and come up with your own conclusions : )
Aqua, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters*, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride*, Cetearyl Olivate*, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Glycerin*, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Niacinamide, Sorbitan Olivate*, Cetyl Alcohol*, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate*, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Squalane, Hesperidin, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis Flower Extract, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Tocopherol*, Panthenol, Xanthan Gum*, Caprylhydroxamic Acid*, Glyceryl Caprylate*, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid*, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil Glycerides.
