Healthy shopping: How to shop for nontoxic products

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Looking for nontoxic beauty, personal care and home products? Joanna Evans shares some useful pointers and resources

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are hiding in your home and could be wreaking havoc on your health. Here are some top tips for avoiding them when shopping for products for your family and home, plus a roundup of useful online stores.

Top tips

Do your research. Some of the main EDCs to watch out for are bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates (plastics chemicals), parabens (preservatives) and flame retardant chemicals. There’s a wealth of information on wddty.com about these chemicals—where they’re hiding in your home and how to minimize your exposure. In particular, check out these WDDTY issues: January 2022, February 2019, March 2019 and April 2019.

Go plastic-free. As plastics are a major source of EDCs, do what you can to cut down on them in your life. WDDTY has a comprehensive guide to plastic-free living with plenty of useful resources.

Choose natural ingredients. Wherever possible, go for natural ingredients when shopping for beauty, personal care and home products. Check the list of ingredients on the label or the website you are buying the product from and look up any you are not sure of (the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database, ewg.org/skindeep, is a useful resource). As a general rule, choose products with a short list of simple, natural ingredients you’ve heard of rather than a long list of unpronounceable, unrecognizable ingredients.

Avoid artificial fragrances. Anything with a synthetic fragrance, from air fresheners and cleaning products to perfumes and body sprays, could contain EDCs. Choose unscented products or those fragranced with natural ingredients, like pure essential oils, instead.

Opt for natural, untreated home furnishings. Choose natural materials for curtains, rugs, bedding, throws, curtains and cushions, and avoid anything with added flame-retardants, stain-proofing or moth-proofing and anything labeled “permanent press” or “wrinkle-resistant.” Check with companies directly to see if they add any chemical treatments to their products, but some good fabric options are organic wool, cotton and hemp.

Online stores

Here are some online stores offering natural and nontoxic beauty, personal care and home products. All but the last two (both UK-based) offer international shipping.

The Detox Market
thedetoxmarket.com

Carefully vetted, clean beauty products including skincare, makeup, body care and hair care

Content
contentbeautywellbeing.com

Natural and organic beauty, personal care, home fragrance, food storage and fashion products

Naturisimo
naturisimo.com

Natural skincare, makeup, hair care, body care and home fragrance products

Greenfibres
greenfibres.com

Natural and organic clothing, bedding, pillows, cleaning products and by-the-meter fabrics

Wool Room
thewoolroom.com

Pure wool pillows, duvets, mattresses, mattress toppers and more without added flame retardants or harmful chemicals

The Rug Company
therugcompany.com

A vast library of rugs handmade using natural materials, such as wool and silk