Cosmetics and personal care items include foundation and mascara, face and body lotion, soaps and shampoos, hair styling products, deodorant, toothpaste, hair dyes, and nail polish. They are considered safe, but that doesn't mean that there aren't risks associated with their use, particularly if you don't use them correctly.

Safety concerns

Some of the safety concerns that may be associated with cosmetics and personal care products include:

• Eye infections
• Spreading bacteria on the skin
• Irritation and scratches on eye
• Fire hazards, in the case of aerosol products such as hairspray
• Allergic reactions or sensitivity to ingredients
• Contaminants in products not manufactured in the U.S.

Using and storing your cosmetics and personal care products properly and according to instructions can help reduce many risks. These include washing off cosmetics before you go to sleep and not sharing any personal products to prevent the spread of bacteria.  Although many want to save money by sharing cosmetics, this is an easy source of contamination and infection.  Be sure to close your cosmetics to prevent exposure to air and dust as well as storing them in a cool dry place to prevent product aging.

Safety Testing

The FDA works to ensure that cosmetic companies follow regulations to keep cosmetics and personal care products as safe as possible and Pretty Girl Cosmetics takes product safety seriously by using only approved ingredients in our products.

You may see “D&C,” or “FD&C” followed by the name of a color in our ingredients list, for example "D&C Red No. 6." These are color additives. External D&C is only approved for use in cosmetics and in drugs that are applied to the skin. D&C color is only approved for use in drugs and cosmetics, but FD&C color is approved for use in foods, drugs, and cosmetics.  All our colors have been classified in these two categories.

Allergic Reaction - Skin Patch Testing

It is very rare that we receive complaints regarding allergic reactions.  Remember, food allergens typically are not found in cosmetics but it is important that you review the ingredients as well as do a skin patch test.  This test involves placing a small amount of allergen on the inner arm's soft skin and covering it for 48 hours. Inspect the skin after 72 to 96 hours and check for signs of an allergic reaction, including, redness, a rash, or hives.  If redness or rash develops do not use the products.  We protect products against every allergen but it is important to know that products on the market cannot be tested for each person's individual allergy and a thorough evaluation is a personal responsibility before using any products suspected to cause a reaction.