"They" Used to Think Smoking Was Safe, Too | Switch2Pure

"They" Used to Think Smoking Was Safe, Too (The Case for Being an Informed Consumer)

Turn on a rerun of Mad Men, and you’ll get a visual reminder of just how much our daily practices can change as we learn: in the 1960s, day drinking was a daily thing, and they smoked anywhere and everywhere.

Other than a boozy lunch from time to time, we know enough now to no longer do those things—but change didn’t happen overnight. It took decades of research and policy change, and eventually that trickled down into consumer behavior. Research shows that in health care, it takes 17 years before new evidence makes its way into your medicine cabinet.

Today, day drinking and smoking aside, we’ve also tackled unhealthy eating (calorie counts and published menus for days)—but when it comes to our everyday products, change is slow to come. Science has uncovered so much about the toxic chemicals in our shampoo, face wash and other beauty staples, but industry and government are (painfully) slow to get on board. (Here's what you really need to be using for  shampoo and  facewash ) 

The point? Just because something at your friendly neighborhood drugstore says it’s safe doesn’t mean it is. Right now, just 11 ingredients are banned from personal products in the U.S.—giving companies free rein to load up their goods with as many toxins as they please.

What’s a girl to do? Stay smart. For starters, avoid parabens, phthalates and lead (which, seriously, is in most lipsticks)—or better yet, join us and let us do the work for you.