The skinny on skin care.

• Author: Gibson, Chris
• Position: Medicine & Health

"While most of us know to reach for products that are naturally based, product labels can be deceiving. Natural, as it turns out, is not always so."

WITH PLENTY more winter bluster surely on the way, many of us are reaching for that soothing lotion to combat our heat-blasted, dried-out skin. While most know to reach for products that are naturally based, product labels can be deceiving. Natural, as it turns out, is not always so. Moreover, brand name and high-end products do not guarantee safety in your skin care products, either.

Many do not even realize what they are putting on their skin--nor the negative effects this can have. When consumers discover what the chemical components of a given product are, they usually are shocked. Indeed, what may be put off to sensitive skin actually may be a reaction to product ingredients. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration is revisiting a number of products labeled as natural. Sun screens have been under particular scrutiny, as some ingredients appear to become carcinogenic when exposed to sunlight.

It is best to be on your guard. As such, here are some skin care myths to be aware of:

If it is for sale at a supermarket, drugstore, or department store cosmetics counter, it must be safe. The FDA has no authority to require companies to test skin care products for safety outside of their requirements for sun screen. The FDA does not review or approve the vast majority of products or ingredients before they go on the market. It only is after a problem is discovered that an ingredient gets attention.

The cosmetics industry effectively polices itself. In its more than 30-year history, the industry's safety panel (known as the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, or CIR) formally has reviewed fewer than 20% of cosmetics ingredients and found a mere 13 ingredients or chemicals to be unsafe.

The Federal government monitors and prohibits dangerous chemicals in personal care products. Some 60% of sunscreens contain the potential hormone disrupter oxybenzone, which easily can penetrate the skin. In addition, 65% of tested brands of lipstick contain small amounts of lead--a poison is not something you really want on your mouth, is it?

Cosmetic ingredients that are applied to the skin rarely get absorbed into the body. The trouble is, we have to breathe--thereby exposing ourselves to breathing in sprays and powders. Many studies find health problems in people exposed to common fragrances and sunscreen ingredients...