Reader Questions: Foundations / How do I know a product is safe?

I had several similar e-mails in my inbox and figured I would post my answers in the blog as well.

Q: What foundations are safe to use?

A: Generally, anything that does not contain Parabens or their Nasty Cousins. Personally, I mostly use various brands of mineral foundation. My skin seems to like it better than liquid foundation and my pores don't clog up as often. If you are looking for a liquid formula, there are a few available on the market:

• Physician's Formula Organic
• Sally Hansen Natural Beauty by Carmindy
• Almay Pure Blends

Q: How do I know a product is safe to use?

A: When I'm looking for a new product, I check for the list of ingredients on Walgreens.com or CVS.com. It's easier to read labels online than in the store. I start at the bottom and read my way up. The bad stuff is usually the preservative and will be near the end. If there is an ingredient I don't recognize, I look it up on the Cosmetics Safety Database. If a product has any ingredient over a 5, I won' t use it. It's easy to identify the Parabens by name, but others can be tricky. Once you read a few labels, you will be able to quickly identify most of the bad ingredients. It's actually very easy!