In today’s consumer market, there’s no shortage of skin care products to choose from. Visits to the beauty department can be frustrating, particularly for those who are conscious about what they are putting on their skin. One could say you need to think dirty before making a purchase. Thankfully, the good folks at Think Dirty App have a solution for our woes, and it can be done easily from the touch of your smartphone.
Think Dirty App ranks products in 3 categories
The categories factor in 3 areas of concern – carcinogenicity, developmental & reproductive toxicity and allergies & immunotoxicities. If the product contains one or more red-flag ingredient, it is ranked accordingly.
0-3 Indicates the product is safe and meets and respectable standards. You can use these products on a daily basis without the cloud of worry hovering over your head.
4-6 Middle ground. These products are half-and-half, but kinda shaky, so use them if you’ve got them but try not to make it a daily habit.
7-10 Dirty. Contains one or more potentially harmful ingredients, that are considered to be highly toxic (in one or all of these categories: carcinogenicity, developmental & reproductive toxicity and allergies & immunotoxicities).
Not all products belonging to a particular brand are considered harmful. For example, Caudalie Divine Oil (seen below) ranked a 10 (yikes!), while another of their products ranked a 0.
While the actual database is not as plentiful as we had originally expected, the app has been pretty useful. Dove’s deodorant spray in pink packaging – denoting breast cancer awareness – ranked shockingly high containing toxic chemicals.
One thing to keep in mind about Think Dirty App, is that some potentially harmful ingredients are still being investigated. While ingredients such as parabens are considered toxic by some experts, studies to understand these potential links to health risks such as cancer are not conclusive. Something to consider before you dump everything in your medicine cabinet.
Needless to say, Think Dirty App gave us quite the eye-opener for everyday products that are originally considered to be green and chemical-free. You don’t have to take our word for it, find out for yourself and download the app.
