Cosmetics are a huge industry and few women in the western world use no cosmetics whatsoever. Whatever is applied to your skin is absorbed to some degree by your skin. There's not only that issue, but discarded makeup has to go somewhere - into landfills on tissues, or down the drain. That's not to mention the many millions of plastic jars, tubes and other containers and packages that wind up being thrown out each year.

Added to all that is the unfortunate practice of many cosmetic companies trialing their products on animals in horrible ways.

A cosmetic that's had a lot of attention lately is nail polish. Some brands contain dibutyl phthalate, or DBP, a chemical linked to cancer in animals.

Other chemicals commonly found in cosmetics include acrylamide, formaldehyde and ethylene oxide - all listed by EPA as carcinogens.

The products of most concern are

• Hair color and bleach
• Hair relaxer
• Nail polish
• Skin lightener
• Nail treatment

It doesn't stop there - more toxins include Mercury, Lead Acetate, Formaldehyde, Ethyllacrylate, Toluene, coal tar and petroleum distillates.

Even lipstick is cause for concern as it contains man-made oils, synthetic colors and petroleum based waxes.

It really pays to take note of the chemicals used in your cosmetics and researching the effect of those chemicals. Wherever possible, make the switch to earth-friendly brands.

Have some human and earth friendly cosmetic tips? Add them to this post.