Why the Environmental Working Group Isn't as Smart as it Seems

It’s a primal instinct to protect ourselves and our young from potential danger, so it’s no wonder that over 400,000 people visit the Environmental Working Group’s website each month to read Skin Deep, its cosmetic safety database of over 69,000 beauty products with ratings of their ingredients’ safety. This non-profit organization staffed by scientists and professionals seems like it’s genuinely out to help the public avoid harmful chemicals in beauty and hygiene products.
 
The problem is that although the EWG makes bold and audacious claims about product  safety, a number of their verdicts may be based on flawed studies and assumptions. So whether you are trying to protect yourself from companies stretching the truth to get a sale, or  political action groups creating fear-based sensationalist headlines, there are a  few things to keep in mind:
 
1. Never Listen to Sensationalism in the First Week
In 2010, when the Environmental Working Group released information that the retinyl palmitate in sunscreens could potentially cause skin tumors, the report went viral, with over 2000 reports written and millions of shares within the first week alone. Yet the report was based upon a study in which a high concentration of retinyl palmitate was singled out as the only ingredient, applied to mouse skin, and irradiated with light. The experimental design was clearly flawed, as Dr. Steven Q. Wang, director of dermatologic  surgery at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center later explained, “Despite the concerns raised by these non-human studies, retinyl palmitate operates within the skin as only one component of a complex antioxidant network. In these non-human studies, retinyl palmitate was the only compound studied, making the biological relevance of these findings to humans unclear.” Who knows how many concerned people stopped using sunscreen as a result of the dramatic headlines, putting them at a substantial risk for skin cancer over time.
 
How to save yourself? It’s simple—don’t listen to every sensationalist report you hear. Just as “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is” often applies, so does, “If it’s too bad to be true, it probably is.” Wait to read future rebuttals from physicians, scientists, and journalists who are not affiliated with any business or political organization.
 
2. Investigate the Studies Behind “Toxic Ingredients”
Dermatologists consider retinoids to be the gold standard of anti-aging, and the most common form of over-the-counter retinoid sold in the U.S. is regarded very highly by most dermatologists. Yet the EWG lists retinol as “highly toxic.” Its reasoning sounds just: “Produces excess reactive oxygen species that can interfere with cellular signaling, cause mutations, lead to cell death and may be implicated in cardiovascular disease.”
 
However, after reading the actual study from which this information is derived, there are several problems. First, the retinoid that produced these negative results was retinyl palmitate, not retinol. Secondly—again—these results are from isolating retinyl palmitate and applying light to it without any surrounding antioxidants to help absorb reactive oxygen species. Third, these results are conducted on rats, not humans.
 
Before you cut out a potentially beneficial skincare ingredient, look up the study from which the warning was provided. Ask yourself the following:

Is the ingredient I am using the same ingredient as that used in the study? Different forms of an ingredient, like retinyl palmitate and retinol, are not the same in chemical structure and may behave differently.

 Was the ingredient tested in a realistic concentration? For instance, some studies test concentrations of parabens up to 25,000 times higher than that of a typical skin care product.

Was the ingredient tested in a plausible formulation? For instance, all antioxidants can release potentially damaging oxidative species if exposed for light or air for too long; the key is to surround these antioxidants with other antioxidants to prevent this from occurring. Testing an antioxidant alone is great for the scientist—it will almost undoubtedly yield results—but it’s misleading to the consumer who may not know that.

How was the ingredient tested? In Latin, “in vivo” means “within the living,” and “in vitro” means “in glass.” In medicine, “in vitro” studies are typically conducted first, and the true test comes with “in vivo” testing, or how actual people react upon exposure. As you might expect, it’s easy to generate alarmist results from “in vitro” studies.

Was the ingredient tested on animals or humans? One gram of ingredient is a lot more significant to a rat than to a human, and some studies still fail to adjust for dosage by weight. Also, humans and animals have different protection mechanisms, and ours are more advanced.

Is the study blind or double-blind, randomized, and published in a reputable journal? This indicates that the researchers followed the best practices and held to the most rigorous scientific standards.

 
3. Consider the Source
In a perfect world, skin care science would be conducted free of outside influences. Political groups could not push for sensationalist negative results and industry could not strive for dramatically positive results. Unfortunately, whether science is conducted in a non-profit or for-profit laboratory, there are pressures to obtain a result.
 
It is up to you—the smart, savvy consumer—to keep an open mind and absorb all of the information you can. Ask questions—if something doesn’t sound right, it probably isn’t. Very rare are the reports which suggest that a long-established, FDA-approved ingredient is actually fatally harmful to humans in the amounts used in skin care products.   
 
What’s more, if you think the “better safe than sorry” approach is better than using any chemicals at all, consider this: If you stopped using sunscreen, you’d raise your risk of skin cancer. If you removed all preservatives from skin care creams, you’d increase your risk of bacterial infection and inflammation. Playing it too safe will not help you, so instead, play it smart.

Read more from Nicki at Future Derm, or to ask her a question about your own skincare issue, visit her Facebook page.