- October 14, 2010 • 8:30 am PDT
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Gentlemen, listen up. Whether you think you do or not, most of you use an average of six personal care products a day, which sounds like a lot until you get out your fingers and count: Deodorant, shampoo, cologne, and shaving cream all count—and so does the moisturizer you steal from your girlfriend. With each of these products containing anywhere from 10 to 40 unique ingredients, it's worth your while to think about what it is you're actually using every day, and whether those products are even doing your looks any favors—especially when some of it is so toxic it's getting fines for air pollution in the state of California.
When, in February, Axe Body Spray's parent company was fined $1.3 million for air pollution, it sounded like an Onionesque joke. Except that it wasn't, because in California, progressive environmental laws limit the amount of certain chemicals used in consumer products. According to the California Air Resources Board, the fragrance was in violation of the volatile organic compound limits for aerosol deodorant.
So here's a primer on the stuff in your everyday products, plus what brands and products to buy instead. If you don't want to do it for the planet, or yourself, do it for your sperm. (Click through for an explanation.)
Illustration by Brianna Harden
This is part of a series inspired by No More Dirty Looks: The Truth About Your Beauty Products and the Ultimate Guide to Safe and Clean Cosmetics, by Siobhan O'Connor and her co-author Alexandra Spunt.
Read more on their blog.
