Bella Luccè is proud to announce that our entire product collection is now certified phthalate-free. But what is a phthalate anyways (and how in the hell do you pronounce it)? Drop the “ph” and say it “thal-ate” and you’re well on your way.
Phthalates are a family of chemicals often found in plastics. Think PVC pipes, children’s toys, lunchboxes and (ewwww) personal care products. But why? Well, they are especially adept at holding fragrance and color, which is why you’ll find them in everything from your shampoo to your toe nail polish. They’ve made headlines lately as new studies have been released indicting that they are linked to developmental and reproductive problems (see this article , which investigates infant care products and this one about prenatal exposure). While phthalates weren’t even on the radar of most Americans just a few short years ago, they’re definitely becoming the talk of the town now. And they’re in millions of products that you likely use daily.
Before you run to the shower and start scrutinizing that shampoo label or rummage through your bathroom drawer looking for that “No, I’m Not A Waitress” red nail polish, don’t get your hopes up. Phthalates usually hide behind the “fragrance” label, as federal law does not require their disclosure when used as a component of common fragrances. The European Union took the unprecedented step of banning two common phthalates from all personal care products in 2003 and China and Mexico have banned their use in toys. Unfortunately for US consumers, our government is bringing up the rear (so to speak) and dragging their feet a bit with regards to the phthalate issue. However, the US Senate passed legislation in March to ban the use of phthalates in toys and we’re crossing our fingers that the bill soon becomes law. In the meantime, there is no current federal legislation seeking to restrict or ban phthalate inclusion in domestically-produced personal care products. Nevertheless, you can scrub, soak and moisturize yourself into Bella Luccè oblivion, knowing that every last one of our 100+ products are free of all types of phthalate nastiness. Not a drop, not a smidge, no compromising. We work with a single perfume house to create our luscious aromas and all of our fragrances have been independently analyzed to ensure they don’t have a drop of phthalates in any of them.
If you’d like to read more about phthalates, we encourage you to check out the CDC phthalate primer. You can also peruse this article, detailing how to recognize and avoid common phthalates. Furthermore, look specifically for phthalate-free products. If it doesn’t explicitly say “phthalate-free”, it’s probably not. To your health!
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