If you’ve ever picked up a moisturiser, shampoo, or lipstick and wondered what’s really in it, you’re not alone. The truth is, safe cosmetics aren’t always easy to spot at a glance — especially when labels hide ingredients behind umbrella terms like “fragrance”.
That’s why tools like the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) Red List of Chemicals of Concern in Cosmetics matter. It’s a practical resource created to help brands, retailers, and everyday shoppers reduce the use of potentially harmful chemicals in beauty and personal care products.
We’ve included a copy of the Red List for you (see the attachment referenced with this post).
What is the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Red List?
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (a program of Breast Cancer Prevention Partners) developed the Red List of Chemicals of Concern as a clear, business-friendly tool for assessing ingredient safety in the products companies make and sell.
The Red List was first developed for cosmetics and personal care products, and has been expanded over time to reflect broader ingredient concerns (including fragrance and other product categories).
Why a “do not use” list helps everyone
Creating (and publicly sharing) a prohibited ingredients list — often called a restricted substances list or a “do not use” list — isn’t just good ethics. It’s good business, and it’s good for consumers.
Here’s what it supports:
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Transparency: People can make more informed choices when ingredients are clear and policies are public.
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Customer trust: Brands that set standards tend to earn confidence (because shoppers can see what the company stands for).
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Safer formulations: A clear red-line list helps product development teams avoid problem ingredients early, not after a backlash.
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Supplier alignment: Fragrance houses, raw material suppliers, and manufacturers can’t follow a pledge they’ve never seen — a public list gives them a concrete standard to meet.
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Consistency across ranges: Policies reduce the “clean in one product, questionable in another” problem.
This is exactly the role the CSC Red List was designed to play: a practical tool that helps decision-makers identify and avoid chemicals of concern.
How to use the Red List (even if you’re not a chemist)
You don’t need a lab coat to get value from this. Here are simple, real-world ways to use the Red List:
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Scan ingredient labels (where available) and look up unfamiliar ingredients.
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Be cautious with vague terms like “fragrance” or “parfum” if you have sensitivities — these can represent a mix of substances.
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Ask brands about their standards: Do they publish a restricted list? Do they screen suppliers?
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Use the list to compare products in the same category (e.g., two sunscreens, two deodorants).
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If you’re a business: build the Red List into your procurement and product development process so safer choices happen by default.
Next step: keep the Red List handy
If you care about safe cosmetics, the easiest starting point is having a reliable reference list you can return to when questions pop up (because they will — usually in the aisle, with bad lighting, five minutes before you’re due somewhere).
We’ve got a copy of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Red List attached for you to save and use.
