One of the great advantages of handmade cosmetics is having the ability to speak with the maker about the product. Knowing what is in your cosmetics and what isn’t is as simple as asking the question. And many disclose product ingredients in their entirety, and pride themselves on product safety.
Legislation protects cosmetics wearers in the United States to some degree. But mercury has been found in mascara in as late as 2007 when Minnesota passed a law banning mercury in cosmetics.
Most makeup manufacturers have phased out the use of mercury, but it’s still added legally to some eye products as a preservative and germ-killer, said John Bailey, chief scientist with the Personal Care Products Council in Washington. That group doesn’t track mercury in beauty products and favors a national approach to regulating cosmetics, instead of laws that vary from state to state.