Whole Foods Tops Green Cosmetics Retailer Ranking

by | Dec 12, 2012

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Whole Foods Market has been named the leading major retailer of non-toxic cosmetics in a report by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

The grocery chain scored nine out of a possible ten “kisses” in Retailer Therapy: Ranking Retailers on Their Commitment to Cosmetics Safety, which investigated cosmetics for sale at eight retailers. CVS trailed Whole Foods with five kisses, followed by Walgreens and Target with four each, and Walmart, Kroger and Costco with three apiece. Macy’s came last, with just one kiss.

Whole Foods’ high score rested on its policy of screening out more than 400 chemicals of concern from its premium products; offering an extensive range of safer alternatives; and communicating its safety commitments and progress clearly to the public, CSC says.

At the other end of the spectrum was Macy’s, which stated that government regulations are adequate to address cosmetics safety and that it trusted its vendors to ensure the products the company sells are safe. The company has a very limited selection of safer alternatives, with some of its stores not offering any alternatives at all, CSC says.

The campaign collected data for the report through direct communication with the companies, searches of their websites and corporate responsibility reports, and in-store shopper surveys conducted by volunteers from organizations in Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon and Pennsylvania.

In June, Johnson & Johnson, owner of personal care brands Aveeno, Neutrogena and Clean & Clear, announced plans to remove a number of potentially harmful chemicals, including formaldehyde, from its line of adult consumer products by the end of 2015. The announcement cam after the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics pressured the industry to remove formaldehyde, which last year was identified by government scientists at the National Toxicology Program as a carcinogen.

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