Dying to Look Good: The Disturbing Truth about What's Really in Your Cosmetics, Toiletries and Personal Care Products

In order for people today to protect themselves from harmful ingredients, even walking through a so-called "Natural Foods" or health foods store is not enough. "Mrs. Gooch's," in Los Angeles, was created by a woman who nearly died. Yes, Sandy Gooch, was fortunate to have a chemist-father, as the story goes, who discovered she was literally dying from the chemicals in a popular soda that many people drink. Often this soda is even recommended to assist with "upset stomach!" Such products are so commonplace and present similar dangers to ANYONE who, unthinkingly, just drinks/eats/wears what is out there because it is convenient, handy or close by. After Mrs. Sandy Gooch's nearly lethal health challenge was reversed, she decided to create "Mrs. Gooch's" as a way to protect the consumer. It was possible to walk through the store and NOT read the ingredients, because so much care had gone in to protecting consumers. But when "Mrs. Gooch's" Stores were acquired, products began appearing on the shelves with ingredients that indicated it was NO LONGER POSSIBLE TO FEEL SAFE. Yes, products appeared that contained ingredients known to be harmful. Some naturopathic doctors even recommend that all so-called "healthy" oils, for example, are not so healthy and that it may be preferred to concentrate on specific oils that are better or healthier for us. The point is that NO ONE IS SAFE, even in health food stores. It does not matter, it seems, where you shop. Even ingredients/products promoted as "healthy" or "safe" may not be so, may even contain allergens for some, and that is where your hard, dedicated work to protect consumers comes in: · FOOD ADDITIVES: A Shopper's Guide To What's Safe & What's Not · HEALTHY EATING: For Extremely Busy People Who Don't Have Time For It · DYING TO LOOK GOOD: The Disturbing Truth About What's Really in Your Cosmetics, Toiletries and Personal Care Products The three books you offer have become ESSENTIAL companions to shoppers everywhere. If people want to make informed decisions, they have to rely on experts like yourself who are trustworthy and who do enough investigating to produce recommendations that will, in fact, protect us from all the many dangers that lurk out there. As we go about our daily lives, oftentimes NOT thinking about what's good to eat, what's good to clean with, what's good to use as cosmetics, toiletries and personal care products, we may even be using so-called "healthy" products with ingredients touted to be safe and found in health food stores that may, in fact, NOT be so healthy after all. So often, for example, it is possible to come across products that contain ingredients like chemical preservatives with the justification for their inclusion: "They protect against the buildup of harmful yeast" or "They are in very small quantities, so are not harmful," etc. What such products/ingredients contain are POTENTIALLY LETHAL INGREDIENTS TO WHICH ANYONE CAN HAVE AN ACUTE ALLERGIC RE

After a cancer scare, I purchased Dr. Farlow's Book, "Food Additives: A Shopper's Guide to What's Safe & What's Not". While striving to adopt a healthier lifestyle through proper nutrition, this proved an invaluable pocket reference. When her recent book came out, I purchased it looking once again to receive additional guidance from a trusted friend. I was NOT disappointed. Although I am now very aware of the harmful effects of food additives, I never thought that everyday items such as soap, shampoo, deodorant and toothpaste could be adversely affecting my body as well. As with Dr. Farlow's first book, I really appreciate how easy this book is to carry with me and use as I shop. Now I can be sure the products I buy are safe products for me to use. Thank you Dr. Farlow. Keep up the great work!

This book, DYING TO LOOK GOOD, is truly a life saver. It gets right to the point, without a lot of unnecessary verbiage. The title tells it all. Our cosmetics (like a lot of other modern day products) are killing us--slowly, but surely. Unless we individually take responsibility and clean up our own corner of Mother Earth, we will need to pay the consequences of our own poor choices. Those consequences can only be a decrease in our quality of life.I was quite surprised by the review written by "A reader from Colorado." She said "The biggest misleading part is that there is no word about the CIR being an industry agent of the CTFA, . . . This is clearly not true, as on page 14 of DYING TO LOOK GOOD, it very plainly states that The Cosmetic Ingredients Review (CIR) was established in 1976 by the Cosmetic Toiletry and Fragrance Association (CTFA). I felt that the reader's other issues were equally ill founded.I personally like this book a lot. Five stars worth! This book fills a need in my life. I now have a compact reference to take with me when I shop for cosmetics which gives objective information about numerous ingredients. It not only tells me what the FDA and CIR say about their safety, but more importantly, gives an independent evaluation of safety, revealing that many ingredients which the FDA and CIR say are safe are in fact really harmful--or at least questionable.This book is not something you pick up to while away an afternoon. It is a useful reference to be carried with you to help you make wise choices.

I found this book to be very useful. I've always wondered about the ingredients on the labels of cosmetics and personal care products, but I never knew where to look to find out what they meant and if they were safe. It's really helped me to shop for safer products for my family and myself. I've had sensitive skin all my life, but it's especially important for me to know what's in the products I buy now because I have two small children who inherited my sensitive skin. I want to be sure that what I'm putting on them is safe and not harming them. This book helps me do that!

At age 54, I finally decided to take care of what I put in my body, so I thought, "Why not what I put ON IT, too?" I purchased Dr Farlow's book with that in mind. I am shocked and appalled at what our government is allowing the cosmetic's industry to put in our make-up and other sundrie items.This may be a small book, but it is gigantic in the info it provides. I plan on taking it with me every time I shop for make-up, and to purchase the products that received good marks.This is a must have book, especially for those individuals with skin problems that might have never known what is causing those conditions.