Free App makes chemicals in sun lotion, shampoo, lipstick an

Almost every third cosmetic product in Germany contains hormonally active chemicals. This emerges from a study published in Berlin by the Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND, Federation for environment and nature preservation Germany). The study analyses data from the ingredienta of a total of more than 60,000 body care products.

To give consumers the possibility to become quickly and easily informed, the BUND now provides a free iPhone App. The "ToxFox-App" makes it possible to scan the barcode of cosmetic products and to immediately detect whether hormonally active substances are included. With burdened products the App also makes it possible to send a protest email to the manufacturer.

"With the ToxFox App we enable more transparency. If many consumers intentionally decide against buying hormonally burdened products, this will lead to a rethinking of the cosmetics manufacturers," says Jurek Vengels, head of the BUND cosmetics check.

"Hormonally active chemicals in cosmetics are above all used as preserving agents or UV filters. Their use is legal, although the substances have been associated with health problems such as reduced sperm quality, early puberty and breast cancer”, the Federation explained. According to the Federation the world health organisation (WHO) classified hazardous hormonal substances as being a "global threat". Especially endangered are foetuses in the womb, children and children in puberty, as their organs are still in sensitive stages of development.

Sarah Haeuser, BUND expert in chemicals and author of the study: "In matters of our health and above all the health of the children we should not undertake any experiments. Even if applicable limit values are observed the combination effects of different chemicals in the body, the so-called Cocktail effects, are highly hazardous. We demand that cosmetics manufacturers abstain from using hormonally active chemicals in cosmetics."