BoomerGirl Diary

Cosmetic manufactures are making ecological strides to appeal to customers who want to purchase products from companies with a conscience.

Here's a list of products that can do more than make you good:

• Tweezerman's "Go Green" mini slant tweezers, $10 at drugstore.com, have gone small to save on production costs. Packaging is made from 100 percent recycled paper and printed with soy-based inks. One tree will be planted and $1 will be donated to the Arbor Day Foundation for every purchase.

• Cargo PlantLove lipstick, $20 at Sephora, comes in a tube made from corn that can be composted by placing it inside your green waste bin. The outer packing is embedded with wildflower seeds that sprout colorful blooms when planted.

• Physicians Formula Organic ware is the first makeup available in the states that is Ecocert-certified, which means it's rigorously inspected by a European body accredited to guarantee products are at least 95 percent organic. Compacts are made from recycled paper and with 93 percent less plastic than their regularly packaged products. Blush and bronzer compacts are $11.95-$13.95 at drugstore.com.

• Kiehl's Superbly Restorative Preparations body lotion and dry oil, $30-$35, is made with organic Moroccan Argan Oil, the first fairly traded ingredient used in any of its products. Women at the Moroccan Targanine Cooperative preserve the Argan forest by planting trees and harvesting Argan nuts. Kiehl's stores or online at www.kiehls.com.

• Jessica Cosmetics voluntarily removed hazardous chemicals from all of its formula nail polishes four years ago. Formaldehyde, already banned in Sweden and Japan, is classified as a possible carcinogen by the FDA. The polish is also free of toluene and dibutyl phthalate, known as a potential developmental and reproductive toxin. Colors are $6.50 at jessicacosmetics.com.

Read the label

There's little regulation of beauty and skin care claims on packaging. Since the FDA doesn't police what goes into cosmetics, consumers who are concerned about hazardous ingredients really have to educate themselves. Organic products are no different. Here are common organic certifications.

100 percent organic: Contains 100 percent organically produced ingredients and carries USDA organic seal.

Organic or certified organic: Minimum 95 percent of content, excluding salt and water, is organic by weight. These products also have USDA organic seal.

Made with organic ingredients: Minimum 70 percent organic content; it can be labeled "made with organic" and list three ingredients. This can't carry organic seal.

Less than 70 percent organic: Can only list the organic products it's made with on ingredient list. This can't carry organic seal.

EcoCert: Process includes a rigorous inspection by European certification body accredited to guarantee products are at least 95 percent organic.