Unless this is 2013 and your name is Walter White, you probably don't want a whole lot of contact with harsh chemicals. It's easier said than done, though, because as we learned from Breaking Bad, they're harder to get away from than the guilt trip that comes with not calling your mom back for three days in a row. Chemicals — we're talking about the bad ones — lurk in the packaging of your fast food order, our oceans, and on the ingredient list on the back of beauty products.
So it's especially nice when powerhouse retailers make it easy for you, like Target, which promised to instill a greener approach to its entire personal care section, or Nordstrom, which is rolling out its Natural Beauty Outposts in 46 cities around the country. CVS seems to see the value in cleaning up, too, because the drugstore just announced today that it'll be ridding three controversial chemicals — parabens, phthalates, and common formaldehyde donors — from nearly 600 (!) beauty products. To state the obvious: That's huge.
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Starting in 2019, you'll no longer see those ingredients (you can check out the full list of restricted substances here) in any of the chain's in-house beauty brands, including Essence of Beauty, Beauty360, and Blade. The decision came after people started calling for more sustainability across the category, Cia Tucci, Vice President of Store Brands and Quality Assurance at CVS Health, said in a press release.
"We listened when customers voiced their desire for products that still provide the benefits they need with fewer ingredients of concern," she said. "Today’s announcement is a natural step in the evolution of our comprehensive approach to chemical safety." If your favorite drugstore shampoo or moisturizer does happen to contain parabens and you just DGAF because it's that good, there's no need to start stockpiling, as this only applies to CVS-owned products. Go on with your bad self.