Make-up call: beauty care doesn't have to be a chemical stew.

We primp, we perm, we powder - without blinking a mascara-lined eye about the potentially harmful ingredients we expose ourselves to in the name of beauty. Yet, walking into most salons is like entering a toxic cloud of ammonia and formaldehyde, not to mention an alphabet soup of chemicals you can't smell. Over-the-counter beauty products aren't much better, with most containing potential irritants and carcinogens. Unfortunately, these hazards are virtually ignored by the $28-billion-a-year mainstream cosmetics industry.

How safe are the cosmetics we use? A recent report published by the American Journal of Public Health found that women who dye their hair have a 50 percent higher risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and men using commercial hair dyes have twice the risk of multiple myeloma, a malignant tumor of the bone marrow. Another study, by Italy's University of Pisa, found a link between certain skin creams and thyroid toxicity.

Ruth Winter, author of A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients, notes that "even though it has now been accepted that all chemicals penetrate the skin to some extent and many do so in significant amounts," the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't require pre-market approval for cosmetics and is powerless to mandate safety testing. Although most cosmetic companies voluntarily test their products for common sensitivities, researchers from the National Research Council found that "of the tens of thousands of commercially important chemicals, only a few have been subjected to extensive toxicity testing and most have scarcely been tested at all."

That doesn't surprise Denise Santamaria, a professional manicurist and owner of Natural Nouveaux, a non-toxic salon in Las Vegas, Nevada, who was diagnosed with chemically-induced lupus. "I started getting sick when I began taking cosmetology classes," she says. "Over the next 10 years, I battled digestive problems, frequent sinus infections, and excruciating pain in my back, chest and arms. It got so bad that there were days when I would crawl across the floor, almost as if I was trying to get away from the pain." Neither she nor the doctors who treated her made any connection between her medical problems and the scores of chemicals she was exposed to in her job until a chemical screening showed high levels of the toxins benzene and toluene - both common ingredients in nail polish and polish remover.

Growing Awareness

Unlike most European countries (which take a proactive stance on cosmetic safety), U.S. legislative interest in the potentially toxic ingredients used in cosmetics is scant. "There is vigorous industry and political pressure to keep using them," says Dr. Joni Loughran of the Paul Penders Company of Petaluma, California. "It is claimed that the risk is small and change takes time." Another reason for this lack of interest is that most problems go unreported. Rather than filing a report, most people who experience problems with a product simply stop using it. Of those that are reported, the FDA estimates that manufacturers receive 50 complaints for every one made to their offices.

In an attempt to focus attention on the potentially harmful effects of mainstream cosmetics, consumer advocates in California are pushing for the reformulation of hair fixatives. Another group, As You Sow, filed a lawsuit demanding warning labels on products containing toluene. As public concern over the safety of cosmetics grows, a few states have begun taking notice. Indiana implemented legislation to guard consumers against the mislabeling or adulteration of cosmetics. California and New York have both shown concern over cosmetic aerosols.

Smart Shopping

Where does that leave consumers? With all the new "natural" products on the market, it's easy to be fooled. Just because a product boasts oatmeal, aloe vera or other plant-based ingredients doesn't mean it's chemical-free. "There are no standards for what natural means," says John Bailey, director of the FDA's division of colors and cosmetics. "They [the manufacturers] could wave a tube of plant extract over the bottle and declare it natural." The only way to know what you're buying is by reading the fine print.

Although not all chemicals are toxic, here are several to watch for:

* Formaldehyde, used as a preservative and disinfectant, is a suspected carcinogen often found in shampoos;

* Listed as FD&C or D&C colors, coal tar is a common ingredient in cosmetics, hair dyes and dandruff shampoos. Found to cause cancer, it's also been linked to frequent allergic reactions, including asthma attacks, headaches, nausea, fatigue, nervousness and lack of concentration;

* Both benzene and toluene are found in nail polishes and removers. Used as solvents, they are highly toxic and can cause depression and convulsions, or induce coma or death;

* Propylene glycol, a solvent used for texture and stability, can cause allergic reactions. Frequently used in cosmetics, it's also found in brake fluid and antifreeze.

* Nitrosamines, though not primary ingredients in cosmetics, are also cautionary chemicals. According to Dr. Aubrey Hampton, founder of Aubrey Organics, nitrosamines are formed when two otherwise safe ingredients, nitrous acid and amines, are combined. Readily absorbed into the skin, the result is highly carcinogenic. "In fact," says Hampton, "nitrosamines are absorbed through the skin in far greater amounts than when nitrite-preserved foods [such as bacon] are eaten." To avoid the problem, he advises steering clear of products containing DEA or TEA in the name. For example, TEA-lauryl sulfate or Cocoamide DEA.

Healthy Alternatives

Luckily, there are natural alternatives to chemically-ridden cosmetics. Besides being chemical-free, natural products are ecologically friendly, contain no petrochemicals which pollute our waterways and harm marine wildlife, and they're usually manufactured with minimal packaging. Another plus: Because the ingredients come from nature and have been used for centuries without harmful side effects, natural products don't require animal testing.

The Minnesota-based Aveda Corporation, which makes hair and skin care products from natural flower and plant ingredients, recently proposed a set of organic standards for cosmetics. And Aubrey Organics filed a citizen petition with the FDA last year to extend the new, federally adapted organic food guidelines to hair and skin care products ("Beyond Food," In Brief, November/ December 1996). The petition is still pending. Natural products companies, such as Paul Penders, Aveda, Aubrey Organics, Avalon Natural Cosmetics and EarthPreserv, can be found in most health food stores. If your store doesn't carry natural cosmetics, many companies, such as Aubrey Organics, offer mail and Internet service.

For those with the time and inclination, it's possible to make your own skin and hair care products at home. Renewed interest in home-made beauty products has prompted a growing number of books and articles on the subject. Check out your library for one of the many books offering step-by-step "recipes" for custom-made formulas using herbs and whole foods. To find out more about the hidden dangers on your dresser top, take a look at Dr. Aubrey Hampton's What's In Your Cosmetics: A Complete Consumer's Guide to Natural and Synthetic Ingredients. The book is $14.85 postpaid from Aubrey Organics.

CONTACTS: Aubrey Organics, 4419 North Manhattan, Tampa, FL 33614/[phone]; Avalon Natural Cosmetics, 1129 Industrial Avenue, Petaluma, CA 94952/[phone]; Aveda Corporation, 4000 Pheasant Ridge Drive, Minneapolis, MN 55449/[phone]; FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Colors and Cosmetics, 200 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20204/[phone]; Paul Penders Company, 1340 Commerce Street, Petaluma, CA 94954/(707) 763- 5828.

KIM ERICKSON is a Las Vegas-based freelance writer.