Toxic Cosmetics

It began, as few great scientific discoveries do, with a $400 hair treatment in West Hollywood. Siobhan O'Connor and Alexandra Spunt had decided to get Brazilian Blowouts — only to find out later that the secret straightening ingredient was formaldehyde, a known carcinogen.

That revelation prompted the two journalists to begin researching the cosmetics industry. They found that it was more toxic and less regulated than they'd ever suspected. They detail their findings in the new book No More Dirty Looks, which also highlights ways to look good and be green at the same time. Some advice from the authors: