EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! my hormones!

No, no - it's NOT that time of the month.... NO, no - it's not a zit..... Well, then, what provoked that shriek, you ask? Well, last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration acknowledged that triclosan--the ingredient in everything from your cutest skivvies to cosmetics to toothpaste and antibacterial soaps--may pose a health risk. Specifically it may mess with your hormones, contributing to endocrine disorders (which impacts everything from fertility to metabolism) and may be the cause of increased resistance to lifesaving antibiotics. Disturbing fact of the day: Triclosan is so ubiquitous, in fact, that it's found in the urine of 75 percent of the population. So, it has taken Beauty Wonkette a bit of time to calm down as Beauty Wonkette is very sensitive about anybody messing with her hormones and / or endocrine glands!

Of course, the FDA is not telling us to ditch our triclosan-laced products just yet. They emphasize that they are reviewing the existing science--mainly animal studies--and will report back in spring 2011. That's a year away!

Beauty Wonkette is not going to be a freak about it (at least not any more of a freak than usual). AND, Beauty Wonkette loves her current lip gloss so much that the FDA will have to pry it from her cold, dead hands. But, Beauty Wonkette now considers herself officially done with antibacterial products and is going to make an effort to look at labels.

We live in a relatively germophobic society, but lathering up with antibacterial soaps isn't necessary--a solid 20 to 30 seconds of hand-washing with good old-fashioned soap is just as effective (and, as a bonus, it won't give you dry granny hands the way anti-bac products do).

Beauty Wonkette loves that The Body Shop, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's sell only triclosan-free products.