California public health officials are launching a new online database to help consumers determine if the cosmetics they're using contain harmful chemicals.
The Santa Cruz Sentinel reports that the state Department of Public Health on Friday unveiled the new website.
The California State Cosmetics Program Product Database is meant to pressure manufacturers to use safer ingredients by exposing products with potentially hazardous ingredients.
Dr. Ron Chapman, the public health department's director, says a product's listing in the database does not mean it causes cancer, but that it hasn't been extensively tested for safety.
The database currently holds ingredient information for about 30,000 products. Consumers can search the database at: http://www.safecosmeticsact.org/search
