By Victoria Everman

What you slather on your skin is just as important as what you savor in your stomach — to you and to the environment.

More than 50 of the chemicals put into modern-day American body care products have already been banned in Europe because research shows they cause cancer and other chronic ailments. I've worked in the fashion and beauty industry for over 10 years — but this statistic shocked me when I first heard it years ago.

Since then, I have tested and analyzed more than 100 eco-beauty lines and have finally found products that both work and won't make me (or anyone else) sick.

My favorite two lines are Dr. Bronner's (organic, fair-trade body wash that has 17 other uses, including toothpaste, laundry wash and shampoo) and Pangea Organics — a Colorado-based leader of all-natural, organic, sustainable skin care. (Pangea makes the only face lotion that moisturized my oily skin without making me break out.)

But whatever your choice, make sure you read the ingredients list the next time you go shopping for lotion or toothpaste. If you can't pronounce it or don't know what it is, don't buy it! You should only put on your skin ingredients that you would be able to eat as well.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not represent those of The Nature Conservancy.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photos © iStockphoto.com (bottles); © Keyvan Behpour (Victoria Everman)