PORTLAND, Ore. – Four Cedar Mill Elementary teachers know a thing or two about giving tests.

So we put them and their makeup to the test using a Web site called "Skin Deep" from the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit that advocates for stricter regulations on personal care products.

Its scientists pulled data on more than 7,000 ingredients found in 30,000 different products.

Those products were then scored on a scale of 1 to 10 – with 10 being the most hazardous.

Skin cancer survivor Sally Weber is conscientious and made a point of buying Alba TerraTints lip balm.

It turned out to be a 5 on the scale, with 70 percent of lip balms having lower concerns.

That surprised Weber because she bought it at a store that sold many organic products.

Teacher Kathy Smyth is out to prove you don't have to pay a fortune for safe cosmetics. She shops at Walgreens and Rite Aid and uses coupons.

Her Loreal Voluminous Mascara costs $4.99 and got a 4 on the scale.

The pricey MAC foundation with SPF 15 didn't fair as well. It got a 7 in the high hazard category.

The Web site said the ingredients have been linked to cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity and allergies.

Teacher Heidi Bossert's Cover Girl powder got a 5, plus the Web site said the maker uses animal testing - as did Loreal.

"I'm going to go buy some new powder," she said.

Renee Sharp, a biologist for the Environmental Working Group, said: "We have absolutely no assurance that any of these products or any of the chemicals in them are safe."

She insists the concern goes beyond makeup and includes all sorts of personal care products such as baby lotions, shampoos and even toothpastes.

On average, she said men use six products a day, exposing them to 85 different chemicals while women use 12 products a day, exposing them to 165 chemicals.

"There are lots of companies out there now that are basically making cosmetics that are safe to eat. They're very safe," Sharp said. "And yet other companies are choosing to put known carcinogens, known reproductive toxins in their products."

However, scientifically, it's difficult to prove a direct link between a particular product and a specific health concern.

But Sharp points out that many ingredients used in products sold in the U.S. have been banned in other countries.

The federal Food and Drug Administration oversees personal care products. The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938 created such authority. But while the act is nearly 400 pages long, only a few pages have anything to say about cosmetics. 

For the most part, the industry is self-regulated.

The Personal Care Products Council represents manufacturers. It has its own expert panel to assess safety concerns and its own Web site that it says is the most reliable.

In a statement to KATU, the council's chief scientist, John Bailey, says, "of the more than 11 billion personal care products sold each year in the United States, there are very few reports of adverse experiences each year, and most are related to rashes or allergies."

Back to the makeup test and the Skin Deep Web site, the best score went to Bossert's Clinique cleanser, which got a 2.

"It's kind of ironic that the one thing that takes all the makeup off was the best," she said.

Now we're not suggesting that you stop using makeup and personal care products, but it pays to be informed.

Here are two Web sites where you can research your products yourself.

• Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep
• Personal Care Products Council