The other day, I saw a headline that made me nervous and giggle at the same time: "Can Deodorant Hurt You? [1]"

It would be terrible (and, let's face it, pretty funny) if deodorant [2] suddenly became this week's spinach [2] and people everywhere had to swear off the stuff for a while.

I can think of many, many reasons why this should never happen. The top three would definitely go like this: (1) No one wants to stink; (2) No one wants to be near others who stink; (3) And absolutely no one wants to take public transportation with a busload of people who stink.

Further investigation revealed that the article was just revisiting an old debate [3] about the dangers of chemical preservatives called parabens [4], which are found in deodorants, lotions, soaps, shampoos, and most other cosmetics.

Parabens have been linked to breast cancer in limited studies that don't seem to worry most people in the medical community. And this article quickly makes it clear that the link is tenuous at best. Regardless, the seed of doubt is now planted firmly and forever in my head.

While I know that there are a slew of organic cosmetic products [4] available, I haven't yet made the leap. (Unless you count Aveda [5].) Most of my products come from the salon, the drugstore, department store make-up counters and Sephora [6]. But it may be time to venture into the world of organic [6] cosmetics. Lime's interview with the women behind Juice Beauty [6] is a good place to start, but suggestions are welcome.

Meanwhile, the whole scenario reminds me of a sight gag in Tim Burton's Batman [7]: The Joker (played by Jack Nicholson [8]) laced all the cosmetic products with poison, forcing the good people of Gotham to stop using shampoo, deodorant, soap and lotions. As the movie went on, the Gothamites got less and less attractive (and smellier, I'm sure.)

Pretty funny, I thought, at the time. But now, I'm not so sure.