I've been vegetarian 19 years. I try to buy organic and try to use more natural products. I try natural remedies and herbs before modern medicine or antibiotics etc. BUT, I believe there is room for safe chemicals in your lives- in medicine, in skin care and in cosmetics.
I've seen so many BS scare tactics, that I alway am very careful when reading things about "scary" cosmetic ingredients. Many turn out to be hoaxes. I remember a while ago people freaking out about "sodium Laurel sulfate"....which is derived from coconuts! (oh no!!)
Here's a really interesting article:
http://searchwarp.com/swa1509.htm