The Dirty Dozen… Ingredients to AVOID in personal care products. What you put on your skin can go into your body to affect your health and sense of well-being – either negatively or positively. You can choose which . . . if you know the facts (which the “cosmetic conspiracy” wants to hide from you).
As your body’s largest organ, your skin is your most important immune defense barrier as well as your largest organ for eliminating waste. Commercial products with harmful petroleum ingredients can plasticize and “constipate” your skin, making germs more likely to get in and toxins less likely to get out of your body. The result: Neither you nor your skin are as radiant and healthy as you could be! Make safe, wise choices.
Every day we use products we think are safe, but the truth is products are NOT always safe – and manufacturers don’t have to tell us so. Ever since 1938 – when the FDA granted self-regulation to the cosmetics industry – such products can be marketed without government approval of ingredients, regardless of what tests show. Most of the 25,000 chemicals used have not been tested for long-term toxic effects. In a typical day, you may be exposed to over 200 chemicals, many of which are suspected of causing cancer or juggling hormones. EPA tests conclude that ingredients in shampoos, dyes, and other personal care products “may be playing havoc with hormones that control reproduction and development.”
START CHECKING ALL PRODUCT LABELS AVOID THESE HARMFUL, HAZARDOUS “TOUCH-ME-NOT” INGREDIENTS!
Propylene Glycol (PG) and Butylene Glycol: Found in Anti-freeze. Petroleum by-products that act as surfactants (wetting agents and solvents), they easily penetrate skin and weaken protein and cellular structure. Commonly used to make extracts from herbs. PG is strong enough to remove barnacles from boats! The EPA required workers to wear protective clothing and to dispose of any PG solutions in toxic waste dumps. Because PG penetrates the skin so quickly, the EPA warns against skin contact to prevent brain, liver, and kidney abnormalities. But there isn’t even a warning label on products such as stick deodorants, where the concentration is greater than in industrial applications. Alternatives: Herbs, Essential Oils.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) & Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES): Detergents that pose serious health threats. Used in garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers – and in 90% of personal-care products that foam. Animals exposed to SLS experience eye damage, depression, labored breathing, diarrhea, severe skin irritation, and even death. Young eyes may not develop properly if exposed to SLS. May damage the skin’s immune system. Can be transformed into nitrosamines, a potent class of carcinogens. Your body may retain the SLS for up to five days and maintain residual levels in the heart, liver, lungs, and brain. Alternative: Ammonium Cocoyl Isethionate.
DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (Monoethanolamine), & TEA (triethanolamine): Hormone-disrupting chemicals that can form cancer-causing nitrates. Restricted in Europe due to carcinogenic effects, yet are still used in the U.S. Americans may be exposed 10-20 times per day with shampoos, shaving creams and bubble baths. Dr. Samuel Epstein (Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Illinois ) says that repeated applications of DEA-based detergents result in major increases in liver and kidney cancer. The FDA’s John Bailey says, “the risk is significantly increased for children.” No Alternative Necessary.
Polyethylene Glycol (PEG): Carcinogenic petroleum ingredient that reduces the skin’s natural moisture. Increases the appearance of aging and leaves you vulnerable to bacteria. Used in spray-on oven cleaners and cleansers to dissolve oil and grease. One Alternative: Planteren™.
Sodium Hydroxide: The most recent addition to personal care products. This is a poison (caustic lye) found in drain cleaners. The warning label on sodium hydroxide products reads “POISON. May be fatal or cause permanent damage if swallowed. May cause blindness. Avoid contact with skin, eyes, mouth, and clothing.” Yet, the cosmetic industry is now putting it in our skin care and oral care products. Alternative: BGSE & Hydrated Silica.
Triclosan: Synthetic “antibacterial” with a chemical structure similar to Agent Orange! The EPA registers it as a pesticide, giving it high scores as a risk to human health and the environment. It is in a class of chemicals suspected of causing cancer in humans. Its manufacturing process can produce dioxin, a hormone-disrupting chemical with toxic effects measured in the parts per trillion; that is only one drop in 300 Olympic-size swimming pools! Hormone disruptors can change genetic material, decrease fertility and sexual function, and foster birth defects. Internally, it can lead to cold sweats, circulatory collapse, and convulsions. Stored in body fat, it can accumulate to toxic levels, damaging the liver, kidneys and lungs, and can cause paralysis, suppression of immune function, brain hemorrhages, and heart problems. Tufts University School of Medicine says triclosan can force the emergence of ‘super bugs’ that it cannot kill. Its widespread use in antibacterial cleansers, tooth pastes and household products may have nightmarish implications for our future. Alternative: BGSE.
DMDM & Urea (Imidazolidinyl): Two of many preservatives that often release formaldehyde which cause joint pain, skin reactions, allergies, depression, headaches, chest pains, ear infections, chronic fatigue, dizziness, and loss of sleep. Exposure also irritates the respiratory system, triggers heart palpitations or asthma, and aggravates coughs and colds. Other side effects include weakening the immune system and cancer. Alternative: Lonicera Japonica.
Parabens: A recent report is questioning the safety of the most common group of cosmetic preservatives called parabens. Studies show that parabens – alkyl hydroxy parabens — alpha hydroxy benzoate (methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, and butyl-paraben) are weakly estrogenic. In other words, these preservatives have the ability to mimic estrogen in the body with butylparaben being the most potent. Alternative: Lonicera Japonica.
Alcohol, Isopropyl (SD-40): Drying, irritating solvent that strips skin’s moisture and immune barrier, making you vulnerable to bacteria and viruses. Made from a petroleum derivative found in shellac and antifreeze as well as personal care products. Promotes brown spots and premature aging. A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients says it may cause headaches, flushing, dizziness, mental depression, nausea, vomiting, and coma. Fatal ingested dose is one ounce or less. Alternative: BGSE.
Mineral Oil: Petroleum by-product that coats the skin like plastic wrap, clogging the pores. Interferes with skin’s ability to eliminate toxins, promoting acne and other disorders. Slows down skin function and cell development, resulting in premature aging. Baby oil is 100% mineral oil! Alternatives: Moisture Magnets (Saccharide Isomerate) from beets; Ceramides, Jojoba and other vegetable oils.
FD&C Color Pigments: Synthetic colors from coal tar that deposit toxins onto the skin, causing skin irritation. Absorption of certain colors can cause depletion of oxygen in the body and death. Animal studies have shown almost all of them to be carcinogenic. No Alternative Necessary.
Fragrances: Can contain up to four thousand ingredients (including animal urine), many toxic or carcinogenic. Cause headaches, dizziness, allergic rashes, skin discoloration, violent coughing, vomiting, and skin irritation. Fragrances affect the nervous system, causing depression, hyperactivity, irritability, inability to cope, and other behavioral changes. Alternatives: Aroma-therapeutic, Organic Essential Oils.
Make safer, wiser choices – find pure, clean products: Organic Essentials
