What's Hiding In Your Personal Care Products?

What's Hiding In Your Personal Care Products?

Your skin is the largest organ in your body. Knowing what ingredients make up your personal care products is extremely important. Whether it's sunscreen you slather on in Bora Bora or deodorant that gets you through hot yoga - every ingredient in your personal care products matters. They absorb into your bloodstream. From the top of your head to the soles of your feet - everything you choose will either contribute to your toxic load or safely metabolize and exit your body.

It's not only what you eat or how you think, breathe, move and sleep that impacts your overall health. Your skin acts as a protective barrier. Allowing unknown and potentially harmful chemicals to absorb beyond that barrier is dangerous. The personal care products you choose need to meet a certain level of criteria. We have put every product we offer to the test in order to support your body's health journey.

You can and should commit to making simple decisions regarding what you allow your skin to absorb. Cancerasthma, autism, reproductive problems, and other health issues have been linked to chemical exposure. Personal care products contain many potentially harmful ingredients that have never been tested for safety. 

These chemicals may increase levels of estrogen, alter cell metabolism, and influence the pathways that increase the risk of cancer. When inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin, certain chemicals have been proven to mimic the effects of estrogen in the body or cause estrogen to act in an abnormal fashion. Teenage girls are already at a vulnerable age since their bodies are growing and developing at a rapid rate. The makeup, lotion and hair products they are using most likely contain at least one chemical linked to a number of serious health problems. These exposures can lead to serious health issues later in life.

If you only look at personal care products, the average adult is exposed to 126 chemicals on a daily basis.

“The lipstick we wear, the food we eat, and the soap we use to clean our children’s hands often contain harmful chemicals,” says Mia Davis, head of health and safety for the personal care product company Beautycounter. “The load adds up quickly day after day. And as we swallow, breathe in, and lather up, toxins entering our bodies may have lasting impact.”

The Most Harmful Chemicals to Avoid

Methylparaben/propylparaben:

Mimics estrogen, known to play a role in the development of breast cancers. May alter hormone levels; alter reproductive development. Some studies have found parabens in breast tumors. (Parabens may not be labelled so look for "free-of" label claims if you want to avoid them) Shampoos, soaps, shaving gels, nail creams, facial masks, cleansing gels, bubble bath, toothpaste, baby lotions, cosmetics, moisturizers, hand and body lotions and beauty creams, skin and hair conditioners, mascara.

Phthalates: 

Estrogen-mimicking chemicals used as plastic softeners and solvents. Found in hairspray, hair gel, hair mousse, fragrances, deodorants, and nail polish as well as most plastic products including plastic bottles, PVC plastics, and plastic toys. (Phthalates may not be labelled so look for "free-of" label claims if you want to avoid them) Found in: Hair spray, deodorant, nail polish, hair gel, mousse, lotions, children’s toys, perfumes, fragrances, plastics, cosmetics

Placental extract or estrogen:

Advertised to promote growth and thickness of hair and marketed to African-American women and girls. Placental extracts are tainted with hormones posing a danger to young girls as well as the rest of us. Excess progesterone and estrogen has been linked to breast, ovarian and reproductive cancers. It induces early puberty which is a risk factor for breast cancer later in life. Any product with Placenta, Estrogen or Hormone in the list of ingredients Shampoos, styling gels, cosmetics and cream rinses, toners/astringents, anti-aging creams. FRAGRANCE (May include phthalates, synthetic musks (which disrupt hormones); ethylene oxide (a mammary carcinogen). Perfumes and scented cosmetics Hormone disruptor. Accumulates in the body and shows up in the fat, blood, and breast milk of women who wore perfumes that contained it. Helps chemicals absorb into the skin. Most “fragrances” are synthetic and are either cancer-causing or otherwise toxic. * Companies are not required to list these chemicals on product labels.

Sunscreens (octinoxate, oxybenzone, sulisobenzone):

Sunscreens, hair spray, face cream, fragrance & perfume, shampoo, conditioner, liquid hand soap, foundation, lipstick, insect repellant, nail polish, polish remover, aftershave and shaving cream. Has estrogenic activity. Blocks the creation of essential vitamin D that the human body needs to prevent breast cancer.

Check your labels to make sure your products are free of

  • aluminum
  • propylene glycol
  • parabens
  • phthalates

The Environmental Workers Group rates 80,000 personal care products and they don't miss a thing. Their staff scientists compare the ingredients on personal care product labels and websites to information in nearly 60 toxicity and regulatory databases. So before you commit to a product check out their data base to make sure it's safe for you to use.

Products We Recommend

    We want to share with you some of our tried and true personal care products that we carry both in our office and on our website.

      Schmidt's deodorant 

      Antiperspirants block sweat production in your underarms that is your body's natural way to eliminate toxins. Schmidt's uses innovative botanicals and mineral-derived ingredients that are packed with healthy benefits for our bodies. Schmidt’s is committed to staying certified vegan and and animal cruelty-free. Their deodorant is free of aluminum, propylene glycol, SLS, PEG, parabens, phthalates, artificial fragrance and colorants.

        Toothpaste

        An example of one of the lines we carry called XyliWhite is formulated with the cleanest ingredient and is free of sodium lauryl sulfate. It tastes super fresh and minty and promotes healthy teeth that are whiter and stronger. The 25% xylitol content is one of the highest contents available.

         

        EO/Everything brand

        Our Everything brand personal care products have an EWG verified seal of approval. That alone speaks volumes about how safe these products are to use. When it comes to your little ones, EO would never use an ingredient that functions as a numbing agent for tear ducts, which is how many products promise "tear free." The Calming Baby Chamomile and Lavender Wash is perfect for bed time. Everything brand offers hand soap and sanitizers, lotions and shampoos for the entire family to enjoy.

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