REDUCE TOXIC EXPOSURE

Cosmetics/Grooming Products

Many of us have become label readers at the supermarket, but when was the last time you read the ingredient label on your cosmetics and grooming products? Did you know that many of the grooming products we use most frequently – deodorant, toothpaste, soap, make-up, skin care, etc – may contain ingredients whose safety is questionable. The U.S. government does not mandate safety studies of cosmetics, and only 11% of the 10,500 ingredients the FDA has documented in products have been assessed for safety by the cosmetic industry’s review panel, according to Lavera Corporation.

Just because the label says “natural” or it is being sold at a “health food store” does not mean that it is completely natural or chemical free. Read labels and educate yourself as to the more harmful or questionable ingredients. We have provided a short list of things to be on the look-out for here, but you can get the complete list in “A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients” by Ruth Winter.

The good news is there are a growing number of companies who recognize the demand for safer and healthier products. Click here for a list of products/companies who offer natural cosmetics and grooming products: RECOMMENDED

The following article, Lipstick Contains Questionable Ingredients, was written by Marj Melchiors, founder of Cosmetics Without Synthetics (www.allnaturalcosmetics.com), and is being reprinted here with her permission. Marj is dedicated to bringing safe and effective products to consumers…and I thank her for guiding and educating those of us who are struggling to reduce our toxic exposure from cosmetics and other products.

Lipstick Contains Questionable Ingredients!

One woman can ingest up to 4 pounds of lipstick in a lifetime. Synthetic dyes derived from aluminum ("Lakes colors") and coal tar can be absorbed into our bodies and stored in our organs and fatty tissues. For the sensitive individual, the use of coal tar colors is said to cause such symptoms as nausea, headaches, skin problems, fatigue, mood swings, or other allergic symptoms. Coal tar dyes have produced cancer in laboratory animals. Certain types of artificial dyes, lanolin, and added fragrances in lipstick can cause drying and cracking of the lips. A condition called cheilitis, dermatitis of the lips, can occur due to an allergic reaction to lip products since the skin of the lips is quite thin. Some believe that BHA, a commonly used preservative in lipsticks, is carcinogenic and should be avoided.

The cosmetic industry will not tell you that some of the ingredients used in its products are health hazards. But this is no reason to be uninformed. No one wants to be at risk for allergic reactions, irritations, dermatitis, and cancer. Products from lipsticks are going to be absorbed into your body as you moisten your lips throughout the day, and especially when you eat. Let's face the facts, you are basically eating your lipstick! The bottom line is to pay attention to what the ingredients are on any cosmetic label. Buy those of a natural origin. The following is a partial listing of common ingredients you will see on lipstick labels, and just what this ingredient is:

Beeswax-derived from the honeycomb of bees, this ingredient is safe.

Candelilla wax-obtained from the candelilla plant and used in lipsticks for body. Non-toxic.

Carmine-derived from the shell of the female cochineal insect (beetle). Used to produce a red coloring. Can cause allergic reactions.

FD & C colorings-derived from coal tar (petroleum). Some colors are believed to be carcinogenic.

Iron Oxides-iron combined with oxygen used for colorings. Non-toxic.

"Lakes" colors- derived from aluminum, barium potassium, strontium. Not safe.

Lanolin-a product from the oil glands of sheep. Can cause allergic reactions, and can be harmful to ingest if full of pesticide residue.

Petrolatum-derived from petroleum, this ingredient can cause allergic reactions and ironically can actually dry out the lips, requiring the user to apply even more lipstick.

Avoid These Suncreen Ingredients:

Studies done by Switzerland's Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology have proved that chemical sunscreens detrimentally affect your body when used. For example, the chemical compounds in sunscreens can accumulate in body fats, in mother's breastmilk and can cause hormonal changes within the body. A few chemical ingredients to avoid are: 4-Methyl-Benzylidencamphor, (4-MBC), Oxybenzone, Benzophenone-3, Octyl-Methoyl-Cinnamates (OMC), Ictyl-Mimethyl-Para-Amino-Benzoic Acid (OD-PABA), and Homosalate (HMS).