Ingredients to Avoid
Did you know the average woman applies 300 known toxins onto her body before leaving the house each day? Shocking right! Seems almost impossible really. I mean, especially if your powder room is filled with “organic” or “all-natural” labels. Did you know that in the personal care industry, these statements are not purity standards; they are marketing labels. In fact, The US has not passed a federal law regulating the cosmetic industry since 1938. Kinda scary. We cannot trust groups funded by personal interest to look out for the health of ourselves and our family. We’ve gotta do the work. And, if you haven’t much time for that, that’s where I come in. Part of my mission is in educating consumers - people like you and me - in knowing how to source quality products that aren’t secretly compromising our health. The products we use from soaps to facial care routines and makeup all go directly into our bloodstream when applied topically. Think of your skin as a sponge - it soaks it all in. If this were a one-time exposure, it wouldn’t be as much of a concern. But when we consider the statistics, it is quite alarming in realizing not only the ingredients allowed in most products, but to realize they are in the very products we are using once if not multiple times a day. The exposure adds up.
Simple Steps for bing results
Start with what you use most: Deodorant, Toothpaste, Body wash, Shampoo and Conditioner.
Look for ingredients that are formulated without parabens, phthalates, talc, alcohol, mineral oil, synthetic perfumes or dyes, artificial colors, fragrances, or preservatives.
And, remember, in the personal care industry, “Organic” is nothing more than a marketing term. Although we pair that term with health and safety, it means nothing when we are looking at personal care products. I encourage you to become your own best advocate. Become a label reader, scan the ingredients, and only choose products that truly have your best interest in mind.
Not-So-Fun Facts
CHEMICALS/SAFETY/FDA
The US has not passed a federal law regulating the cosmetic industry since 1938. 12
The Food and Drug Administration does not require that cosmetics ingredients or products be approved before they go on the market, and FDA has no power to recall a product from the market.3
The European Union has banned nearly 1400 ingredients from cosmetics.4
The US has banned or restricted 11 ingredients from cosmetics.5
More than 85,000 chemicals are registered for use in commerce6 , and about 10,500 are used in the cosmetics industry.7
PRODUCT USAGE:
Women use an average of 12 personal care products containing 168 ingredients daily.8
Men use about 6 personal care products containing 85 unique ingredients daily.9
Teenage girls use an average of 17 personal care products a day.10
16 potentially toxic cosmetics chemicals (including phthalates, triclosan, parabens, and musks) were found in the bodies of 20 teenage girls.11
HEALTH
Scientific studies over the past 40 years have fueled the consensus that exposure to toxic chemicals plays a role in the incidence and prevalence of many diseases and disorders in the US. 12
Children are far more vulnerable to the effects of toxic chemicals than adults.13
CANCER
In the US, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men will develop cancer in their lifetime.14
Today, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, up from 1 in 20 forty years ago.15
Approximately 90% of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer do not have the BRACA gene (or cancer susceptibility genes).16
• Childhood cancers have increased 20% since 1975.17
LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES:
Autism,18 ADHD19, asthma20 and allergies21 (called the 4As) are all on the rise in the US.
Learning and developmental disabilities affect more than 1 in 6 children in the US. 22
Though risk factors are complicated and not fully understood, the National Academy of Sciences has determined that environmental factors contribute to 28% of developmental disorders in children.23
REPRODUCTIVE/FERTILITY ISSUES
Difficulty in conceiving and maintaining a pregnancy affected 40% more women in 2002 than in 1982.24
From 1982 to 1992, a reproductive difficulty almost doubled in women ages 18-25.25
More than 200 synthetic chemicals, many known to be toxic, can be found in nearly all Americans, including newborns who are exposed to chemicals in utero.
Today, girls are entering puberty earlier than a generation ago—in part due to exposures to endocrine disruptors (substances that can alter the body’s hormonal responses).26
Early puberty puts girls are a higher risk for breast cancer later in life.27
