I know.. such a strange question but its a question we should all ask ourselves. Did you know that your skin absorbs anywhere between 60-90% of what you put on it? When was the last time you checked your ingredients? Its no wonder cancer is on the rise and our immune systems are struggling. Our bodies and brains are not made to process most of the ingredients packed into the average skincare product. Most of these "additives" serve no other purpose than for esthetic packaging purposes.
I would like to touch a moment on the most harmful skincare ingredients.
Fragrance/Parfum: A catchall for hidden chemicals such as phthalates. This ingredient makes me the most upset. I believe in the power of essential oils and our brains ability to use the to work on our bodies. That being said synthetic frangrance goes into our nose and to our brain which thinks its getting helpful information and then when it goes unrecognized it starts attacking our bodies.
Ethoxylate surfactants and 1,4-dioxane: Never listed because its a by product. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has found 1,4-dioxane in 57% of baby washes un the U.S. Avoid any ingredients containing the letters "eth."
Hydroquinone: Used for lightening skin. Banned in the UK, rated most toxic on the EWG's Skin Database and linked to cancer and reproductive problems.
Lead: Known carcinogen found in lipstick and hair dye, but never listed because its a contaminant not an ingredient. Lead is the cause of many neurological problems.
Mercury: Known allergen that impairs brain development. Found in mascara and some eyedrops.
Mineral Oil: By product of petroleum thats used in baby oil, moisturizers and styling gels. It creates a film that impairs the body to release toxins.
Parabens: Use as a preservative and found in many products. Linked to cancer and reproductive toxicity. Please note that paraben awareness is very much a trend these days so even though it says paraben free please check your labels.
Ethoxylate surfactants and 1,4-dioxane: Never listed because its a by product. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has found 1,4-dioxane in 57% of baby washes un the U.S. Avoid any ingredients containing the letters "eth."
Hydroquinone: Used for lightening skin. Banned in the UK, rated most toxic on the EWG's Skin Database and linked to cancer and reproductive problems.
Lead: Known carcinogen found in lipstick and hair dye, but never listed because its a contaminant not an ingredient. Lead is the cause of many neurological problems.
Mercury: Known allergen that impairs brain development. Found in mascara and some eyedrops.
Mineral Oil: By product of petroleum thats used in baby oil, moisturizers and styling gels. It creates a film that impairs the body to release toxins.
Parabens: Use as a preservative and found in many products. Linked to cancer and reproductive toxicity. Please note that paraben awareness is very much a trend these days so even though it says paraben free please check your labels.
Let's talk about how to educate ourselves. I know not everyone has the time to set around and research things like I do but fortunately there is a very helpful site that can take a lot of guesswork away for you. Its called Skin Deep Cosmetic Database. They have most all commercial products listed. You just type in the name and it will tell you on a scale of 1-10 how toxic the product really is. It even goes into the detail of specific ingredients and what they do.
Light&Love
Credits: Cosmetic Database and Treehugger Blog
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