Shopper’s Guide to Safe Cosmetics.
17 January 2009How do we navigate the plethora of products on the market that now proclaim themselves “all natural” or declare “non-toxic ingredients”?
Often buying a “natural’ product does not provide protection from toxic or just plain obnoxious chemicals. The text on a bottle of shampoo I purchased advertised “Herbal, Daily cleansing, herbal extracts to naturally purify and cleanse hair”, there is even Nature right in the product logo. So what exactly did I buy?
The ingredients [are] as follows: Water, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sufonate, Cocamide DEA, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricara) Flower extract, Lavandula Augustifolia (lavender) extract, Achillea Millefolium (Yarrow) Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) leaf extract, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Extract, Prunus Serotina (wild cherry) bark extract, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Polyquaternium-10, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance. So what’s not to love?
That’s the question we all have when shopping, especially for personal care products, and although I am beginning to get good at recognizing the worst offenders, I was delighted when I found a shopper’s guide to safe cosmetics that would fold up into my wallet. No more carrying my books around with me and researching as I shop, a thankless task with two under 5’s. At the Environmental Working Group website you can discover that due to loopholes in federal law companies can hide all kinds of things in your personal products. EWG to get your personal shopper guide.
On the shopper’s guide the EWG recommends avoiding DMDM hydantoin and Imidazolidinyl urea: toxic contaminants. Fragrance and dyes – will cause allergies, cancer, nervous system problems. Methylchloroisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone: problems with allergies and nervous system issues. Parabans or “-paraban” negative effects on your hormones. “Peg” and “-eth”: toxic contaminants. Sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate: Skin damage, toxic contaminants. Triclosan and triclocarban: Thyroid and environmental concerns. Triethanolamine (TEA): Allergies, toxic contaminants.
Products to avoid include: Anti-aging creams with lactic, glycolic, AHA and BHA axids, Hair dyes with ammonia, peroxide, p- phe-nylenediamine, diaminobenzene; all permanent dark hair dyes. Liquid hand soaps with triclosan, Nail polish and removers with formaldehyde and skin lighteners with hydroquinone.
Remember the skin is the largest organ in the body. Whatever you put on your skin, will quickly sink in and reach all your other organs, take care to find the right products and avoid the toxic ones to maintain your best health.
Make an adjustment, stay healthy ~ be happy.
Call Dr. Paul or Dr. Susan at 303.674.1500 or email office@fontanachiro.com
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