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Do You Really Know What’s in Your Cosmetics & Skin Care Products?
Below is a list of the some of the most common ingredients found in personal care
products and their effects on the human body:
- Sodium Laureth Sulfate – A synthetic substance that causes skin irritation and allergic
reaction in many users. It penetrates the skin, and has links to gastrointestinal
and liver toxicity. Sodium Laureth Sulfate enters and maintains residual levels in
the heart, lungs and the brain from skin contact.
- Propylene Glycol – It’s one of the most common ingredients in personal care products……and
is also used as a deicing fluid for airplanes. How is this possible that the same
propylene glycol that we so freely apply to our skin every day is also used as antifreeze
and in brake fluid? Exposure to propylene glycol can potentially lead to serious
health problems including brain, liver and kidney abnormalities.
- PEG – This is an abbreviation for polyethylene glycol. PEG is potentially carcinogenic,
yet is found in many personal skin care products and contributes to stripping the
natural moisture factor, leaving the immune system vulnerable to bacteria.
- Isopropyl Alcohol – A very drying and irritating solvent that strips your skin’s
moisture and natural immune barrier, making you more vulnerable to bacteria, moulds
and viruses. Inhalation or ingestion of the vapor may cause headaches, flushing,
dizziness, mental depression, nausea, vomiting and coma.
- Mineral Oil – Petroleum by-product that coats the skin like plastic, clogging the
pores. Interferes with skin’s ability to eliminate toxins, promoting acne and other
disorders.
- Fragrance – Many synthetic fragrances are toxic or carcinogenic. Potential problems
caused by these chemicals are headaches, dizziness, rashes, coughing, and vomiting.
- Diethanolamine (DEA) or Triethanolamine (TEA) are found in most personal care products.
TEA causes allergic reactions including eye problems, hair and skin dryness. Both
DEA and TEA are highly susceptible to contamination with nitrosamines, known to be
potent carcinogens.
- FD&C Color Pigments – Synthetic colors should be avoided, as they are believed to
be cancer-causing agents.
- Parabens: Parabens have had a lot of press lately and I’m finding more and more products
specifically labeled “paraben free”. This is because parabens, in their many forms
(methylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben, or butylparaben) have been linked to
breast cancer. The FDA claims that parabens aren’t dangerous at very low levels,
but when you consider that 25,000 different cosmetics and skincare products contain
these chemicals, it’s feasible to build up quite an exposure in a lifetime.
- Formaldehyde: A frighteningly common ingredient in a variety of beauty products.
Formaldehyde can irritate your eyes, nose and throat, dry out and irritate your skin
and even cause asthma and cancer with repeated exposure.
- Hydroquinone: A skin-bleaching ingredient, hydroquinone is banned in Japan, the European
Union, and Australia, but it’s still in use in the United States and other countries
worldwide. Hydroquinone is found not only in Asian and African skin- lightening products,
but in creams to lighten age-spots as well. There’s some evidence that hydroquinone
is a carcinogen, and is linked to ochronosis, a condition in which grayish brown
spots and bumps occur on the skin.
- Toluene: Found in nail polish and hair dye, this is a nasty one. Toluene is toxic
to the nervous system and breathing it in can cause dizziness and headaches. High
exposures can lead to birth defects and miscarriage, so watch out if you work in
a nail salon.
- Coal Tar: Coal tar is used to treat eczema, psoriasis and other skin disorders and
can be found in anti-itch creams and scalp treatments. It’s also a known carcinogen.
Stop Poisoning Your Family…………Your Health is in Your Hands.
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