Recently my girlfriend and I found ourselves inside The Body Shop, perusing their vast inventory of cosmetic, skin and personal care products. Me being me, my first response to my girlfriend's statement of 'this is my favourite' was to flip the product over, and pore through the ingredient list. I was about to give the item in question my unwanted seal of approval before my eyes caught the dreaded words 'paraben', 'parfum'. Shame that it was, I was unable to endorse the body butter knowing what dangers lurked inside.
So It's Got A Para-Whatever ... Why Should I Care?
Unlike popular belief, people are exposed to cosmetic chemicals in various forms on a daily basis. Every cologne / perfume you spray one, blush you powder on, moisturizer you use or lip-gloss you apply provides a vehicle for toxins to seep into your body. Studies have found cosmetics ingredients such as phthalate plasticizers, paraben preservatives, the pesticide triclosan, synthetic fragrances and sunscreens act as common biological pollutants that have potential to disrupt hormones, damage sperm, feminize the male reproductive system and contribute to low birth weight in girls.
For those seeking further information, I would recommend the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database, which contains information related to the safety of over 78,000 cosmetics.
The purpose of today's article is to give you lucky readers some tips that will help you navigate the personal care aisle of the stores without being duped into buying something that could potentially adversely affect your health.
Tips For Selecting Products To Reduce Toxic Load
The Top Tip is to use fewer and simpler products. Embrace your true beauty rather than hiding it behind a wall of foundation.
Alright, now that that's out of my system here are some more practical contributions:
- Cleaning Products
NO - triclocarban (bar soap), triclosan (liquid soap)
YES - hand sanitizers with ethanol / ethyl alcohol
- Moisturizing
NO - retinyl palmitate or retinol.
- Tooth-Care
NO - triclosan & fluoride (in toothpaste / mouth wash)
- Lips
NO - retinyl palmitate or retinol
- Sun Protection
NO - SPF 50+, retinyl palmitate, aerosol spray / powder, oxybenzone, insect repellent
- Hair Care
NO - 'fragrance', PEG's, polyethylene, parabens (of all varieties), DMDM hydantoin, sodium lauryl (laureth) sulphate (SLS)
- Nails
NO - formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate
- Other Products
Hair Straighteners - cancer, allergy, hair damage / loss.
Loose Powders - inhalation risk
Perfumes - allergy concerns
Dark Permanent Hair Dyes - linked to cancer
Skin Lighteners - skin irritation and damage
In sum, we should all learn to read labels. Clearly, the nutritional variety are not the only ones to be concerned with. Whether you're buying for yourself, children or teenagers these ingredients are best avoided due to the reasons cited above. However, going back to your ancient roots is a good solution. Many natural products can be used in replacement of chemical ones. For example, coconut oil serves multiple purposes as a moisturizer, hair conditioner, and can be used in place of shaving cream as a 'pre-shave' application.
EWG. (unknown date). Myths on cosemtics safety. http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/myths-on-cosmetics-safety/
Duty, S.M., et al. (2003). The relationship between environmental exposure to phthalates and dna damage in human sperm using the neutral comet assay. Environ Health Perspect 11(9), 1164-9.
Gray, T.J., & Gangolli, S.D. (1986). Aspects of the testicular toxicity of phthalate esters. Environmental Health Perspectives, 65, 229-23.
Hauser, et al. (2007). DNA damage in human sperm is related to urinary levels of phthalate monoester and oxidative metabolites. Hum Reprod, 22(3), 688-95.
Swan, S.H., et al. (2005). Decrease in anogenital distance among male infants with prenatal phthalate exposure. Environ Health Perspect, 113(8), 1056-61.
Veldhoen, N., et al. (2006). The bactericidal agent triclosan modulates thyroid hormone-associated gene expression and disrupts postembyonic anuran development. Aquatic Toxicology, 80(3), 217-227.
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