The Dirty Dozen - Toxic beauty and hygiene ingredients to avoid!
It wasn't until I started eating well that I was compelled to take a closer look at what was hiding in my beauty and personal care products. I believe in taking a full spectrum approach to wellness. Why bother buying organic food then proceed to slather toxic chemicals all over your body? Today's post will be about the beauty industries dirty dozen! Twelve harmful ingredients hiding in plain sight that are detrimental to our wellbeing and the environment!
Sulphates (Sodium Laurate, Lauryl Sulphate, SLS) - Sudsy products contain these offenders! You might find them in things like detergent, shampoos, facial cleansers, bubble baths and dish detergents.
Manufacturing varies, Sodium Laureth Sulfate could be contaminated with ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane. Both ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane may harm the nervous system and could be cancer causing.
BHA and BHT (Butylated Hydroxyanisole and Butylated Hydroxytoluene) - BHA and BHT are used in the preservation of lipsticks, moisturizers, and food items.
When in contact with BHA or BHT allergic reactions can occur. Other harmful effects include liver, thyroid and kidney problems. BHA and BHT mimic estrogen and negatively impact reproduction. There have been studies to detect the possibility of BHT being toxic to the skin, lungs, liver and immune system.
Phthalates (Dibutyl Phthalate) - Phthalates are commonly used in nail polish, preventing it from becoming brittle. An industry trick is to list Phthalates under the name "fragrance", hiding the products harmful reality from the buyer.
There is sound evidence of Phthalates causing harm to unborn fetuses. Early puberty in girls and later-life breast cancer have also been linked to Phthalates.
Triclosan - Triclosan is classified as a pesticide, but can be found in the following: deodorants, antiperspirants, cleaners, hand sanitizer (as a preservative), laundry detergent, wound antiseptics and facial tissues.
Triclosan can pass through the skin's barrier and cause harmful reactions in the body. Hormones are greatly affected by Triclosan, especially the thyroid. The disruption of breast development has also been documented.
DEA Compounds (Diethanolamine) - If you own cream or bubbly cosmetic products, chances are you're using one of the dirty dozen! Check your cosmetic labels for DEA, you could be using an incredibly harmful product.
DEA Compounds are linked to skin and eye irritation. Exposure to higher levels of DEA Compounds can cause liver cancer. Toxic DEA may also affect the hormones.
Siloxanes - Cyclomethicone, as well as ingredients ending in "siloxane", are responsible for creating the quick drying effect in hair products. Siloxanes can be found most often in moisturizers and facial treatments as a softening ingredient. Other places Siloxanes lurk is in medical implants and deodorants.
Take a long look at your product labels, Cyclotetrasiloxane (D5) and Cylcopentasiloxane (D4) are known endocrine disruptors. D4 and D5 wreak havoc on hormone function, cause uterine tumors and harm both the reproductive and immune systems.
Parabens (Methyl-, Ethhyl-, Propyl-, Butyl-, Isobutyl-) - This group of antifungal agents, preservatives, and antimicrobials lurks in creams, lotions, ointments and other cosmetics like deodorants. Up to 90% of cosmetics include this toxin.
Parabens are highly absorbent meaning our skin tends to drink up these harmful substances. Parabens can mimic estrogen and has been viewed in human breast cancer tissue.
Formaldehyde - Chances are you’ve heard of Formaldehyde and already consider it to be unsafe. Formaldehyde hides under the names DMDM Hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, methenamine, quaternium-15, and sodium hydroxymethylglycinate! If you’re looking at baby soap, nail polish, eyelash adhesive or hair dye labels, chances are you’ll spot Formaldehyde or one of its lesser recognized names.
Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen and can cause adverse effects such as immune-system toxicity, respiratory irritation, and even cancer.
PEG Compounds (Polyethylene Glycols) - Used as solvents as well as thickening and moisture carrying agents, PEGs are found in cream products and laxatives.
PEG is incredibly problematic, it's able to open the pores of the skin allowing harmful chemicals to seep in. PEG along with ethoxylated may be contaminated with ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane. These ingredients may cause cancer in humans. Ethylene oxide can harm the nervous system and interfere with human development.
Petrolatum - Petrolatum is another dirty ingredient, often recognized by the name "mineral oil jelly". Used as a barrier to lock moisture into the skin, Petrolatum can be found in a variety of moisturizers. Another common place to find this nasty ingredient is in hair care where it's used to make hair shiny! You can find Petrolatum under other names like Petroleum or Liquid Parfum.
It's infuriating, but 1,4-dioxane is not listed on ingredient labels! 1,4-dioxane is a Petroleum derived contaminant formed in the production of shampoos, children's bath products, body wash and other bubbly beauty goods. The European Union acknowledges Petrolatum as a carcinogen, restricting its use in cosmetics.
Coal-Tar-Dyes Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs occur naturally in coal, crude oil, and gasoline. You may come across Naphthalene as it's a fairly common PAHs. Shampoos and cosmetics made with Coal Tar can be found on store shelves across the nation.
Through testing, the U.S. National Cancer Institute has noted Phenylenediamine to be carcinogenic. Phenylenediamine is used frequently in hair dye production. In addition to being cancer-causing, in colors Coal Tar may be contaminated with heavy metals and aluminum. The ingredient is especially problematic in cosmetics such as lipsticks which are often ingested.
Fragrance or Parfum - Parfum or Fragrance, has to be one of the most widely used toxins in the beauty industry! Labels are riddled with this troublesome ingredient, occurring in anything and everything with a scent. There are thousands of chemicals used in "fragrances", few having been tested for toxicity. Whats more there are over three-thousand chemicals used in the production of synthetic fragrances.
Fragrance is known to cause allergies, breathing problems and migraines! Phthalates may be hidden in products listing fragrance as an ingredient. Phthalates can disrupt the endocrine system and even lead to obesity or reproductive issues. Scour your labels for Dimethyl Phthalate or DEP, which interrupts hormone function.
It's incredibly hard to purge your makeup bag and drawers of products you once coveted. For me, it was a slow process, and I'm still working towards familiarizing myself with harmful ingredients. It took time, but I began to unburden myself of these toxic items one by one. I look back now, thinking of the trash can full of hundreds of dollars worth of false promises the beauty industry sold me. It's sad really, what a total waste of my time energy and cash!
There is so much power in knowledge. Now that you're informed, what will you do with the information you've picked up? I urge you to be proactive and take an honest look at the products surrounding you. It might not be easy, but in hindsight, I don't miss any of the items I kicked to the curb! It's important to know that there's life after Mac Cosmetics or whatever you're into. I've done a lot of research and refilled my personal care arsenal with safe ingredients that will benefit myself and my family. Did you find one of the dirty dozen hiding in your midst? Let me know in comments below!
As always I appreciate you spending time with me today. I would also like to give a warm welcome to my new followers! I hope you have a fantastic rest of your day and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.
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I started going makeup free a year ago, and I love it! I'm trying my best to pay attention to other health/beauty products now and see if I can toss them or find an alternative. I'll tell you, once you get away from perfumes for a long time, and then smell them again, they are strong and not appealing!
I’ve never been a fan of makeup. Grew up not wearing it, dabbled with it a little in my 20’s. I’d put it on for rare special occasions (like my profile pic which was taken at a wedding) but I dislike the feeling on my skin and couldn’t wait to scrub it off. A few months ago I threw away the few items I’d been keeping around “just in case an occasion comes up” and it was so freeing! I joked to my husband that throwing away makeup should be the modern equivalent of bra burning ;)
Thanks so much for this article, because I’m going to copy and save the link so I can refer back to it while going on a hunt for other offenders in the house. I already use a lot of natural bath products, but I’m sure there’s room for improvement!
It's funny, I used to die for this cologne my husband wore. He's stopped wearing it due to our views on chemicals. The other night he tossed a bit on and I just couldn't tolerate it! Totally overwhelming and unpleasant. Now we use hydrosols as perfume, essential oils are the way to go for me. I'm makeup free 90% of the time, maybe more... when I do put something on it's really minimal and from the brand 100% Pure. I'm starting to make my own hand soap, body wash, and toothpaste so I'll likely have a post up about that in the coming days :) Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a wonderful day!
I tried making my own toothpaste, and I was fine with it, but I don't think you're technically supposed to spit coconut oil down the drain? Our drain now has a smell that I can't get to go away, and I wonder if it was from the homemade toothpaste. I'd love to see future posts on homemade products!
I've oil pulled in the past and you're right! I had to spit it in the trash can. I wonder if you could do something with baking soda and lemon juice for the smell? It's a thought. I use ice, baking soda and lemons to clean my disposal. I'm glad you said that about the coconut oil though, because I had forgotten all about that!