What’s actually in your skin care, cosmetics and personal products?
Do you really know?
There is a lot of confusion when it comes to the ingredients in the products we wear on our skin day in and day out. Cosmetic and skin care companies assure us that all the ingredients are completely safe. However, there are many who maintain that the products contain synthetic additives and ingredients that are harmful. They argue that while the ingredients may be ‘safe’ in minute quantities, they’re harmful and even dangerous when they are present in multiple products which are all used in conjunction. The truth lies somewhere in-between, and the responsibility for finding this sweet spot lies with you, the consumer.
Ideally everything we used on our skin would come straight from nature, untainted by pesticides and free from preservatives and other additives. But the reality is that this is simply not practical or even realistic in the world we live in.
For manufacturers, profit takes priority over health, leading to compromises in the products and even questions surrounding the testing of them. While manufacturers are required to make known what’s actually in the products, it can be difficult for the general public to find this information, or to then understand it. Advertising may also mislead by promoting benefits in a way that makes many products appear healthier, ‘greener’, more natural or able to bestow greater benefits and fewer downsides than reality would suggest.
Everyone wants products that are safe and deliver what is promised. But for a growing number, that product should also contain no ingredients that may be toxic, harm the environment or animals. Increasingly, the expectation is that products should contain natural ingredients wherever possible. This is a tall order when profits and the bottom line dictate the final result!
The Responsible Consumer
Taking responsibility for choosing products that fall into that ‘sweet spot’ between harmful, synthetic ingredients and natural ones can be daunting and overwhelming at first. But the good news is you don’t need to recognise and remember all the harmful chemicals. If you learn the names and avoid even just a few of the chemicals, it makes a BIG difference to the toxic load on your body as you can avoid the worst of the toxic ingredients.
For better health watch out for these ingredients which are all problematic. Be extra careful with products for children.
☠ propylene glycol (PG)
☠ mineral oil
☠ PEG
☠ Sodium Laurel Sulphate (SLS or SLES)
☠ anything with DEA, MEA or TEA in it.
☠ fragrance
These are some (but not all) of the worst and most harmful commonly used ingredients.
Remember, it only takes 26 seconds for the chemicals in your personal care products to enter your bloodstream…
Learn more about the toxins you’re absorbing through your skin every single day at “Skin Deep: Avoid Toxic Skin Care”.