Choosing safe products can be a daunting task without the proper
knowledge and tools. Many product packages are deceptively designed to
make you believe that the product inside the package is herbal, all
natural, safe and gentle, when in fact the product contains little or no
natural or herbal ingredients, is contaminated with carcinogens and is
irritating to the skin. This is the case because of the lack of
regulation in the cosmetic and personal care product industry. But armed
with a little knowledge and some helpful tools, there is much you can
do to protect yourself.
Here are ten things you can do to make safer and healthier choices when selecting your toiletries:
Read the ingredients on the label.
The
packaging may say such things as natural, herbal or hypoallergenic.
This has nothing to do with what's really in the product or how safe it
is. Manufacturers make a lot of claims on the package to "sell" the
product. They can do this because some of the terms don't have official
definitions and they can use them however they want. To really find out
what's in a product, you must read the ingredients in the small print,
you know, the ones that you sometimes need a magnifying glass to be able
to see.
Interpret and understand the ingredients.
Once
you find the ingredients, you have to be able to know what they are and
if they are safe, harmful, questionable or untested. A great many
ingredients have chemical names that only a cosmetic chemist would
understand. However, you don't have to be a cosmetic chemist. The book,
Dying To Look Good, makes it easy for you to choose products with safe
and healthy ingredients.
Choose products without parabens.
Parabens
are xenoestrogens or endocrine disrupters. They disturb the hormone
balance in your body. They are also skin sensitizers and have the
potential to cause allergic reactions. They have been found in breast
cancer tumors, but it is not known if they cause breast cancer.
Stay away from products containing amines.
Chemicals
that fall into the category of amines can combine with nitrosating
agents to form nitrosamines, which cause cancer. Nitrosamines are formed
during the manufacturing process when an amine combines with a
formaldehyde-releasing preservative. Some of the amines commonly used in
cosmetics and personal care products are Cocamide MEA, Cocamide DEA,
TEA, sodium lauroyal sarcosinate and amino methyl propanol. Several of
the formaldehyde-releasing preservatives include sodium
hydroxymethylglycinate, quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin and diazonlidnyl
urea.
Steer clear of products containing talc.
Talc
is found in talcum powder, baby powder and makeup. It is a carcinogen if
it contains asbestiform fibers. The quantity of asbestiform fibers in
cosmetic-grade talc is unregulated in the U.S. Some research suggests a
link between talc and ovarian cancer.
Be cautious about products that contain fragrance.
Manufacturers
are not required to disclose the ingredients used in frgrances. A
single fragrance may contain hundreds of different chemicals. Some of
the chemicals used in fragrances are hazardous, such as benzyl chloride,
methyl ethyl ketone, methylene chloride, toluene and phthalates.
Fragrances may also contain chemicals that cause cancer. Even products
listed as fragrance free may have fragrance added to mask offensive
odors.
Avoid D&C and FD&C Colors.
Most
D&C and FD&C colors are derived from coal tar which is a
carcinogen. Most coal tar colors are potential carcinogens, may contain
carcinogenic contaminants and cause allergic reactions. These colors
must be certified by the FDA to contain not more than 20 ppm of lead and
arsenic, but the certification does not address any other harmful
effects these colors may have on the body.
Beware of products containing chemical preservatives.
Chemical
preservatives can be irritating and are the number one cause of contact
dermatitis. Some preservatives you should watch out for are
benzethonium chloride, BHA, BHT, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea,
phenoxyethanol and methylisothiazolinone.
Watch out for "and other ingredients."
This
means there are one or more ingredients that the manufacturer considers
a trade secret and does not want to list on the label. There is no way
of knowing if these ingredients are safe or not.
Be wary of products with long lists of ingredients.
Many
of the chemicals used in cosmetics and personal care products have not
been tested or have not been adequately tested. Even those that have
been tested have only been tested individually, not in combination with
other ingredients. Nobody knows the effects of the many different
ingredients used in thousands of different combinations, the effects of
using numerous different products, one on top of the other, or the
effects of repeated use of ingredients or products over time.
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