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Your skin is precious. It’s something you never outgrow, and let’s face it, it’s not going anywhere – so you’d better take good care of it!
Your skin is the largest organ your body has. It helps form a line of defense against pathogens, aids in regulating body heat, provides a barrier against fluid loss, and more. It can be your best friend, or your worst enemy, but regardless of what skin your in, it’s always a good idea to know what you’re putting on it.
Here are five chemicals you should avoid when purchasing skin and body care items:
- DMDM Hydantoin: DMDM Hydantoin is considered to be highly hazardous. It is added to a range of products, such as shampoos, conditioners, styling gels, body washes, facial cleansers, moisturizers for both body and face, anti-aging products, liquid hand soaps, and hair colorants. DMDM Hydantoin may lead to allergies, skin irritations, and organ system toxicities. It is known to be toxic to the human immune system.
- Parabens: Parabens are used to extend product shelf life. They are known to be highly toxic, and have been found in breast cancer tumors. Although scientific evidence has yet to prove parabens are a cause of breast cancer, speculation alone should be enough to leave products containing parabens on store shelves. Parabens are added to all kinds of products, such as foundations, lip sticks, eye shadows, moisturizers, lip glosses, eye liners, anti-aging products, as well as facial cleansers and moisturizers.
- Propylene Glycol: Propylene glycol is industrial ant-freeze. It is put into products such as shampoos, facial cleansers, hair colorants, foundations, mascaras, styling gels, anti-aging products, as well as facial and body moisturizers. There is concern that propylene glycol may lead to allergies, skin irritations, organ and reproductive toxicities, neuro toxicity, and cellular level changes.
- Sodium Lauryl or Laureth Sulfate: SLS is put into many different kinds of products. Items such as toothpastes, foundations, shampoos, face washes, body washes, and hair colorants, may contain this potentially harmful ingredient. SLS may lead to cancer, skin and eye irritation, organ and reproductive toxicity, and may lead to changes at the cellular level. In fact, Environmental Working Group considers SLS to be the most dangerous ingredient used in skin and body care products today.
- Triclosan: Triclosan is an ingredient used in products such as deodorants, hand soaps, toothpastes, facial cleansers, acne treatments, lipsticks, eye shadows, and body washes. There is strong concern that Triclosan is very hazardous to humans and to the environment, and may lead to cancer, organ and reproductive toxicity, skin irritation, and endocrine disruption. Evidence shows Triclosan is toxic to the environment and to wildlife, and is a known bioaccumulant.
Shop for skin and body care products with caution, and always read the label. You can check ingredients out on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. You can also download EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Safe Cosmetics here.
Your good health is too precious to waste on any cheap, quick fix, or product claiming to take years off your look. Think twice before you buy – you may be taking years off your life instead.
Michelle
I'm a lover of life and all things natural and organic. I love practicing yoga, making healthy foods, nature photography, DIY projects, making homemade beauty treats, and creating handmade jewelry. I'm passionate about a lot of things and write about them here on my blog. Peace, social justice, good food, green beauty, sustainable living - you name it, I care about it. Thanks for taking the time to visit me. Peace. ;)
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Five Ingredients You Don’t Want on Your Skin http://ht.ly/44Auc #green #eco #beauty #skincare #ecomonday
RT @greenearthbazar: Five Ingredients You Don’t Want on Your Skin http://ht.ly/44Auc #green #eco #beauty #skincare #ecomonday
RT @greenearthbazar: Five Ingredients You Don’t Want on Your Skin http://ht.ly/44Auc #green #eco #beauty #skincare #ecomonday
Yes, it was really very helpful information for me, I keep looking for this kind of stuff.
Actually, knowing about health is my favorite topic.
Mary @ Post Articles recently posted..A Solar Charger Is Earth-Friendly and Saves You Money
Thanks for telling me so useful things about health.
Sadly, I was not aware of even one of these 10 ingredients!
Alex @ Increase Traffic recently posted..How to Increase Web Traffic through RSS Feeds
Huh, was thinking about this a while ago. Fancy finding this post on this subject now.
Hi ya! Thanks so much for posting this. (I’m a homeschooler too!) I am slowly working towards all natural products in our home…we use Enjo products for cleaning (quality microfibre cloths and water), and natural soap in the shower. My kiddies are prone to eczema so I’m wary of commercial products for them…we keep it really simple around here.
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Thank you! It’s nice to meet a fellow homeschooler.
Natural is the only way to go in my opinion. We’ve all had our fair share of skin issues/allergies in our house, but since making the effort to use only organic products, we’ve seen (and felt) a big difference in our skin. No more eczema for the kids, and no more sensitive skin issues for the adults (as long as we steer clear of non-organic/natural products that is).
Thanks for visiting, and for taking the time to leave a comment!
Peace.
Thanks for this great list. I must be honest, when I purchase products for my toddler I make sure that none of these items are listed. But, I’ve never bothered checking for myself. Now that I’ve read this list, I will definite analyze the labels a little more closely next time.
On another related note, as I was reading this post I happened to look at the ingredient listing on my no-name caesar dressing and propylene glycol was listed… Scary!
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Thanks for the visit Julie, and for taking the time to comment. You wouldn’t believe the items propylene glycol is put into. It’s in imitation vanilla extract I’ve noticed recently, and as I was looking over the labels to my vitamin supplements, noticed that it was in there too – nothing like taking propylene glycol for your good health I guess! It’s getting impossible to find items that aren’t filled with some kind of questionable ingredient. That’s why it’s so important to become educated and stay as informed about this issue as possible. Peace.
Great information and things to keep in mind! Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for the visit Megan, and of course for the CommentLuv! Peace.
Okay so I have emailed this list to myself. I am totally lost in your site (in a good way). I found you through 31DBBB! Glad I found you!
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Thanks so much Mariah! You’re too kind. i’m loving the challenge. It’s been such a great motivator for me – really getting my ideas going. Thanks for the visit,and the lovely comment. Peace.
Great list. I’m hoping the new Cosmetics Act will really help clear out some of the yuck in the industry.
Meredith recently posted..Mastering pigments with MAC artist Keri
Thanks Meredith. I couldn’t agree more! We so deserve better from the government and the cosmetics industry, after all, we support them both. Thanks for the visit, and of course, the comment. Peace.
Wow. I know some of of those things are in my shampoo. I know because I like to read hte bottles and say the words. I like words. (It’s okay. I’m a little weird). We’ve moved to all natural soap for ourselves and the kids, but the shampoo thing seems harder.
Great informative post. THank you for writing it!
Stopped by from SITS and 31DBBB
Thanks for visiting, and of course for commenting! There are shampoos out there that don’t contain any of those terrible ingredients, but they can be a bit pricey. We use them, and find that we don’t have to use nearly as much, or use them as often. There is also the alternative, which is to make your own shampoo, which is something I intend to tackle in the future. I’ll definitely be posting something about it when I do. You can also use regular liquid castile soap, like Dr. Bronner’s as a shampoo alternative as well. We’ve used it many times that way, both diluted with water, and undiluted. It works very well for everyone in my home, but me. I find it to be a bit too heavy for my hair, and therefore opt for regular “natural” shampoo. You can also go the no poo route (using apple cider vinegar, and baking soda), but I have yet to give it a shot.
Peace.
Michelle recently posted..Actress and Cancer Survivor Fran Drescher Speaks Out in Support of New Bill Seeking Stricter Cosmetics Rules
Great post, SLS is evil – so glad you added that to the list
@Rose Cox Yes, it certainly is! I always avoid it. Thanks so much for stopping by, and for leaving a comment. Peace.
[New Post] Five Ingredients You Don’t Want on Your Skin – via #twitoaster http://greenearthbazaar.com/2010/07/five...
Thank you for this article! You are absolutely right! It is very important to read labels and be aware of the ingredients and their potential danger to our skin and our bodies. Do you have any suggestions as to specific sites or stores that carry cost effective and healthy alternatives for products like shampoo/makeup/soap, etc? You also mentioned that you make your own soap, what ingredients do you use? Is it difficult to do?
-la explorada @lacosmopolatina
@LaCosmopolatina Thanks so much. I would suggest looking in health food stores, and markets that cater to healthy living, such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. I purchase most of my products and ingredients from Whole Foods. If you don’t have access to any stores like this, then I suggest searching online for them – still read labels and look up any ingredients you’re not familiar with on the Skin Deep database.
As for making my own laundry soap, I use a mixture of distilled white vinegar, baking soda, and diluted Dr. Bronner’s Catile liquid soap. You can read my laundry soap recipe here. It’s really simple, all-natural, and very cost effective. Thanks again for visiting, and for the comment. Peace.
Holy cow. I did not know this stuff, but thanks to your great list…I know now and am freaking out about my bathroom closet.
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@Crayon Wrangler Thanks for the visit, and for taking the time to leave a comment. No need to freak out, just look at what you’ve got, and begin to make changes slowly if it seems too overwhelming. I on the other hand, completely freaked out and went on a dumping rampage last year. But hey, that’s me. There are plenty of healthy alternatives out there, but they can be a little pricey. If cost is a concern, there are plenty of things you can make yourself that won’t break the bank, and are actually, in my opinion, much better than store bought.
Peace.