Okay, so that's really just algae growing in a flask, but it was the most chemical-ish picture I had on my computer. Anywho, back to the topic at hand. My latest attempt at healthy is that I'm going to try to make a concerted effort to check for the following "Top Ten Toxic Cosmetic Ingredients to Avoid" in our daily personal care products:
1. Parabens - Methyl, Propyl, Butyl and Ethyl Parabens: Used as a preservative and can cause allergic reactions and skin rashes. Studies show they possess mild estrogen-like qualities, and preliminary research found parabens in human breast cancer tumors.
2. Diethanolamine (DEA), Triethanolamine (TEA): Can cause allergic reactions, eye irritation, and dryness of the hair and skin. Also can be toxic if absorbed into the body over a long period of time, and are associated with cancer in lab animals.
3. Diazolidinyl Urea, Imidazolidinyl Urea (Germall): Often used as preservatives, the American Academy of Dermatology has found these chemicals to be a primary cause of contact dermatitis; both release formaldehyde, which can be toxic.
4. Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate: Cheap, harsh detergent often derived from petroleum. Can cause eye irritation, dry scalp, skin rashes and other allergic reactions. Frequently disguised in pseudo-natural cosmetics with the parenthetic explanation "comes from coconut."
5. Petrolatum: Mineral oil derivative that can clog pores, which can disrupt your body's natural ability to moisturize its own skin, leading to dryness and chapping. Can also produce photosensitivity.
6. Propylene Glycol (PEG and PPG): Usually made from synthetic chemicals, it has been known to cause hives and eczema.
7. PVP/VA Copolymer: A petroleum-derived chemical that's used in hair styling products and some cosmetics. If inhaled, it can damage the lungs.
8. Stearalkonium Chloride: Toxic chemical used in hair conditioners and creams known to cause allergic reactions and irritation to the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes.
9. Synthetic Colors (FD&C or D&C followed by a color and number): Can be carcinogenic, or cancer-causing. Most are derived from coal tar. Not only are many people are allergic to coal tar, but coal tar has been shown to cause cancer when subcutaneously injected in lab mice.
10. Synthetic Fragrances: Labeled simply as "fragrance," there's no way to tell what chemicals are actually in the product. May cause headaches, dizziness, rashes, respiratory problems, and hyper-pigmentation (brown spots).
Just a disclaimer...I did not personally research the scientific merits of any of these claims, but used common (and educated, I guess) sense as well as some of the following resources:
3 comments:
Living out here in HippieLand opened my eyes to some of these things, but after some consideration I decided some of them were "not so bad."
SDS (Sodium Laurel Sulfate), for example, is found in most all shampoos that you buy at WalMart (and dare I tread on sacred Target's toes). Sure, It can cause irritation, but in all my life, the only time shampoo has irritated me is when I splashed it in my eyes.
Carcinogens are present in most everything we encounter daily. I dare say we are more likely to have an abnormal cell grow from breathing something the air in a San Franciscan pub (no smokers allowed, CA warning that this establishment uses products known to the state of California to cause cancer and/or birth defects) than from the Aluminum in our deodorant. (Anyone else bake chicken in "Tin Foil" last night?)
That being said, I welcome a move back to our roots, where we use more naturally occurring products than man-made. After all, God didn't fail his first semester of O-Chem like many of the guys creating these chemicals did ;)
This kind of stuff always freaks me out a bit. I've tried to be very careful about the kind of soap, shampoo, diaper rash cream, lotion, etc. that we've bought for Cady, but I'm not nearly as cautious with the stuff I buy Chad and myself. It's just so overwhelming! Isn't there some sort of governing body whose job it is to ban these things (she says tongue in cheek :-)).
That being said, I understand where Kim is coming from too. Speaking as someone who tries to shield her child from all this chemical stuff, it is impossible (okay, not impossible, but I'm not planning to move to a plot of land and live off of it anytime soon. And, even then...). It makes me tired.
Being more positive, can you share a bit more about how you check for these things? Have you found any great products that work well yet? We've been pretty successful with http://safemama.com/ for looking up things for Cady.
I definitely agree with you, Kim and Mandy...there are SO many things to consider and it can be very overwhelming! I don't have this down pat yet, and have really just started with the cosmetic thing. Mandy, what I'm doing is just replacing things as we need them, so it's not quite as intimidating or costly. Once I use up my current stash of perfume and body sprays, for example, I'm going to see if I can find anything that smells good and doesn't have "synthetic" fragrance in the ingredients. If I can't, well....then I'm still going to keep wearing perfume, gosh darn it! ;)
I found a website (www.cosmeticsdatabase.com) that provides information regarding the safety of a large number of personal care products and gives them a rating. They even have a printable buying guide for parents (www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/parentsguide). I'm thinking of switching from BareMinerals makeup (didn't get a horrible rating, but less than ideal) to www.rejuvaminerals.com. I still have quite a bit of the BareMinerals left, so I won't be switching anytime soon and want to read up on it more.
I really don't have a desire to run everything I buy through a website. So, my strategy is to carry the "top 10" list with me and simply try to avoid those ingredients when I can for future purchases.
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