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Toxic Burden: Women Put 515 Chemicals on Their Faces Every Day
(NaturalNews) A study published by Bionsen, a company in the United Kingdom that sells aluminum-free body products, found that the average woman applies 515 chemicals to her face a day. Makeup, perfumes, lotions, mascara, and other beauty products all contribute to the toxic brew that is causing health problems for many women.
The study revealed that the typical woman uses about 13 different beauty products a day. Most of these products contain at least 20 ingredients and additives, many of which can have a detrimental effect on the body and skin. Perfumes alone were found to contain up to 400 different ingredients.
Other products that were tested include lipstick, body lotions and mascara which contained an average of 30 ingredients each. Aside from aluminum, many of these products contain other harmful ingredients like synthetic dyes, fragrances, and parabens. When applied continually, the many beauty products that women use are exposing them to wide range of carcinogens.
The perpetual advent of new and innovative beauty products has led to a massive increase in product usage over the years. What was once a basic cleansing protocol has turned into a lifestyle of trying the latest and greatest products in an effort to maintain youthful beauty. As a result, women are exposed to more toxic carcinogens from beauty products than ever.
An Environmental Working Group (EWG) study from 2006 found that less than one percent of all cosmetic products are made from ingredients that have all undergone safety assessments. The great majority of products contain known carcinogens, reproductive toxins and various other harmful chemicals that cause serious diseases like cancer.
The EWG study found that the average person uses up to 25 personal care products per day. Among these, about 200 different chemicals will have been added to scent, preserve, synthesize and stabilize them for consumption. Many of these ingredients will end up causing hormonal disruption and immune dysfunction. In younger people, developmental problems are likely to result from excessive product use.
Makeup usage among younger girls has also increased. About 90 percent of 14-year-old girls now use makeup, according to a research study conducted by Mintel Internation Group in 2004. Sixty-three percent of girls as young as seven are now using lipstick, eyeliner, eye shadow and mascara.
As consumers are becoming more aware of many beauty product ingredients and the harm they are causing, product manufacturers are beginning to remove many of them from their formulations. Those concerned would do best to purchase only products that have minimal or no toxic ingredients. Greatly reducing one’s cosmetic arsenal is the next best option.
Sources for this story include: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/h…
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/artic…
http://www.naturalnews.com/027822_cosmetics_chemicals.html
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It would be helpful if you could list those products which are safe. Thank you.
In response to Nikki’s question, I have found very few products that are really “clean”. Try Aubrey’s Organics, Dr. Bronner’s, Seventh Generation for some body, clothing, and house-cleaning products that are free (as far as I know) of harmful chemicals.
For the most part, I have found when I look at labels that it doesn’t matter what the label or advertisement says, there will be something in there you don’t want. Just because it says “natural” or “organic” and even contains natural or organic ingredients, doesn’t mean that they don’t also contain cheap, synthetic preservatives and other ingredients. If it says “fragrance” on the label, at least in the USA, that term can hide any of a multitude of ingredients, including phthalates.
For more information go to the Environmental Working Group website, ewg.org and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics site, safecosmetics.org, which includes the EWG SkinDeep database with info on many chemicals in our products today.
I make a lot of my own skincare products, which require surprisingly few ingredients and are just as effective as the really expensive ones. And I buy most of my ingredients at the grocery or health food store!
What about the Bare Minerals make up?
I am in the wellness industry doing reflexology and offer all natural skin care products that have passed the safety testing. The company that makes these products have also signed a global agreement ‘Compact for Safe Cosmetics’ with the Envirmental Working Group to NEVER put toxic or harmful chemicals in their personal care products. VERY few companies will sign because…well, you probably can figure out why.
One of the major reasons I have chosen to stay with these products is that many products made for sale in the United States cannot be sold in Europe. The E.U. has banned some 1500 chemicals and guess what?! The SAME companies have complied in order to keep sales there!!! So we American women are still money pots for the cosmetic industry. No regulation, and faulty scientific endorsement keeps the toxins in our US products!
You can check your own products at http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com as well as who has sign the Compact agreement.
Please let me know about your products Rita. I open my new location for PUSH Therapy today and this is good news! I would like to consider carrying your products. Glad there are caring people like you working for safe products for women. Please email me @ pushtherapy1@sbcglobal.net with your information and contact.
Very informative, thanks.
However I am like most women who WANT chemical-free makeup/skincare but don’t know which ones are/or how to make them myself.
If you could share with us how YOU make your skin care products it would be greatly appreciated.
? What is PUSH Therapy. I used to own my own health food store and had Reflexology done in
the store. Is it comparable?
All the products I use are organic and safe.
I advise my clients in organic beauty care.
One thing is using organic lemon juice on our face as a moisturizer.
I am confused with your statement –
you use a USA company that doesn’t use harmful substances – fine –
The products in USA cannot be sold in Europe because of the Eu ban on toxic stuff – fine
So which same companies, and from which countries, have complied in order to keep sales where?
To Rita Silic (Jan 3rd)
I am confused with your statement –
you use a USA company that doesn’t use harmful substances – fine –
The products in USA cannot be sold in Europe because of the Eu ban on toxic stuff – fine
So which same companies, and from which countries, have complied in order to keep sales where?
nice site for rating products
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php
I am a Natural Health Care Practitioner. Here is what I strongly tell all my clients, male and female. IF YOU CANNOT EAT IT, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES PUT IT ON YOUR SKIN!! Your skin absorbs and goes directly into the body whatever it is exposed to either by putting a product on it or being exposed to it from the environment. The toxins and poisons in products, foods and the environment are having very detrimental effects on our Endocrine System which controls ALL hormones in our body. These hormones governed by the Endocrine System control EVERY function in our body. We live in a toxic and poisonous soup! Ever wonder why so many Americans are sick? Cosmetic companies are not required to list all ingredients in their products.
I too represent a company that makes (right here in the US) and distributes (world wide) SAFE all natural, chemical free, skin care products, that actually improve your skin.
To anyone interested…I’m happy to share the info.
I have autoimmune illness, am also a massage therapist and chandler, and have just delved into making some of my own body products. I do sell a few shea butter products and hope to add more items as I learn more.
Here’s the rub, from what I can tell – if you want a substance to put on your skin that, say, feels like a creamy white lotion, it’s going to either a) have to have a preservative in it or b) have to be kept in the refrigerator or c) made and consumed right away, like in a month.
There’s a good reason for this – to make a nice white creamy lotion you have to combine oils and water. To do that you need an emulsifier, which is in itself a chemical. Worse, though, the water tends to speed up growth of organisms, like bacteria tat are harmful to humans. Most companies have naturally come to the conclusion that preservatives, at least in small amounts, are a necessary evil.
But after days of trolling around on the web, I honestly could not find a preservative that either isn’t carcinogenic or imitates hormones in the body.
So, originally i switched to using only straight oils on my skin – organic jojoba, coconut, even olive oil. Sometimes, though, I wanted something more like a lotion.
So I switched to shea butter. I found a Fair Trade Source in Togo. My new motto is, if you can’t eat it, I won’t put it on my skin, because putting it on your skin is basically eating it! Skin is an absorbant organ.
Shea butter is used in cooking in West Africa, is high in the anti-oxidants women pay lots of money for separately. Because of those naturally occurring vitamins and because it’s not mixed with water, it tends to stay “stable” – it takes more time for anything bad to grow than with lotions.
Not everyone loves the nutty scent or texture, though, so I’ve added some of the oils above and grapefruit essential oil. It was extraordinarily popular in the craft fairs I did in December, so i stopped making all my other combos.
I suggest people separate what shea they think they’ll use in about a month, and leave the rest in the fridge. High temps will speed rancidity, and you can tell when it’s going rancid by smell, like you would with olive oil. Room temp it should be OK for 6 months, but I like to err on the side of caution.
You can buy shea butter on the street her ein Brooklyn pretty cheaply – people just scoop it out of buckets in the back room. There are other bulk sources on the web. If you want to make your own combo, or set it up in a form that’s a little easier to use, just microwave it and add oils and essential oils “to taste.”
Bon appetite!
I am also concerned about the chemicals found in many cosmetics as well as skin care, etc. I have searched for a long time to find something that was chemical free due to my many allergies to so many things and having daughters I wanted something safe for them.
I am an entrepeneur in the Wellness Industry and I have found awesome product lines for skincare, lotions, hair products, etc. It has worked for my family and made a huge difference for us.
I have a list of some dozen chemicals that are extremely hazardous and which companies use them. I share this with people I talk to all of the time. Even though I still use a small amount of makeup (mascara,cover up and blush) I minimize as much as possible.
I am so glad to know that other women are seeing the big picture with the garbage the cosmetic industry has been selling to us for years. Even in economic hardships, women will still pay thousands of dollars for beauty. I would love to share what I have and listen to you.
If any one is interested in comparing and learning more together please let me know. We are all after the same thing, I believe, and that is educating the women of the US.
Would greatly appreciate your directives. I make all my own oils and cures using aromatherapy. Haven’t found a company to provide makeup with the same safe ingredients. I await your info.
Thank you,
Sima Verzino
Hope the above webpage with toxin checklist helps answer some of your toxin questions.
Very interested
Safe preservatives in cosmetics–Vit E, for one, Vit C, another–both edible.
Would love to know the name of the company you represent
THANKS!
I have been a practitioner of cosmetic micro current non invasive face lifts for 9 years now and will only use and sell products that I make from 100% chemical free and paraben free essential oils. We have a good shelf life and people are seeing great results in their skin and the condition of it. It is up to those who are enlightened to educate others about natural skin care. What goes on us goes in us. We ship all over the U.S. and Canada. Please see my website.
Sincerely,
Maxine Warsh
I just saw this very good article and the dialog here. I use what I think are “safe” products on my skin. However, I plan to check out each ingredient I am putting on my body in the above website. As a safe guard against ALL toxins, I have found and am now using something that is the only REMOVE product on the market. It naturally and safely removes toxins and heavy metals from the body. In fact, it is on the GRAS list with the FDA which is Generally Regarded As Safe. Even babies can use these drops. A study published in a medical journal on November 3, just two months ago, proves it does exactly as it says it does. You can contact me for more information, the website/s and a copy of the study. mfisher@livingbetter.org I am happy to share!
Because of this great concern I use only Arbonne Cosmetics which are all natural, Pure Safe and Beneficial. As a result of my satisfaction with Arbonne products I have recently decided to become an independent represenative for the company and to embark on sharing these products with others who do not know about them and who are concerned like I was about what I am putting on my body and thus putting into my body.
I used to use them, and loved them, until I developed an allergy to them. My family doc said it was full of junk. I think part of my problem was I was mineral deficient, and my body was trying to use the ones in Bare Minerals, and it wasn’t working1
Origins has a similar make-up(foudation) that works just as well, and I don’t have a reaction!!
In response to Nikki, There are good and excellent products out there that are organic, pure and contain no artificial or harmful chemicals. They work to nourish and heal your skin and are natural wrinkle fighters. If you are interested I can share that information with you.
Thank you for carrying the information past those who already are aware. I’ve carried my chemical-less make-up with me when going on television shows and insisted they respect my need not to be poisoned. Whole Foods is currently beginning to remove all personal care products from there shelves that contain xenoestrogens (hormone mimickers) – that’s a great move for a large company and I’m thrilled. More will surely follow. Driving the manufacturers who poison us out of business is the only way to ensure this will not happen again. Legislation will never come fast enough, grass roots is ALWAYS the way to change.
Thieves Household Cleaner and other Thieves line from Young Living is not only all organic, all green, it has a 99.96% kill rate of airborne microorganisms. (www.nancysentme.net to look around). Aromatherapy from Young Living uses facial cleansers that are all organic. We also use a combination of Therapeutic Grade Sandalwood (costly but worth it), Frankincense and Lavender for the skin (only Young Living grows Lavender without camphor in it). These repair DNA and deep clean the skin.
So much is and has been available, all we have to do is pay attention.
Thank you Health Freedom for being there to enlighten!
In the light of love,
Nancy Weber, RN, CCA, Psychic Detective and Medical Intuitive
I’d like to know more of your findings, especially on safe mascara. Thanks.
The Mannatech Optimal Skin Care System Product Line
-Innovation in water-based (except Cleansing Oil) moisterizing system
-Launched in Japan, the most competivie skin care market in the world
-Without paraben perservatives
-Clinical study: 80% improvement in hydration after one use, and 100% improvement after 8 weeks of use
-Colorant-free (except cleansing cream)
-Allergy tested
-Fragrance-free
-Non-comedogenic
-No synthetic oils
List of ingredients among the products:
macademia nut seed oil, yeast extract, vitamin E, green tea extract, artemia extract, brown algae, tannic acid, Job’s tears, mushroom extact, trehalose, squalane, shea butter, and johoba seed oil.
This is a wonderful dialogue about educating people on the skin care and cosmetic industry, especially the self-regulated aspects of it in the United States. Surprisingly, manufacturers can put just about anything into their products, since there are very few ingredients that are NOT allowed. The industry is basically self-regulated because the Cosmetic Ingredient Review board is, in part, made up of representatives of top companies and those with interests in the status quo. You can check their site and see only 11 ingredients have been ‘banned’ since 1976 and nine considered ‘unsafe’ but in both cases there are plenty of exceptions where companies may use these ingredients.
I also have two handy reference books available for purchase at my main website – Dangerous Beauty Booklet details most problematic synthetic chemicals/alcohols and what research has shown about them, while The Chemical Maze Shopping Companion is a reference that gives a thumbs up, average or thumbs down on many ingredients found in both food and skin care/cosmetics, to take along with you when you are shopping.
The point was already made that it is not always easy to find truly pure products because companies can advertise or say their product is natural or contain organic ingredients; unfortunately, without being an ingredient detective and even sometimes calling the company to ask questions, the consumer may purchase these without even realizing that they contain toxic chemicals or alcohols or synthetic preservatives. In addition and just as dangerous are all the chemical by-products created by the mix of certain ingredients — those released during the manufacturing process and/or after a product has been on the shelf a certain amount of time. These toxic chemicals are nowhere to be found on labels!! And neither are those making up synthetic ‘fragrances’ that can include some 400 chemicals. [Note: I have two great articles on these topics with examples that I can e-mail you, if you’d like to learn more.]
Over ten years ago, I began my search for products I could “eat” and that did not have any synthetic toxic ingredients (including synthetic alcohol or other chemicals), after reading a book by a naturopath that alerted me to the fact that everyone with a disease had specific chemicals in their bodies (i.e. she found isopropyl or related alcohol in all cancer tumors and could stop growth by removing all propyl alcohol from their diet, personal care and environment).
It was impossible to find any truly pure formulas. Then, finally, in late 2003, I discovered the only Food-Grade Certified Organic products in the world!! Yes, I was so excited after my four year quest that I switched over everything after a thorough examination of ingredients and manufacturing processes (i.e. all cold-processed, so no heat destroys the bioavailability of the formulas; excellent bacterial and shelf life testing, fair trade practices, eco-friendly, carbon-neutral company, etc.).
Thank you for allowing me to share my comments with you and please be in touch with any questions or if you would like the articles, via e-mail Ronit@FabulousOrganics.com and/or by replying here.
After reading this article and agreeing with the points it makes because I have been teaching this also for many years, I offer you a compromise. Try this link for a facial regime that is bar none One of the Best in the industry. doTERRA4u2.com The Skin Care line is fabulous and free from junk…both real and imagined….but it does contain CPTG Essential Oils which are known to help with skin issues. You can feel at ease to call me, I will answer your questions in a fast and professional manner.
good information that I did not know about
Wonderful comment Nancy!! Thank you for sharing info on options!!
Sima, You can contact me. Our products are formulated under strict Swiss guidelines and carry none of the harmful ingredients aforementioned. Our philosphy is pure safe and beneficial products. contact me and I will give you more info.