How Natural is Natural?
When it comes to skin products, how natural is natural? Just because something says “All Natural” on the bottle — doesn’t mean it’s natural. With more and more people worried about the chemicals added to their skin care products, here are a few things to pay attention to:
Remember — it’s all about advertising, marketing, and packaging. Business executives in the personal care market are looking for ways to ensure that you buy their products first, and if this includes clever wording and artistic packaging to convince you that what they are selling is good for you, well there you have it.
What they’re hoping for is that you don’t read the bottle. Just becomes something “looks” natural doesn’t mean it is.
It is a well known fact that 60% of what we put on our skin is absorbed into our body. With that in mind, here’s a list of ingredients (according to Deborah Bilezikian, President of Monave Mineral Cosmetics) to avoid:
INGREDIENTS TO AVOID:
QUATERNIUM 15: (DOVE, Johnson’s Baby Shampoo) FORMALDEHYDE, a carcinogen.
FD&C DYE: These dyes are produced from COAL TAR, and are documented to be
CARCINOGENS.
BUTYL CELLOSOLVE, and ISOBUTENE: (Fantastic, Windex, and Formula 409)
A neuro-toxin. Damages the central nervous system, kidney and liver. Listed as a pesticide.
DIOXIN: Lysol disinfectant. Carcinogen, 500,000 times more deadly than DDT Ethyl Alcohol.
PROPYLENE GLYCOL: (contained in shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, lipstick, lotion, face cream, etc)
This industrial solvent is so HIGHLY toxic, that industrial workers are warned of SEVERE health risks if contact occurs, such as brain, liver, and kidney abnormalities. They are required to wear protective clothing, gloves, and goggles during handling, and PG can only be disposed of in hazardous waste sites at a cost of $500.00 to $1,000 per drum!!!
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
Sodium Myreth Sulfate
These and other detergents are industrial surfactants that are linked to cancer, and literally strip the scalp and skin of necessary oils, leaving it dry, and severely itchy and flaky. They were originally designed to clean floors and engines and now are found in 95%!!!! of shampoos and body cleansers, even the NATURAL brands. The saddest aspect of this is that this SLS causes irritation and infection in the genitals of young children, yet is the main ingredient in baby shampoos and bubble bath.
TALC: ( contained in baby powder, foot powder, pressed eye shadow and blush, and foundation) Linked to uterine cancer and respiratory problems in infants. Literally “suffocates” the skin.
DEA, MEA, and TEA Repeated use of these chemicals leads to a major increase in the incidence of liver and kidney cancer. Restricted in Europe.
DMDM Hydantoin & UREA Preservatives that release FORMALDEHYDE into the body. Funeral directors are now saying that there is such a high concentration of formaldehyde present in the human body at death that they are using 50% LESS formaldehyde than they used to.
FRAGRANCE (including FRAGRANCE OILS) Linked to cancer and mental problems including depression.
TRICLOSAN (found in ANTI-BACTERIAL SOAPS) Registered as a PESTICIDE with the FDA, linked to cancer, a hormone disruptor.
METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN: Preservatives that deposit in the human system that disrupt normal enzyme activity.
PTHALATES: (Used nail polish, fragrance and a host of other products) Extremely toxic chemicals (regulated under environmental law) that reduce fertility, harm the male reproductive system, and are especially dangerous to pregnant womens’ fetuses. Found in products by Proctor & Gamble, L’Oreal, Lever Brothers, Maybelline, Chesebrough-Pond’s, Colgate, Elizabeth Arden, Kraft, and Revlon.
CARMINE: (found in lipsticks, glosses blushes, and eye shadow) This extract from the carmine beetle in South America, has been connected to heart problems.
Now, aside from these obviously toxic chemicals, there are other issues that arise with products that claim to be “all natural from pure vegetable sources”.
There are several ways to extract an oil or a wax from a plant, (eg. jojoba oil, evening primrose oil, shea butter, cocoa butter). It can be extracted with a solvent, which leaves toxic residues in the products, or by extremely high heat, which DESTROYS the botanical properties associated with the plant, or by the cold-pressed method. If you are a consumer or a manufacturer, ASK QUESTIONS. How was the shea butter extracted? Are the oils cold-pressed? Is the vitamin E or glycerin synthetic or natural?
Find out if the ingredients are organic. This is an extremely important issue, due to the very high toxicity level of pesticides that become concentrated in liquids extracted from plants.
Look for the words ‘cold-pressed’ and ‘organic’ on labels, and if you don’t see them, put the product down and keep looking. Ask questions to store owners, who in turn can call suppliers and manufacturers.
Be aware of long words that you cannot pronounce that have the phrase “from coconut oil” in parentheses. Natural ingredients that are broken down chemically are no longer natural. Sodium Laureth Sulfate that comes from coconut oil is still an unhealthy product, despite its source.
