Jul 10
8
Stop! What’s in that bottle?
Words have power. Sometimes they even have the power to make us avoid them because, by their very nature, they are incomprehensible. I’m talking about the ingredient list on the back label of your cosmetic products. Have you ever attempted to decipher the complicated list of chemical ingredients on the back of your facial cleanser? If so, you might consider rethinking using it on your face.
Labeling regulation control on cosmetic ingredients in the United States is much less rigid than in Europe. In Europe, companies who mislabel cosmetics in an attempt to disguise the dangers inherent in certain ingredients are often fined by watch-dog organizations. It’s a complicated process, but you can avoid all of it by using products that boast an ingredient list of renewable, biodegradable plant oils and essences, and avoid petroleum-based synthetic preservatives, fragrances and colors.
Empower yourself against chemical jargon by familiarizing yourself with the heavy-hitters on the toxic chemical ingredient list available by the experts at Care2, here.
An excellent source for quick research of the toxic ingredients listed by Care2 is the Environmental Working Group’s cosmetic database. From this site you can access almost any cosmetic product currently on the market and see not only what level of danger it poses to your health, but also which specific ingredients are the ones to avoid in any particular product and why.
While using products which contain these chemicals once or twice will likely not cause an immediate adverse reaction, the effects over time will show in your skin. Skincare product manufacturers would argue that that a trace amount of Urea or Methylparaben in a skincare product can’t be that bad! After all, aren’t these ingredients approved by the FDA? Many commonly used chemicals have been shown to be carcinogenic in nature. And we use the same products year in and year out. We can’t even begin to predict what sort of long-term effects continual use of certain toxic chemicals might have on our bodies. After all, the skin is the largest organ of the body and absorbs whatever we put on it directly into the bloodstream.
All of this is not meant to frighten you. Our bodies are resilient and can recover quickly. Consider your current skincare regimen and contemplate making a healthy change. Familiarize yourself with harmful and dangerous ingredients and read those labels!
-Jennie Register is the owner of Whole Body Studio, an Austin, TX day spa that specializes in chemical-free organic facials.
