Beauty and the toxic beast

In 2006, a consumer advocacy group, Environmental Working Group, with the support of the Breast Cancer Fund, Breast Cancer Action, and the National Environmental Trust, released a study of the listed ingredients for 7,500 bestselling beauty products. 

Here are some of the findings:
About 90 percent of cosmetic ingredients have never been analyzed for health impacts by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Board, a panel that oversees cosmetic safety. More than seventy popular hair dye products contain ingredients derived from coal tar, a known carcinogen. Nearly 55 percent of products contain “penetration enhancers” that increase the ability of chemicals to enter the
bloodstream. (The Green Beauty Guide - Julie Gabriel)

What is in your morning restroom schedule? In all probability, you wash up with a lively, stimulating shower gel; you shampoo and condition your hair; you wash and perhaps scour your face with a frothing crisp smelling cleanser. If you are a man, you also shave. You sprinkle your skin with a toner or then again an astringent, top it with a cream with (ideally) some sunscreen in it, trailed by cosmetics (once more, discretionary), rub some antiperspirant under your arms, and include a spritz of a scent to seal the deal. 

Do you even realize, how much do you expose yourself to chemicals everyday? Well, the list goes on and on. 

Harsh Reality

The Cosmetic Skincare and Hair care Industries are one of the the biggest industries and they spend hefty amounts on advertising than any other thing. How many times do you actually read your product's ingredients or pay attention to "Dermatologist Tested" ? 

The shampoo makes hair five times shinier? A cream makes your skin white in 7 days? A moisturizer can make your skin wrinkle-free?

It is easy to get trapped in such fancy Marketing gimmicks, where a brand claims to have magical properties in its products. Do you even ask questions to yourself after watching such commercials, if the model did sleep well? if she actually applied cream on her skin? or did she take enough vitamins & water?

Silent Killer

There are tonnes of hidden cancer causing chemical products found in your daily skincare or hair care products. 

All you can do at this point is carefully scan the ingredient label. Check product labels for ingredients that contain “eth” in their name, such as sodium laureth sulphate, (PEG) polyethylene glycol, oleth, myreth, ceteareth—basically, any ingredient that has an eth in its name most likely tests positive for 1,4-Dioxane.

According to a California state health official’s memorandum, 1,4-Dioxane is readily absorbed through the lungs, skin, and gastrointestinal tract. Bath products contaminated with 1,4-Dioxane are particularly dangerous. (full article: http://www.safecosmetics.org/faqs/mvf_dioxane.cfm).

FACT:  Most products tested positive for 1,4-Dioxane are; foaming cleansers with sodium laureth sulfate, ammonium laureth sulfate, or both, as the main ingredients.

The Solution

The general rule of thumb is to avoid products with unpronounceable ingredients.

- Use products that contain natural plant based ingredients. Chemical-free products are not meant to give you results in 7 days, rather they have a long lasting impact on your skin. 

- No product can give you required results, unless you are healthy from inside. Watch your diet and water intake. 

- Always read your product's ingredients. 

"Use plant based and cruelty-free products for your own health and environment".