Toxic Medicine Cabinet - What are you putting on your body?

At Naturally Susan's, we scoured and researched ingredients in products such as facial moisturizers, body lotions, shampoos, conditioners, toothpastes, lipsticks, and foundations and discovered toxic chemicals in the products that were poisoning our bodies. So, we searched for natural, organic options and began developing our own.

Believe it or not, there are no government regulations that oversee the safety of cosmetics and personal care products that are in the market today. With the exception of color additives, cosmetic companies are not required to conduct pre-market testing or health studies before selling to consumers. As a result, hazardous ingredients can be included in products without warning labels.

So what did we find from our research? We found a laundry list of chemical ingredients and we've named a few in the watch list below.

Toxic Watch List:

* Parabens such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl parabens are used as preservatives and have been found to be carcinogenic. They are common ingredients in moisturizers.

 

* Fragrances are a chemical cocktail and are often listed simply as "fragrance" on the ingredient label. Approximately 3,000 chemicals hide behind the term "fragrance" and the synthetic components are not required to be listed.

 

* Petroleum-based products are derived from crude oil. These include mineral oil, paraffin wax, and paraffin oil and are often found in mascaras, foundations, and lipsticks. These ingredients clog pores, sealing toxins in our body.

 

* Sodium laurel sulfates are foam enhancers and have been found to cause damage to the central nervous system, skin irritation and eye damage in animals exposed to these chemicals.

 

* Phthalates are generally not listed on ingredient labels since they are part of fragrances. Oftentimes, they are used as plastic softeners and health issues may include birth defects and decreased sperm count.

 

* Talc has been associated with an increased development of ovarian cancer.

 

* Sunscreen chemicals such as oxybenzone and PABA can cause allergic reactions. Also, retinyl palmitate, a vitamin-A compound used in about 40% of sunscreen products, has been found to promote the development of skin cancer.

On average, a typical consumer uses about 10 cosmetic and personal care products every day. Our skin is the largest bodily organ that absorbs about 60% of what we put on it so, take a look through your bathroom cabinet to see what you're putting on your body. While we may not be able to eliminate all toxic and chemical ingredients from our personal care regimen, let's take steps to reduce our exposure.

What ingredients are in the products that you use? Let us know what you find.

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