SKIN. We bump it, we cut it, we bruise it, we burn it and mistreat it with lotions, potions and pollution! Our largest organ, SKIN, holds our bones and other organs together, protecting us from outside invaders.
SKIN: THE TOXIC TRUTH
For many of you, all that hard work in the gym and watching your diet is starting to payoff. Your clothes are starting to feel a little looser, you have more energy and you’re getting more sleep. You’ve been so conscientious about getting to the gym and making sure you’re eating healthy, but what have you been putting on your SKIN?
The “beauty” industry spends billions of dollars every year telling us what products to buy. “Recapture your youth with anti-aging creams and gels all guaranteed to re- build lost collagen, take away sagging skin for a more youthful look”. Products made from special melons from France, or berry juice from a secret grove in South Africa may not be the best products for your skin or hold up to claims of ageless skin.
Let’s “face” it, we all want to look good! Taking back a few years doesn’t sound so bad. But, do you really know what you are putting on your SKIN?
The FDA does not regulate the cosmetic industry; however, hundreds of studies have shown that ingredients that are most often used in skincare cause many types of cancers, birth defects, are known endocrine disruptors, cause inflammation, and heighten allergies.
READ YOUR LABELS!
Don’t be fooled by words like ‘all natural’, “plant based”, “all organic”! Get out those creams and lotions and see if they have any of the ingredients on the list!
SKIN – a list of toxic ingredients put in beauty products today that should be avoided.
- Parfum or perfume, fragrance, phthalate, DEP, DBP, DEHP– these are synthetics and are linked to reproductive health issues, cancer, increased allergies, endocrine disruption, and cancer. The most toxic ingredients in skincare are the preservatives and the perfumes. These are always the last ingredients on the list.
- BHA- endocrine disruptor, liver and stomach cancer
- Hydroquinone or Tocopheryl Acetate– used as a skin lightener. Highly toxic to the organs, causes cancer
- Methylisothiazolinone (MIT): 2-methyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one, Neolone 950 preservative, MI, OriStar MIT and Microcare MT. Methylchloroisothiazolinone (CMIT): 5-Chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one and MCI – preservatives known to cause lung problems, and a neuro-toxin
- Parabens: Ethylparaben, butylparaben, methylparaben, propylparaben, isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben, other ingredients ending in –paraben – endocrine disruption, skin cancer, reproductive toxicity
- Petrolatum, Petroleum Jelly, Paraffin Oil, Mineral Oil and White Petrolatum (refined and safe for use) – known carcinogens
- Phenoxyethanol, 2-Phenoxyethanol, Euxyl K® 400 (mixture of Phenoxyethanol and 1,2-dibromo-2,4-dicyanobutane), PhE – allergies, eczema, effects nervous system in infants
- Retinol, vitamin A, retinyl acetate, retinyl palmitate, all-trans retinoic acid, tretinoin: birth defects, reproductive toxicity, and possible cancer (note: these ingredients are restricted in the European Union)
So, get out those lotions and potions you’ve been using and see if they have any of the ingredients listed above.
-Jacqueline Cox, RN, BSN, MPA, CNHC
CEO/President
Our next newsletter will focus on healthy, non-toxic products for your skin. Stay tuned for more on SKIN!
*SOURCE: Information has been provided by June Botanicals, dedicated to non-toxic skin care products.