Do you shop for products, including cosmetics, that are safe? Are your eyes drawn to packaging with words like “natural” or “pure” across the front? You assume since the label is marked “natural” you’re good to go. That may not be the case.
Unfortunately products with those labels may still contain a laundry list of ingredients that could be hazardous to your health. This is called greenwashing. The label makes you feel like you’re getting a trustworthy product but once you start researching the ingredients you discover otherwise.
A list of toxins that can be found in cosmetics:
- Bismuth
- Carmine
- Coal tar
- Dimethicone
- Formaldehyde
- Hydroquinone
- Lake dye
- Mineral oil
- Nano particles
- Oxybenzone
- Parabens
- Petroleum based ingredients
- Phthalates
- Polypropylene
- Silicone
- Sulfates
- Synthetic colorants
- Synthetic fragrances
- Talc
- Triclocarban
- Triclosan
What can you do? Start looking for makeup that is:
- toxin free
- plant based
- cruelty-free
- responsibly sourced
To learn about the brand I use, click the button below to check out my Discover Clean Beauty class or contact me.
A partial list of toxins that may be found in common personal care products:
- Aluminum: found in antiperspirants and deodorants
- Fragrance: found in almost anything that has a scent
- Oxybenzone: found in sunscreen
- Parabens: found in shower products, lotion, deodorant, and more
- Petroleon (Mineral Oil): found in lotion, cream, lip balm, and skin care products.
- Phthalates: found in fragrant products such as soap.
- Propylene Glycol: found in shampoo, toothpaste, shaving foam, body washes and facial cleansers.
- Retinyl palmitate or retinol: commonly found in lotion, moisturizer, chapstick, sunscreen, and lip balm
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: commonly found in most skincare products.
- Talc: commonly found in baby powder and deodorant.
- Triclosan: found in liquid soap, toothpaste, laundry detergent, shampoo, etc.
As the weather gets colder you’ll most likely be spending more time indoors. The windows will be closed and the air can get stale. Cooking or baking can fill your house with warm, cozy aromas. For times when you aren’t creating delicious scents you may be tempted to burn a candle or use a plug-in air freshener to make it smell nice in your house.
Where do the fragrances in them come from? Most are created in a lab with chemicals. Very few, if any, come from naturally derived scents. Even if the label says they contain essential oils those oils are probably synthetic.
Man-made scents are one of the biggest contributors to toxic overload in your body. Fragrance is a term used to identify undisclosed ingredients contained in a product, usually consisting of synthetic chemicals designed to mimic natural scents.
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The world we live in is toxic and becoming more and more so. Your home environment is no exception. Synthetic, man-made chemicals are in many household cleaning products. They are found in dish soap, laundry soap, toilet bowl cleaner, multipurpose cleaners, window cleaner, dryer sheets, air fresheners, and more.
According to the American Lung Association, there are many cleaning supplies and household products on the market that can cause numerous health conditions from minor things like throat or eye irritation to headaches all the way to major things like cancer. Read more about it here.
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A key ingredient of health and wellness is your environment. You can’t really control much of the external environment but the health and safety of your home you can. Do you give it much thought?
Consider the following:
You wipe off the kitchen counter and then prepare a meal.
You mop the floor and kids, grandkids, pets, or you come through in bare feet before it’s dry.
You apply makeup every morning before going out to meet the world.
You burn candles, spray air fresheners, or have plug-ins to make the house smell nice.
You pour cleanser into a bucket, the toilet, or spray it on surfaces and breath in the fumes.
You wash your hair with shampoo and slather your body with soap.
You spend countless minutes a day with your hands in dish water.
