We are all increasingly aware of the need to eat well and exercise to protect our future health and avoid diseases such as cancer. However, it is not only what we eat that reaches our body. Every day we are surrounded by thousands of chemicals that we rub onto our skin, spray into the air, and soak up. We cover ourselves in beauty chemicals and keep our homes clean while releasing hundreds of potentially harmful chemicals into our personal environment. To feel calm, we perfume our home with products related to cancers such as breast cancer. The range of cosmetics and beauty products on offer now is so wide that choosing the shampoo can take hours, but most of these products contain potentially harmful ingredients and few chemicals are tested for the effects of long-term use. term. Women now use an average of 20 different personal care products each day, each of which contains 10 or more chemicals.
There is growing research to demonstrate the potential harm of the ‘chemical cocktail effect’; the unknown interactions that occur between chemicals used together in everyday products. You may be concerned to learn that unlike the food industry, the cosmetic industry is largely self-regulating; there is little control over what goes into the products. But like the food industry, we know that this multibillion dollar industry is largely concerned with making money and therefore cutting costs and using cheap products that are highly processed and chemically sourced; often by-products of the petrochemical industry.
Just for fun, here is the list of ingredients in my popular brand-name ‘Revitalizing’ hand wash with natural essential oils (all of which you will find in many of your beauty products):
o Aqua: it’s just water, although aqua definitely sounds more expensive.
o Sodium Laureth Sulfate – Found in many of your beauty products and is a foaming agent. The United States Food and Drug Administration classifies it as a drug due to its effects on the human body. It is a powerful detergent and is used by garages to clean oil from the floor; It will strip the skin of its natural oils, leaving it dry and unprotected. It is related to eye problems and can combine with other chemicals used in the product to produce carcinogens; carcinogenic chemicals. Due to its effect on the natural balance of skin oils, it is best to avoid products containing this chemical if you suffer from eczema, acne, rosacea, or skin sensitivity.
o Cocamidopropyl Betaine: thickening, emulsifying and antistatic agent, inexpensive to produce, versatile in its uses and linked through scientific studies to contact dermatitis, eczema and skin sensitivity in some people.
o Methyl Parabens – The family of parabens (methyl, ethyl, propyl) is found in a wide range of beauty products and is known to disrupt the body’s natural hormonal balance. They are strongly linked to cancers, with a University of Reading study finding parabens present in breast tumors and can cause problems with fertility or fetal development. They are often found in baby and children’s products, and in many skin lotions and creams. They are classified as toxic and are also known to cause skin problems such as sensitivity, itching, burning, blisters, and rashes.
o Sodium chloride: salt.
o Parfum: a synthetic fragrance. These chemicals are largely derived from petrochemicals (nice) and enter the body through the skin, by absorption, inhalation, or ingestion. 1/3 of synthetic fragrances are believed to cause sensitivity and skin problems, and the US Food and Drug Administration lists them as the leading cause of allergic reactions to beauty products. There is no evidence of the possible long-term effects of these drugs. Some synthetic fragrances such as musks can bioaccumulate in the body and become concentrated in fats (including breast milk). Most people will accumulate significant amounts of these chemicals in their bodies, leading Germany and Japan to ban many of them in beauty products. They will be widely used in room fragrances.
o Citrus Aurantium Dulcis: sweet orange extract, finally something natural!
o Citrus Aurantium Amara: Bitter Orange Oil.
o Cymbopogon Schoenanthus: Lemongrass extract.
o Olea Europaea: Despite the fancy name, it is just olive extract.
o Tetrasodium EDTA: believed to be safe when used in small amounts present in cosmetics, it is also used in large amounts in household detergents. This chemical compound can affect the body at the cellular level allowing chemicals to enter cells more easily. It is rapidly eliminated from the body through urination and accumulates in the environment in groundwater, rivers, and drinking water, and as such is of great concern to the environment. More studies are needed to determine the possible effects on human health and the entire food chain.
o Sodium lactate: known irritant to the respiratory system, eyes and skin in large quantities. It is also used in the food industry.
o Polyquaternium-7: This chemical can break down into chemicals related to cancer and other health problems. It is believed that safety tests performed within the industry may not be sufficient to determine a true risk factor.
o Sodium benzoate – This chemical is only safe in small amounts and is a classified toxin. It is suspected of having a toxic effect on the brain, skin, blood, liver, kidneys, and gastrointestinal system. Due to concerns about toxicity, it has a safe limit for addition to cosmetics, although it has not been given a safe limit for products that can be inhaled.
o Citric Acid – This ingredient has not been evaluated for safety as it is believed to be completely safe for use.
o Propylene glycol: a by-product of the oil industry, also used in antifreeze and brake fluid. It can cause skin sensitivity and allows other chemicals to penetrate the skin more easily. In large quantities, this chemical should only be handled with protective clothing, gloves, and goggles, and contact with the skin can cause abnormalities in the liver, brain, and kidneys. Luckily for you, it is used in much smaller amounts in cosmetics and household products; Still, I think I’ll try to fail it under the circumstances. There are no data on the long-term use of this chemical.
o Methylchloroisothiazolinone: It sounds nasty, and it is. This is related to the sensitivity of the skin, lung sensitivity and is toxic to the immune system. It has two safety limits, one for things that are washed and one for things that are left on. I don’t know about you, but if it’s not safe to leave it on my skin, I’m not sure I want it there at all.
o Hexyl Cinnamal: It is registered as an allergen in the United States, where it must be listed in the product information by law, although it is believed to be safe for cosmetic use.
o Citronellol: another fragrance linked to skin sensitivity.
o Citral: this fragrance can cause skin sensitivity and is irritating. It is subject to restrictions if it is not of sufficient quality and is also used in food products. It is a classified toxin and is suspected of causing liver and immune system toxicity.
o Limonene: this fragrance is similar to the previous one and causes skin irritation, burning, itching and hives in susceptible people. It is a registered chemical hazard with handling restrictions and is an environmental toxin, dangerous to wildlife where it contaminates the water system (ie when it goes down the drain).
Well, after all that, I don’t feel as revitalized as I am a rebel. There are 21 ingredients in my hand wash, 14 of which can cause health problems ranging from dry, irritated skin to cancer. As a hand soap, I can use this product up to 10 times a day, that is 70 times a week, and yet it contains a lot of chemicals that do me no good at best and in the worse, they are bad for me. There are also the other products that I come into contact with throughout the day; shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, face and body moisturizer, fabric cleaner and conditioner in my clothes, liquid detergent in my kitchen supplies, hairspray in the locker rooms; the list is endless. All of these chemicals have the potential to enter my body through my skin, lungs, and digestive system, and there is growing evidence to suggest that this chemical cocktail can cause short-term and long-term damage. It is certainly true that these chemicals will have a more marked effect on children and babies. It seems that you are not just what you eat!