Ah, beauty, so elusive, so fleeting. But in our quest to fight the aging process, look glamorous and keep that youthful glow, we may also be speeding up the signs of aging and even worse, making ourselves sick. It’s tough to navigate the deep waters of fabulous marketing, packaging and yes, vanity. So many of us fall prey to the promises of beauty product and cosmetic manufacturers. Oh, and if it’s good enough for that hot A-list celebrity, then it must be good enough for me? Right? Wrong!
Conventional beauty products and cosmetics are some of the most toxic personal products on the market. The skin on our face is more delicate then that on the rest of our bodies, therefore more absorbent and susceptible to drawing in toxins. And what you will see about the ingredients you will find in your beloved face treats, will show you how they aren’t doing your pretty little face any favors ; (
Creams, Lotions and Cleansers
These are the most deceiving of the bunch. Great skin care begins with great skin care products. Lots of natural ingredients, moisturizing agents and all sorts of magic anti aging goodies. Yep, that’s what all the major companies promote and reel you in with. All the fabulous vitamin E, aloe, whatever mumbo jumbo won’t do anything for you if it contains mineral oil. Why?
Well, mineral oil is a product of petroleum, crude oil actually (yep, gasoline!), and the molecules are so large that they cannot penetrate your pores to allow all the good ingredients in. So what happens is that it sits on the surface of your skin, not letting any goodies in, thereby continuing to dry out your skin. And what do you do when your skin is dry? Use more product! And thus the cycle begins.
The next awful, and carcinogenic, ingredient found in most conventional face products is Propylene Glycol. Called a humectant in cosmetics, it is really “industrial anti-freeze” and the major ingredient in brake and hydraulic fluid. Tests show it can be a strong skin irritant. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) on Propylene Glycol warn to avoid skin contact as it is systemic and can cause liver abnormalities and kidney damage.
Don’t you love it when your cleanser, or shampoo, gets all sudsy? Well,the ingredient that makes that possible is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. Potentially, SLS is perhaps the most harmful ingredient in personal-care products. SLS is used in testing-labs as the standard skin irritant to compare the healing properties of other ingredients. Industrial uses of SLS include: garage floor cleaners, engine degreasers and car wash soaps. Studies show its danger potential to be great, when used in personal-care products. Research has shown that SLS may cause potentially carcinogenic nitrates and dioxins to form in the bottles of shampoos and cleansers by reacting with commonly used ingredients found in many products. Large amounts of nitrates may enter the blood system from just one face wash or shampooing. Another sudsing agent is Lauramide DEA. A partly natural, partly synthetic chemical used to build lather and thicken various cosmetic products. Also used in dishwashing detergents for its grease-cutting ability. Can be drying to the hair, cause skin and scalp itching and allergic reactions and has been declared carcinogen.
Lanolin, sounds like a really nice ingredient, beneficial even. Haha! Nope! Lanolin has been found to be a common skin sensitizer causing allergic contact skin rashes. Lanolin usually contains pesticides and dioxins, known carcinogens, used on sheep and wool. And what is lanolin anyway? It’s a fatty, yellowish substance that comes from the wool of sheep. It is excreted by the sebaceous glands on their skin, and acts as waterproofing so they don’t get cold.
Here are just a few other ingredients that do absolutely nothing for you when listed on your products:
- Collagen – animal tissue derived)
- Keratin – made from crushed horse bones and hooves as well as bird feathers & quills)
- Stearic acid – a saturated fatty acid often taken from animals including cows, sheep, pigs and, according to PETA, even euthanized dogs and cats from animal shelters.
- Alcohol – It’s incredibly drying to your skin.
- Parabens – Can mimic the hormone estrogen, which is known to play a role in the development of breast cancers.
Foundations, Powders, Lipstick, Balms and Gloss
Your favorite beauty basics have some seedy things lurking inside of them! One of the most “secret” of the toxins found in your cosmetics is Parabens. Parabens, though they have been on the market for decades, have now been shown to mimic estrogen, disrupting our bodies’ endocrine (hormone) system and have been found in human breast tumors possibly linking them to breast cancer.
But one of the more disgusting ingredients is Tallow. Yuck! It’s what makes your stuff gelatinous and stays in one piece (like I your lipsticks). What is tallow? But do you know what it is? Tallow is technically rendered beef or mutton fat, but for commercial purposes, what is referred to as tallow may also be derived from other animals, such as pigs. Industrially, tallow defined by a number of criteria, including boiling point. You may find tallow or its derivatives Sodium Tallowate, Tallow Acid, Tallow Amide, Tallow Amine, Talloweth-6, Tallow Glycerides or Tallow Imidazoline in soaps, lipsticks, shaving creams and other cosmetics. Some tallows are made from a number of animal carcasses (usually downed or sick animals), cooked in a vat and the fat that rises to the top is used in super cheap, low grade products.
Another is Alumina. An anti-caking agent, research has shown that alumina has demonstrated strong evidence of toxicity to the nervous system, and that has the potential to be absorbed from the skin into the bloodstream. There is some evidence that this ingredient may cause cancer, and Canada considers Alumina to be toxic. It is suspected to be an environmental toxin as well.
Carmine is a relatively low hazard pigment but is made from insects. It is also used as a food dye and can cause allergic reactions to some people. Carmine is also used in medical tests that require injections of dye, can cause skin irritation and nausea.
In addition, fragrances can cause quite a bit of irritation and many people develop allergies, even rosacea, from these additives.
Mascara, Liners and Shadows
By now, most of us know that synthetic colors aren’t good for us. Labeled as FD&C or D&C and followed by a number, these make products look pretty but can be carcinogenic.
Believe it or not, talcum powder is no good! In some “natural brands of eye shadows, this additive can be a respiratory irritant that may cause lung fibrosis; prolonged use around genital area may increase ovarian cancer risk; talc is like asbestos!
Phthalates are used in cosmetics such as eyeliner to make it smooth. A 2002 test of 72 name-brand beauty products found almost three-quarters contained phthalates.[2] Phthalates are linked to endocrine disruption; neurotoxicity and neurodevelopmental disorders; toxicity of the brain, kidneys, liver, and lungs; and birth defects in the male reproductive system.
Moral of the story
While you may be a slave to name brands or you simply can’t afford more then your drug store beauty line, take a step back. These big companies spend all of their money on advertising and their big name celebrity endorsements, not on quality ingredients. The cheaper the manufacturing, the more they can use to get you to buy their goods.
Do your homework and search for alternatives. You’d be surprised at how many great lines are out there that offer natural, organic and healthy products that are just as pretty, if not more so, then the big guys. Here are justa few:
- Josie Maran cosmetics
- Urban Decay
- Arbonne
- Honeybee Gardens
- Suncoat
- Lavera
Or learn how to make your own goodies! We’ll be adding DIY makeup and beauty product tips very soon so be sure to check back!
6 comments
I know this is an older article but I just found it today. Thank you for choosing Arbonne as one of your recommended alternatives. I have been using Arbonne for a few years and I am so glad that they choose to be pure, safe, and beneficial to their clients. As far as some of the other comments about how Arbonne uses parabens, that is simply not true. Arbonne personal care products are formulated without:
•• Animal products or animal by-products
•• Parabens
•• Formaldehyde-donating preservatives
•• The following petroleum-based ingredients:
◦• Benzene
◦• Mineral Oil
◦• Petrolatum
◦• Phthalates
◦• Toluene
•• PABA
Since this is an older article the information people had when they commented may also be old. Arbonne has always formulated its products using stringent testing and without harmful ingredients. When an ingredient is discovered to be considered harmful, it is removed and replaced with a safer option, as was the case with parabens. Paraben is a preservative that was used in some of Arbonne’s product lines as late as 2008. Arbonne no longer formulates using parabens in any of their products.
Just had to clear that up. Again, thank you for this article! It puts all the information I have been looking for into one convenient piece for everybody to read. Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to what is in our skin care and cosmetics!
Ya, it’s very hard to choose a right product to use. I tried to make my own skin care things but very hard to measure the amount.
Hate to tell you but Josie Maran, Urban Decay and Arbonne are anything but natural. Josie is moving in the right direction, slowly but surely, and some of her products are completely natural, while others still contain suspect ingredients. Urban Decay and Arbonne … absolutely not. As with everything these days, it’s important for consumers of organic & natural beauty to read labels and get familiar with the most toxic ingredients so you can make well-informed choices
Very informative post. As a green makeup artist, I work with a lot of small brands that are honestly natural and some are organic. Josie Maran is the healthiest one on the above list. If you’d like to find a beauty store with great green products (most are higher end), check out Future Natural (I’m not affiliated with them in any way – this is not an advertising plug). http://www.futurenatural.com/organic-beauty-natural-makeup-skincare.html
I am confused too, on the Arbonne website it says they use parabens … have cut and pasted their words
question
Why does Arbonne use parabens Instead of “natural” preservatives
what are they
Parabens are esters of p-Hydroxybenzoic Acid. They are used as safe and effective preservatives in cosmetic,
food and drug formulations and protect against yeast, molds and bacteria.
why they’re included
When it comes to complex formulations, Arbonne prides itself on safety as part of its pure, safe, beneficial
philosophies. Preservatives are essential in maintaining the integrity of these formulations and we formulate
with “broad spectrum” preservative systems to protect against oxidation as well as contamination.
When formulating with both oil and water based ingredients, you must use two types of preservative systems
to ensure long term safety. Antioxidants, commonly known as “natural preservatives” protect oils from
oxidizing or going rancid.
Where many natural ingredients have some antimicrobial and antibacterial properties, they do not meet the
stringent guidelines stipulated by the FDA for consumer safety.
Because Arbonne’s unique formulations are oil-in-water emulsions, we must use the parabens to offer broadspectrum
protection from the yeast, molds and bacteria that are common in our environment and naturally
occurring in water. It is absolutely necessary to support natural antioxidants, which protect the oils, with
broad-spectrum preservatives that protect the water phase. Only these complex and safe systems ensure
long-term safety for the consumer.
You mention Arbonne as one of the good guys, however I have seen quite a lot of discussion on the web about this company and some of the ingredients they have i.e.
Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate Conditioner, Foam
Booster, Surfactant – origin – science
and how it is quite difficult to get hold of some of their ingredient lists.