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It may surprise you that the average adult is exposed to over 168 synthetic chemicals each day from cosmetic products. Many of these chemicals are known to be toxic and can cause serious health problems like cancer, infertility, birth defects, and skin conditions like acne, eczema, and rosacea.
Choosing natural cosmetics are a great choice for both the environment and your skin.
1. Don’t Read Labels
Unlike the food industry, there are no laws for words like “natural” or “organic” on cosmetic labeling. Many products advertise as “all natural”, “organic” or “pure” in their name but still contain synthetic petrochemicals, toxins, and harsh preservatives. Don’t trust labels, they’re just marketing gimmicks.
2. Read Ingredients
What ingredients are in a product is the most important thing to look at. The most common toxic ingredients you want to avoid are: Butyl Acetate, Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), Coal Tar, Cocamide DEA/Lauramide DEA, Diazolidinyl Urea, Ethyl Acetate, Formaldehyde, Fragrance, Parabens (methyl, ethyl, propyl and butyl), Petrolatum (petroleum jelly), Phthalates, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Laureth/Sodium Laurel Sulfate, Talc, Toluene, Triethanolamine (TEA).
3. Choose Fragrance-Free Products
Fragrance is found in many products like shampoos, deodorants, lotions, and shaving creams. By-law companies don’t have to disclose what ingredients are in “fragrance”. But most often fragrance contains hundreds of hazardous ingredients which may be toxic to the brain and can cause immune system damage. Look for products that do not contain the word “fragrance”, instead choose products that use natural essential oils. Be aware that some products may say “un-scented” but still contain fragrance to cover up the other chemical scents.
4. Avoid Big Brand Names
There are thousands of companies that make cosmetic products, but generally it’s the larger “big brand names” who are most often guilty of mis-labeling products and using synthetic ingredients. Though this is not necessarily true of every product so always try to read the list of ingredients; however avoiding big brand name products is usually a good start.
5. Buy Only Cruelty-Free Products
Make sure that the products you buy clearly advertise that they have not been tested on animals. Look for the PETA “cruelty free” or leepingbunny.org logos on the packaging.
6. Look for Eco-Friendly Packaging
Choose products that come in recycled or recyclable packaging, such as paper boxes or glass bottles. If the product is in a plastic container check that the fine print so see if it’s BPA free.
7. Choose Mineral Makeup
Mineral makeup can usually be a safer alternative to traditional cosmetics. Look for mineral makeup without talc, nano-particles, petrochemicals, FD&C and lake dyes, carmine, mineral oil, and irritants like bismuth oxychloride.
8. Use Water-Based Nail Polish
Conventional nail polish and removers contain toxic chemicals like toluene and formaldehyde which are linked to cancer, reproductive harm, and other negative health effects. Try water-based nail polish and remover which are odor free and have a very low hazardous rating.
9. Use Fewer Products
A simpler routine will reduce the number of chemicals you are exposed to.
10. Use the Internet
The best website for researching cosmetics is The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep (http://cosmeticdatabase.com) – you can search any ingredient or product and get a detailed profile of its health concerns. You can also view lists of alternative cosmetic products as well.
Charmaine Leah
Charmaine Leah is a professional esthetician and skin therapist with a deep passion for beauty and living a natural lifestyle. She hosts the popular video blog Glamology and is the founder of Mint & Berry an online organic beauty retailer. Having grown up with sensitive skin, she became an activist for chemical-free products and now helps educate others on the dangers of toxic cosmetics. Find her on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
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I don't mean any disrespect to your article but I have some objections. There is quite a bit of incorrect information being circulated around the internet in articles like this. People due "research" for their article and get the same misinformation, which simply perpetuates the misinformation.
For instance, not all products labeled with the term "fragrance" need to be avoided. Most fragrance manufactures now offer phthalate-free fragrances. One of my all time favorite fragrances is lilac, and since it doesn't produce an essential oil, it must be created in the lab. I would not want to give up this heavenly scent, and I don't need to because it's available phthalate-free. All non-essential oil scents in my line are phthalate-free.
Also, I don't understand why Propylene Glycol always makes such lists. Again, it's due to misinformation. There is nothing harmful about this ingredient. It does not come from a petroleum source. It assists nutrients to travel deeper into the skin's layers to do their job. It is produced from natural source. It is not even remotely related to ethelyne glycol used in anti-freeze, and I wish people would stop confusing these two.
Often times, articles are not written by those in the manufacturing of cosmetics and skin care, so they have no direct experience or knowledge, or training of said ingredients. Please bear this in mind. Also, phthalates which are of the most harmful kind are found more predominately in cleaning products, paint, household products than personal care products, yet no one ever addresses this.
Finally, Diazolidinyl Urea is not the evil preservative it's made out to be. It can be the most effective preservative for certain formulations. It's better to have safe products which won't mold and cause skin irritations from a contaminated product than the minute amount of exposure from this ingredient. Again, where the confusion lies is with what it may be combined with. It can be a formaldehyde releaser only if combined with said ingredients such as: sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate. If used properly, it is a safe preservative.
I absolutely agree there are unnecessary and potentially harmful ingredients in some skincare products. However, to date, no one has died from such products. People are dying from taking pharma drugs but not from applying makeup or using a bodywash. This was the reason I started my company: essensu holistic skincare. To bring mother nature and personal care products together. However, I'd appreciate only the correct cautions be spun around the internet.
Thank you.
Hi Essensu,
Thanks for the thoughtful comments. I do agree that there is lots of misinformation on the internet and no one person’s opinion should be taken at face value. Issues with regards to what we each consider to be “safe” are very subjective and we have to determine that for ourselves. I encourage people to educate themselves and become smarter consumers.
With regards to your argument that not all fragrance needs to be avoided – I understand that there are phthalate-free fragrances on the market, however, "fragrance" can contain hundreds of other potentially harmful chemicals since regulations currently allow ingredients to be included in "fragrance" and hidden from the consumer.
Your statement that "There is nothing harmful about [Propylene Glycol]" is very much subjective. What you believe to be safe may not be what someone else would consider safe. Where there is credible data showing concern for an ingredient I personally advise caution and recommend avoiding it where possible. I mentioned avoiding Propylene Glycol simply due to the range of studies that have shown it to be a concern, ie: skin irritant (Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 2000), negative reproductive effects (Kaibogaku Zasshi 1962), and carcinogen (Food and Chemical Toxicology 1984).
Diazolidinyl Urea and many other synthetic preservatives really only benefit skincare manufacturers not the consumer. There are safer preservatives that may be better for the consumer’s health but are not cost effective. There are studies that have shown strong evidence that Diazolidinyl Urea is a skin toxicant (Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments), carcinogen (Mutation Research 2002), and endocrine disruption (Journal of the American College of Toxicology 1990).
Lastly, you mentioned that "to date, no one has died from such products. " which I would have to strongly disagree with. Yes, this is probably true but people don't die from their first cigarettes either. Any consequences from chemical exposures are felt years and decades down the road making it very difficult to link the cause.
The problem is that there are so many chemicals used in skincare products, most of which we don't know the long term effects – but really it comes down to the individual's judgment on what they consider to be safe for them.
Charmaine
"Diazolidinyl Urea and many other synthetic preservatives really only benefit skincare manufacturers not the consumer"
That is just false. Read a toxicology book by an expert and you'll learn that everything has a SAFE LEVEL and an UNSAFE LEVEL (ie. dosage). When people don't understand what the safe level is, they will create something bad. It's the same reason why water is harmless if you drink normal amounts but could actually kill you if you went overboard and had gallons and gallons at once.
Toucdhwon! That's a really cool way of putting it!