The Toxic Ten - Chemicals to Avoid in Personal Care Products

There are literally hundreds of potentially harmful chemical ingredients in personal care products. I can't emphasize this enough--read ingredients labels! Products can claim to be natural, even organic, without any substantiation necessary. After reading the ingredients, you find a laundry list of synthetic chemicals and petroleum derivatives.

A good rule of thumb: if you can read and recognize the ingredients without taking Chemistry 101, the product is probably somewhat safe. Keep in mind, however, that some natural ingredients, such as lavender and tea tree oil, have been linked to adverse health effects as well.

Ten ingredients that should be avoided in your personal care products:

1. Fragrance (synthetic): Companies can put any chemical they desire into the product and list it as fragrance, since fragrance is considered proprietary. "Fragrance" typically contains a host of harmful chemicals, such as:

• Phthalates (endocrine disruptor, damage to liver & testes, birth defects, carcinogen, linked to asthma in children)
• Parabens (possible carcinogen, hormone disrupter)
• Dioxins (carcinogens)

2. Mercury: Can you believe that mercury is still an ingredient in many eye drops and mascaras? It is listed as "thimerosal". The dangers of mercury include:

• Profound central nervous system effects
• Impairment of heart & lung function
• Birth defects

3. Phthalates: In synthetic fragrances, nail polishes and hair sprays, as well as soft plastic toys and vinyl shower curtains, phthalates can cause:

• Endocrine disruption
• Damage to liver & testes
• Birth defects
• Cancer
• Asthma in children

4. Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate: Contained in about 95% of foaming products, and 50% of personal care products, it is difficult to find a product that doesn't contain it when you comb through the drug store shelves. SLS can cause:

• Skin and eye irritation
• Hair loss
• Microscopic damage to gum tissue, leading to gum disease and increased incidence of canker sores.
• An increase the permeability of the skin, enhancing the absorption of other potentially harmful chemical ingredients
• It is also usually contaminated with toxic by-products from the manufacturing process.

5. Parabens: These widely used preservatives in cosmetics and hair care products:

• Disrupt hormones
• Increase the risk of certain cancers
• Linked to infertility
• Cause allergic skin reactions & irritation

6. Triclosan & Triclocarban: Commonly used in anti-bacterial products, they:

• Interfere with thyroid function
• Create "super-germs", leading to bacterial resistance to antibiotics
• Weaken the immune system
• Alter sex hormones
• Are linked to birth defects
• Cause cancer
• In the environment and at home, combine with chlorine in tap water to produce dangerous chloroform and chlorinated dioxins (carcinogens)

Funny thing is, antibacterial soaps have not been found to be any more effective at killing germs than plain old soap and water.

7. Placenta: Placenta is added to some hair relaxers and is extremely high in hormones, mainly estrogen. Linked to premature breast and sexual development in young girls.

8. Hydroquinone: Banned in many countries, hydroquinone is a common ingredient in skin lighteners. It is a known carcinogen.

9. Diethanolamine (DEA): Found in almost all conventional soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions and cosmetics, DEA is readily absorbed by the skin and accumulates in the internal organs.

• Skin and eye irritant
• Causes impaired vision
• Linked to damage to the kidney, brain, spinal cord, bone marrow, liver and skin in animal tests
• Combines with common nitrate preservatives in cosmetics to form nitrosodiethanolamine (NDLA)-A potent carcinogen

10. Formaldehyde: Still used as a preservative in many cosmetics, face creams, shampoos, bubble bath, deodorants and nail products, causes:

• Eye, nose and throat irritation
• Coughing
• Asthma attacks
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Nose bleeds
• Ear infections
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Weakens the immune system
• Cancer in animal tests

Fortunately for the health conscious consumer, there are many products on the market formulated without harmful synthetic chemicals. The manufacturers of these products have their customers' health in mind, and product safety is their ultimate goal. They use only natural, mineral and botanical ingredients to create effective, and even glamorous, cosmetics, skin care, hair care and oral care products. These are infinitely safer than their conventional counterparts, and can help those that are sensitive to or concerned about toxic chemical ingredients.

How Safe Are Your Personal Care Products?

We now know that there are synthetic chemicals in our personal care products, and that some of these are potentially harmful to our health. How do we determine the safety of the products we currently use?

There are literally hundreds of potentially toxic chemical ingredients in personal care products. In order to analyze your products more closely, you must read the ingredients! Products can claim to be natural, even organic. After reading the ingredients, however, you will find out that they are anything but.

To do a quick check on some of your products, check out the Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database run by Environmental Working Group. Enter the name of a baby product, cosmetic or personal care product (even toothpaste), and find the safety rating of the ingredients contained in the product. The database also will tell you what effects the ingredients have on your body. You may be unpleasantly surprised at the safety of the products you currently use. Many common ingredients are carcinogenic, neurotoxic, disrupt the endocrine system, have reproductive effects, and much more.

The good news is that there are many safe products on the market today that use only natural ingredients, and they work as well as their conventional counterparts. Their manufacturers avoid the use of synthetic chemicals in their formulations, and their products are designed with product safety and concern for the health of their customer in mind. The Cosmetic Safety Database recommends the safest products in dozens of categories, ranging from baby bubble bath to deodorant.

It is easy to obtain recommendations for safe products using this valuable resource, but you may not necessarily recognize any of the brand names listed. Many of the safest products are made by manufacturers that very few people have heard of, let alone being able to find them in stores. Never fear, however, because the yet again, the Internet is our friend. These manufacturers usually have a website and products can be ordered through their site and delivered conveniently right to your door. At Hibiscus Naturals we have taken it a step further. We have chosen to carry all of the best quality, safest natural products all in one place. Check us out!