The Disturbing Truth About What's Really in Your Cosmetics, Toiletries and Personal Care Products
By Christine Farlow, D.C.
"When scientists sampled Andrea Martin's blood and urine to see what
toxins she'd picked up from the world around her, she got a surprise. 'I
had 95 chemical contaminants in my little body. And it was very mind
blowing,' said Martin. The test results indicate that we all pick up
tiny amounts of an astounding number of chemicals that are known to be
dangerous in larger doses. Martin and eight others were tested by Mt.
Sinai School of Medicine in New York and an advocacy organization called
the Environmental Working Group. On average, the nine participants had
traces of 53 chemicals known to cause cancer in human or animal tests.
In addition, they had an average of 62 chemicals toxic to the brain or
nervous system, plus 55 associated with birth defects."
There are toxic chemicals in almost every shampoo, conditioner,
hairspray, styling gel, hair dye and perm. There are chemicals in our
soaps, lotions, deodorants, perfumes, shaving creams and aftershaves. We
use toothpaste and mouthwashes filled with chemicals and dyes. We take
our clothes to the “dry” cleaners where they are immersed in a poisonous
chlorine-based solvent called percholoroethylene or “perc”, which is
carcinogenic and linked to chronic kidney, liver and gastrointestinal
problems and reproductive disorders.
Toxic chemicals in personal-care products don’t just stay on our skin
and in our hair. They literally get stuck in our bodies- in our
tissues, our fat cells, our organs and in our brains. Have you noticed
the latest craze in pharmaceuticals? The patch. There’s an epidermal
patch for everything, from quitting smoking to birth control. Patches
work as a delivery system because 60 % to 80% of what comes in contact
with your skin enters your bloodstream and will circulate throughout
your body within one minute. The more dilute the chemical the more
available it is. Three researchers with the Massachusetts Department of
Environmental Quality Engineering in Boston concluded that greater
amounts of chemical toxins could be delivered through bathing, due to
skin absorption, than if they had actually been taken by mouth. Many
people don’t think about their skin being absorbent - if we did, we
would never put anything on our skin that we didn’t consider safe enough
to eat! The reality is, we are "ingesting" our shampoos, conditioners,
toothpastes, mouthwashes, deodorants and body lotions. If everything we
put on our skin, on our hair and in our mouths is going into our
bloodstream, wouldn’t it be a good idea to use products that aren't
laden with toxic chemicals?
Believe it or not, finding personal care products that aren't toxic
is even harder than finding uncontaminated food. "Over 800 neurotoxic
chemical compounds are used in the cosmetic and perfume industries."
("Rub A Dub Dub ...Is Cancer in Your Tub?" 1999) The FDA doesn’t
regulate cosmetics nearly as stringently as it regulates drugs. The
agency spends only 1 percent of its overall budget on investigating
cosmetics. Many shampoos, toothpastes and cosmetics with labels that
read "herbal" and "natural" are also loaded with toxic chemicals.
What you need to know about "natural" personal care products
"There is no legal definition for 'natural', and a
chemist's definition of organic simply requires that the molecule
contain carbon. This means in simple terms that there are no legal
guidelines and boundaries for manufacturers, controlling the substance
of their 'all-natural' claims. Thus, it is all in the wordplay and
so-called 'natural' cosmetics can still contain potentially harmful or
irritant chemicals preservatives, cheap, chemically derived aesthetic
and texture enhancing additives, chemically derived sudsing agents,
artificial colorants and fragrances. The proof is in the labeling. Most
people tend to think that a shampoo bottle, whether sold in a health
food store or not, which costs four times as much as a regular shampoo,
with pictures of flowers and the labels "all-natural" and "herbal
extracts" in an attractive, earth-tonish, environmentally friendly
bottle, is a safe and healthy choice for washing hair. Well, one need
only read the ingredients of the "natural" shampoo and compare it to any
conventional brand sold in every drugstore." (www.uncleharry's.com/infobase)
The Most UN Wanted List
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Mineral oil
- Polyethylene glycol
- Propylene glycol
- Sodium lauryl and laureth sulfate
- Chlorine
- DEA -diethanolamine
- MEA - monoethanolamine } a class of chemicals known as alkanolamines
- TEA - triethanolamine
- FD&C dyes
- Artificial fragrances
- Imidazolidinyl urea
- DMDM Hydantoin
- Parabens -butyl, ethyl, methyl and propyl
- Aluminum
- Fluoride
- Talc
- Dioxins
Alcohol
Mouthwashes with an alcohol content of 25% or higher have been
implicated in mouth, tongue and throat cancers. Alcohol acts as a
solvent in the mouth, making tissues more vulnerable to carcinogens. Men
had a 60% higher risk and women a 90% higher risk of these cancers,
compared to those not using the mouthwash. (National Cancer Institute
4/22/91) Cool Mint Listerine has an alcohol content of 21.6% and has a
Warning Label.
Mineral Oil
Petroleum derivative; eye and skin irritant; may cause acne, birth defects; potential carcinogen
Polyethylene Glycol
Can break down into formaldehyde
Propylene Glycol
A colorless
liquid used in anti-freeze solutions, paint, floor wax, and brake fluid
as well as cosmetics, toothpaste, shampoos, deodorants and baby wipes.
Propylene glycol is a humectant - it keeps things from drying out. “Propylene Glycol: Implicated in contact dermatitis,
kidney damage and liver abnormalities; can inhibit skin cell growth in
human tests and can damage cell membranes, causing rashes, dry skin and
surface damage.” Material Safety Data Sheets
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS)
This stuff is in 90% of all shampoos, soap, bubble bath and
toothpastes on the mass-market and even in "natural" products, like
Tom's of Maine.
Gary Young, founder of Young Living, calls sodium lauryl sulfate,
“One of the most toxic ingredients you can put on your body”. Sodium
lauryl sulfate is a petrochemical. It was originally used as a
degreasing agent for cleaning car engines and garage floors. It is also
an ingredient in agent orange. Manufacturers of shampoos and toothpastes
love it because it is a cheap detergent that produces a lot of foam and
bubbles which we all equate with cleansing. Sodium lauryl sulfate is
the #1 cause of loss of eyesight in children and allergies in adults. It
interferes with the oxygen uptake of the pineal and pituitary glands.
It is a major contributor to asthma, emphysema, TB, candida and fungi
overgrowth in the intestines. It inhibits enzyme secretion in the body.
Put sodium lauryl sulfate on your skin and scalp and its residue ends up
in your heart, liver, lung and brain. Sodium lauryl sulfate damages
your immune system. Sodium lauryl sulfate is rapidly taken up and
accumulated by eye tissues and Put sodium lauryl sulfate on your skin
and scalp and its residue ends up in your heart, liver, lung and brain.
Sodium lauryl sulfate damages your immune system. Sodium lauryl sulfate
is rapidly taken up and accumulated by eye tissues. It may cause
cataracts. Gary Young - “It is a deadly, deadly poison.”
Ironically, sodium
lauryl sulfate is used in clinical studies to irritate skin tissue and
it also corrodes hair follicles and impairs our ability to grow hair!
How many years have you been rubbing shampoo with sodium lauryl sulfate
onto your scalp? "Americans love foamy products, and sodium lauryl
sulfate is what makes all that foam in most shampoos and toothpastes.
But SLS causes drying of the skin, and it dries and abnormally degreases
skin's protective lipid barrier. When you dry up that barrier you
expose the skin and gum tissue to bacteria." ("What's the Brush?"
Alternative Medicine, August 2002) One of the best ways to absorb
supplements or medications is to put them under the tongue. If your
mouth is the premier absorption site in your body, what do you think
happens when you put toothpaste containing sodium lauryl sulfate in your
mouth?
Chlorine
“Chlorine is one of the most toxic and reactive
elements known to man. During World War I, the Germans used chlorine
gas as a chemical weapon of warfare. There are many studies showing
that chlorine causes cancer, birth defects and miscarriages in pregnant
women.” ( “Tap Water Poisons - Proving Toxicity After the Fact” 27 June, 2001. www.alternativemedicine.com/digest)
A bath and shower filter is more important than a drinking water filter!
A person can absorb 600% more contaminants in a ten-minute shower than drinking chlorinated water all day.
The EPA now reports that people who drink and bathe in chlorinated
water are 50% more likely of developing cancer. A professor of water
chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh claims that exposure to
vaporized chemicals in water supplied through showering, bathing and
inhalation is 100 times greater than through drinking water. (The Nader
Report - Troubled Waters on Tap. Center for Study of Responsive Law.)
In a lifetime, 50 lbs. of toxic waste and pollutants may enter a body
from drinking water and at least 450 lbs. may enter the body through
skin absorption.
"Many people are unaware that a large number of our
prescription anti-depressant drugs are laced with chlorine. Examples
of chlorinated and fluorinated drugs include Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft.
Hydrochloride is another orally administered antidepressant." (Young Living article "Chlorine - The Deadly 'Protectant'")
DEA
Diethanolamine is found in over 600 home and personal care products,
including shampoos, conditioners, bubble baths, lotions, cosmetics,
soaps, laundry and dishwashing detergents. Proven to cause cancer when
applied to the skin of rats. Dr. Samuel Epstein, author of The Safe
Shopper’s Bible, and the world’s leading authority on toxicology, has
issued a stern warning regarding the use of cocamide DEA or lauramide
DEA. DEA has been linked with kidney, liver and other organ damage,
according to several government -funded research studies.. This is
because it cannot be easily excreted from the body, but instead builds
up in the fatty tissues of the liver, brain, kidney and spleen with
repeated oral and dermal exposure.
“The FDA accepts that the presence of DEA and TEA in
cosmetics can pose a significant consumer health threat. In the 1970s
it published a notice in the Federal Register in which it urged the
industry to remove these products from cosmetics.” (Steinman and Epstein, 1995, Young Living Newsletter)
FD&C Dyes
Many commercial products use FD&C dyes. Many of these are coal
tar dyes, which may be carcinogenic. Some artificial colors have been
linked to digestive and immune system problems. Artificial colors are
thought to increase allergies and hypersensitivity in children.
Artificial "fragrance"
Eighty to ninety percent of materials used in fragrance are
synthesized, mostly from petroleum products. Materials used in fragrance
(such as some phthalates) are suspected hormone disruptors.
Imidazolidinyl urea
Strong irritant; causes contact dermatitis, may contain formaldehyde
Parabens
Most of us know the synthetic preservatives - the Parabens and their
children - Butyl, Ethyl, Methyl and Propyl. We use them every day!
Parabens are hormone disruptors.
Aluminum
Many deodorants and anti-perspirants contain aluminum compounds.
Aluminum acts as a toxin in your body. “Dr. Daniel Perl, Director of
Neuropathology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, suggests,
‘…avoid aerosol antiperspirants. Aluminum in aerosol form may be more
readily absorbed into the brain through nasal passages.’” (The
University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter, April 1993 v.9n7
p.1) “Studies link aluminum to Alzheimer’s disease…The evidence is
strong enough that the prudent person will eliminate all food and
cosmetic sources of aluminum and will use aluminum cooking utensils only
if they’re coated,” suggests Gary Price Todd, M.D., author Nutrition,
Health and Disease.
Fluoride
Fluoride levels as low as one part per million - the amount added to
city water supplies - cause a breakdown of collagen, which makes up
about thirty percent of the body. This amount of fluoride, coupled with a
poor diet, not only contributes to wrinkling, but to speeding up the
entire aging process: weakening of bones, ligaments, muscles and
tendons.
Fluoride is a toxic waste product. After years of propaganda and
lobbying by the smelting industries, the Public Health Service
officially endorsed fluoridation of our nation's water supply in 1950.
Since then, two-thirds of the nation's reservoirs have been fluoridated.
"In 1977, congressional hearings revealed that the government had never
cancer-tested fluoride. An investigation by the NCI was ordered and
twelve years later, in 1989, upon completion of the study, it was
determined that there was 'equivocal evidence' that fluoride caused bone
cancer in male rats." "Zia's Essential Connection", Vol. 3, Issue 7,
July 2003
"Studies have found an association between elevated
fluoride and decreased IQs in children. Fluoride facilitates the uptake
of aluminum into the brain producing amyloid deposits that are
associated with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. Just
over two grams of fluoride (roughly a teaspoon) is enough to kill a
160-pound adult, while just 300 mg. is enough to kill a 20-pound child.
For decades, we have been told a lie, a lie that has led to the deaths
of hundreds of thousands of Americans and the weakening of the immune
systems of tens of millions more. This lie is called fluoridation. A
process we were led to believe was a safe and effective method of
protecting teeth from decay is in fact a fraud. In recent years it's
been shown that fluoridation is neither essential for good health nor
protective of teeth. What it does is poison the body. We should all at
this point be asking how and why public health policy and the American
media continue to live with and perpetuate this scientific sham." Gary Null, Ph.D. ("Fluoridation: Cavity Preventer or Toxic Waste?" Young Living Newsletter)
As of April 7, 1997 the FDA required warning labels on all fluoride dental care products (toothpaste).
Talcum powder
Talc is chemically similar to asbestos, a known cancer causing
substance. Talc is found in body and baby powders, cosmetics, even
condoms.
“A possible tie between talcum powder and ovarian
cancer, long suspected because of talc’s chemical similarity to
asbestos, was strongly supported last week when a study found a higher
risk of cancer among women who dusted themselves with talc or used
feminine deodorant sprays. The study, published in the American Journal
of Epidemiology, found that women who used talcum powder in the genital
area had an increased ovarian cancer risk of 60% and women who used
feminine deodorant sprays had a 90% increased risk.” (U.S. News and World Report, March 17, 1997 v.122n10p.77)
Dioxin
The paper industry uses chlorine to bleach paper and paper products.
Dioxin is a chemical byproduct of the manufacturing of chlorine-bleached
paper. Dioxin is believed to be the single most carcinogenic chemical
known to science. The EPA has found dioxin to be 300,000 times more
potent a carcinogen than DDT. Dioxins are “potent endocrine disruptors”
and have been linked to a host of women’s health problems. Dioxin is in
bleached coffee filters, disposable diapers, paper towels, sanitary
napkins, tampons and bathroom tissue…I can’t imagine how much dioxin is
absorbed by babies who are wrapped in disposable diapers 24 hours a day
for 2 years...
Studies show that 40-70 percent of the dioxin in bleached coffee
filters can leach into your coffee. Dioxin found in paper milk cartons
also leaches into the milk you drink. Thanks to chlorine pollution,
Americans ingest a daily amount of dioxin that is already 300 to 600
times greater than the EPA’s so-called “safe” dose.
Dr. Edward Fujimoto warned against freezing drinking water in plastic
water bottles, as this releases dioxin from the plastic into the
water. Hot coffee in styrofoam cups also causes the toxins in the
styrofoam to leach into your coffee. Dr. Fujimoto also warned against
putting food containing fats into a plastic container and then heating
them in a microwave, as this will release dioxins into the food. Also,
use paper towels instead of saran wrap to cover food when you are nuking
it, as heating the saran wrap (a plastic) causes it to drip poisonous
toxins into your food. An even better health tip - throw your microwave
out.
Phthalates
"Scientists have found chemicals called phthalates,
which are know to cause birth defects in animals, in many personal care
items like makeup, hairspray, soap and also plastic food wrap." Phthalates are hormone disruptors.
About one billion pounds of 25
different phthalate compounds are produced each year, and they tend to
accumulate in fat tissue and are easily absorbed through the skin. Major sources: plastic wrap, soft plastics, including soft plastic
toys, plastic medical equipment and some personal care products.
P.S.
Have you heard the expression "If you cannot eat it, don't put it on your skin?" Most of the cosmetic companies use questionable ingredients in products that promise to keep us young and beautiful. If you are using such products because you cannot afford organic, cruelty free skincare, please reconsider your choice. Use organic coconut oil or raw cacao butter instead. - Dominique
*This information is for educational purpose only. It is not meant to diagnose or cure a disease.
