Why Worry About Whats In Our Skincare and Makeup?
Whats In Our Skincare and Makeup? Why are we at Greener Salons so bothered about the chemicals in skincare and makeup? What’s the big deal?
Well I have been aware of Parabens for a few years but my awareness of the range of toxic ingredients since through my own research and further training has greatly increased my understanding of this side of the cosmetics world. And this is what I want to share with you, not to scare anyone but to enable us all to make better choices.
For years, I have been using skincare and makeup without thinking of the ingredients in these products and the ramifications of putting it on my skin!
In the personal care products, currently on the market in the UK there are now 82,000 CHEMICALS!! 1 in 8 of these chemicals are proven carcinogens, reproductive toxins and hormone disruptors.
Anything we put on our skin takes only 26 seconds to enter the blood stream so isn’t it worth us knowing what we are using. Lots of these chemicals are really bad for us, they might give the product in question a long shelf life or a nice fragrance but is this really worth OUR HEALTH?!?!
The worst offenders
There are a number of chemicals that are particularly nasty:
• Parabens – through biopsies these are present in 75-90% of breast cancer tumours although Scientists at this point are unsure of the connection. Parabens are what give products a long shelf life and are frequently found in Body wash, creams etc.
• SLS and SLES (Sodium Lauryl, Sodium Sulphate) – This nasty is regularly found to actually be a skin irritant!!! There is also research into whether it is a cause of cancer but at this point no conclusive scientific evidence has been found. Its found in shampoos, toothpaste etc.
• BHA and BHT – Used as a preservative it is an endocrine distributor, a human carcinogen and is also harmful to fish and wildlife. This nasty is commonly used in Moisturisers and makeup.
• DEA, MEA and TEA – Ethanolamine’s. These nasties are linked to cancers and organ toxicity. Also harmful to fish and wildlife. This nasty is used in creamy and foaming products such as moisturisers and shampoos.
• Petroleum, paraffin and mineral oil – These nasty ingredients are by-products of and derived from crude oil!! They have cancer causing effects, damage the skin and interfere with the bodys natural ability to eliminate toxins! These ingredients are commonly found in shampoos, anti ageing creams, perfumes, foundations, lip sticks and lip balms (Yes Vasoline that you put on your lips is effectively a by-product of crude oil!!)
• Synthetic Fragrance – This nasty has side effects such as hormone disruption, headaches, skin rashes, hyperpigmentation. This is used in perfumes and other personal care products.
The list goes on!
I personally do not understand why governments in the UK and around the world allow these ingredients to be put into personal care products when these nasties enter the blood stream and have serious negative impacts to our health. Tests have been done on placentas and these nasties are even being passed onto our children before they are born! This has been going on for generations.
There is a great app called ‘Think Dirty’ where you can scan all your products and it will give you a dirty rating of 0-10 where 0-3 is great use frequently, 4-6 use less frequently and anything above 7 don’t let it touch your skin! Go and see what kind of products you are using on your skin! Years ago, (before going vegan) I was a massive fan of a high end high street brand and I used to use all their skincare and makeup and I am absolutely shocked now to know that these are on think dirty all with a rating of 9 but mainly 10s!
So, what can we all do?
Well isn’t it time we had a GREEN REVOLUTION??? How about we all start to look into whats In Our Skincare and Makeup?
Personally, I will not buy anything now where I do not understand what the ingredients are, or if I know what they are and they are nasty again I will put the item back on the shelf. There are lots of companies out there who will not put these nasty ingredients into products.
Let’s all take a stand and say enough is enough. No more nasties! It’s time for the GREEN REVOLUTION to begin and it all starts in our bathroom cabinets!
Vic xx