|
|
On average, women use 12 personal care products each day, exposing themselves to 168 unique ingredients. 1
Why do you care?
- Many ingredients used in body care products can have negative effects on our health.
- Many ingredients may be:
- an irritant or allergen
- a known hormone disrupter, that affects our estrogen levels.
- a known human carcinogen (cancer causing)
- Our skin has a remarkable ability to absorb applied products, partially or completely into the bloodstream. Up to 60% of the products we use on our skin are absorbed and deposited into the circulatory system.
- Many products contain "penetration enhancer" chemicals that can drive other ingredients faster and deeper into the skin to the blood vessels below.
- Daily exposure to low doses of synthetic and sometimes harmful ingredients, may over time, accumulate toxins in our bodies.
The Know How
- To avoid toxins building up in our bodies, consider limiting exposure.
- Know what you are putting ON your body.
- Read labels (you will hear this again and again and again!)
- Look for products that do not contain these ingredients, including:
- Phthalates, parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate , coal tar
- Check out our full list of ingredients to avoid.
Know and Tell
- Patti and Tamey counted up the number of products they use - just to get out the door in the morning - and they discovered
- Skin Deep Survey, Environmental Working Group, 2004
- Fairley, Josephine, (2001). Organic Beauty, DK Publishing, London
- Skin Deep website, Environmental Working Group, 2007
|
