New Article: Health and Beauty Products That Fail
Health and Beauty Products That Fail
Your skin provides enormous protection from microorganisms, such as germs, but skin also is designed to be permeable, allowing certain molecules in
and out, which is good news when the skin allows antioxidants in to protect against the sun and allows toxins out through the sweat and oil glands.
However, easy access also allows environmental toxins to penetrate.
Personal care products are the largest source of toxic absorption through the skin and mucus membranes. One study found that 13 percent of the
commonly used cosmetic preservative BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) is absorbed by your skin. Chemicals found in everyday personal products such as
perfume, cologne, shaving cream, skin lotions, aftershave, toothpaste, soaps, shampoos, deodorants, nail polish, all types of household cleansers and
so forth, can be absorbed quickly and produce effects that are toxic or even carcinogenic, especially when these toxic substances are combined.
When I was suffering from severe chemical sensitivities, I found, much to my surprise, that the brands of toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant and skin
lotion that I was using were all quite toxic. Products such as lotions, conditioners and makeup, especially when left on the skin for long periods of
time, expose you to significant amounts of toxins, which can bioaccumulate, poison your cells and cause disease. Most common products sold to preserve
and protect the skin in fact actually contain chemicals capable of damaging the skin.
Virtually all commonly available cosmetic and personal care products contain ingredients (such as preservatives and colors) that are known to present
problems. Many preservatives contain or release formaldehyde, a known toxin and carcinogen. Various parabens (a specific class of preservatives) have
been shown to damage deep layers of the skin worse than severe sunburn, which causes the skin to age prematurely and even can cause cancer. Artificial
colors have been shown to be carcinogenic, not only when ingested but also when applied to the skin. Yet people voluntarily put these personal care
products on their skin daily, unaware that these products contain toxic and potentially carcinogenic ingredients. By using products such as sunscreen
and lotion, people are putting cancer-causing chemicals on their skin, then wondering why they developed skin cancer or why their skin is aging so
fast.
Choosing safe personal care and cosmetic products means reading labels carefully and learning about the health consequences of ingredients. Effective
products are on the market that are high in quality and safety. The overwhelming majority, however, contain a variety of toxins that should be
avoided. Some of the common toxins to look for and avoid include artificial fragrances, colors and flavors, formaldehyde, phenol, trichlorethylene,
BHT/BHA, EDTA, cresol, detergents, glycols, parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate and nitrates/nitrosamines.
Perfumes and other fragrances also cause problems. Traditionally, these products were made from flowers and herbs. But since World War II, most
fragrances and perfumes have been made from synthetic petrochemicals, many of which are officially designated as hazardous materials. In fact, about
95 percent are synthetic, and more than 80 percent of the ingredients used in fragrances have never been tested for human safety. When they have been
tested, many are found to be neurotoxic and even carcinogenic. (Meanwhile, because of “trade secrets,” manufacturers are not required to list any
of these toxic ingredients on their product labels.) Worse, these fragrances are not just in perfumes, but in everything from kitty litter to
shampoos, soaps, lotions, shaving creams, household cleaners, laundry detergents and numerous other products. Fragrances now pollute our homes,
schools, workplaces, stores, churches and other public places. People who regularly use synthetic perfumes are
putting a heavy toxic burden on their bodies. The solution is to use essential oils made from natural ingredients such as flowers and herbs, if
tolerable, and to avoid household and personal products made with synthetic fragrances.
I have spent years researching the toxic effects of chemicals used to make products that people consume on a daily basis. I discovered that regular
toothpaste, for example, contains numerous toxins, such as fluoride, artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners and synthetic detergents, all of which can
bioaccumulate in the body and lead to toxic overload. Toothpaste is especially important because the mucous membranes in your mouth are very
permeable, so if you expose yourself to toxic toothpaste several times a day, you subject yourself to a lot of toxins. I eventually selected a
toothpaste for my personal use that was both safe and effective (see appendix C), but it took eighteen months of research to find it.
Toxic chemicals, used for detergent and foam-generating properties, are present in most toothpastes, as well as in many other personal care and
household products. When these toxins-sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium cetyl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate-are placed on the surface of the body,
they can cause eye irritations, skin rashes, hair loss, scalp flaking similar to dandruff and allergic reactions. These chemicals are known to be
irritating to the skin and are used to irritate the skin in laboratory experiments! Think about what happens when your highly sensitive gum tissue
comes into contact with a known irritant, like sodium lauryl sulfate, in your toothpaste. Could this factor be contributing to our epidemic of gum
disease?
These man-made detergents pass through the skin and mucous membranes and bioaccumulate in fatty tissue-eye tissue, for example. Is there a possible
connection between the sodium lauryl sulfate found in toothpaste and our epidemic of macular degeneration-a disease in which cells in the central part
of the retina degenerate, and the leading cause of blindness in people over age fifty-five?
The focus of manufacturers is always on marketability, so they often try to disguise these synthetic and toxic ingredients by making them seem
“natural.” Labels will often state something like, “sodium lauryl sulfate-derived from coconut.” Regardless of derivation they are toxic and
can accumulate easily in your tissues to levels that cause cellular malfunction and disease.
People choose antibacterial soaps thinking they will protect them from germs, but the germicide in the soap goes right through the skin and
bioaccumulates in tissue. In fact, these toxic chemicals, designed to kill cells, are now showing up in alarming amounts in human breast milk, and
infants are much more susceptible to toxins. As always, the solution is to choose safe, natural products, usually available at health food and
specialty stores. There are high-quality, certified organic, hair and skin care products available and I recommend you use them. (See appendix C for
my personal choices.)
Toxic Cleaning Products
The home can be a toxic place already-do not make it more so with toxic cleaning products, solvents and workplace chemicals. Household cleaning
products rank among the most toxic everyday substances to which people are exposed. Unfortunately, the manufacturer of household products is seldom
the best source of accurate information about safety. As a practical matter, do not let any chemical come in contact with your skin unless you know it
is safe. Most commercial brands are not safe, although safe household products are available at health food and specialty stores. (See appendix C for
my choices.)
Some especially toxic household cleaners include ammonia, chlorine bleach, aerosol propellants, detergents, petroleum distillates and toluene. Many of
these substances not only harm the skin; they also give off toxic fumes that affect the person using the product and everyone else in the household.
If you cannot avoid toxic household products, at least use them sparingly and in well-ventilated areas.
Symptoms from “the flu” to headaches have been associated with products we use to clean our furniture, bathrooms and clothes, as well as air
fresheners to keep our bathrooms smelling pleasant. Debra Lynn Dadd, in Nontoxic and Natural, wrote about a fifteen-year study of housewives in
Oregon. Women who stayed home all day had a 54 percent higher death rate from cancer than women who worked away from home. The study concluded that
the higher rate likely was a consequence of exposure to the chemicals in household products. Dadd's book, along with many others, contains formulas
for making your own environmentally safe household products.
© 2002 Health Communications, Inc
from "Never Be Sick Again"
About the Author
Raymond Francis, M.Sc., is an internationally recognized leader in the emerging field of optimal health maintenance. He is chairman and CEO of Beyond
Health Corp., a supplier of highly advanced health education and world-class, health-supporting products to the public. He is the publisher of Beyond
Health News, author of the Pathways to Health newspaper columns, and host and producer of the radio talk show An Ounce of Prevention. He lives in San
Rafael, California.
|
![[*]](./images/iconic/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
posted on 21-7-2007 at 05:35 PM
