Every day, we use soaps and body washes, creams, lotions, makeup and other products, one on top of the other, to make ourselves look prettier (or more handsome), younger, erase blemishes, smell better, feel sexier and to attract, or keep, the perfect partner. Looking well-groomed and attractive is important. It’s good for your self esteem too. But not all the ingredients in the products that make you beautiful and sexier are good for your health.
The cosmetic and personal care product industry is a multi-billion dollar a year industry … and growing. New products are coming onto the market every day. Manufacturers play to your emotions in their advertising and packaging, frequently misrepresenting products as healthy which really are NOT.
With the fast growing interest in natural and organic skin and body care products, companies that typically manufacture the mainstream products containing synthetic ingredients and chemical preservatives, are coming onboard the organic bandwagon.
Natural and organic standards that were once noticeably absent now abound. Instead of no certifying agencies for cosmetics and skin care products, there are currently several. But not all organic certifying organizations abide by the same organic standards. Mainstream companies, trying to get their piece of the organic pie have developed their own lower organic standards, allowing synthetic chemicals and preservatives, not allowed by the true organic standards.
Talk about confusing! If you were confused before, you may be even more bewildered now.
Why it’s important to choose your natural cosmetics and skin care products carefully
I’ve been researching the safety of ingredients in food, cosmetics and skin care products since 1991. My research turned to identifying healthy, natural and organic cosmetics and skin care brands in about 1999.
While some of my research has been done in stores, copying ingredients from product labels, most has been done online. The reason, frankly, is because most of the best products are available only online and some products that are potentially good are not available in stores in my area.
That said, another factor to take into consideration, which I’ve mentioned many times before, but which was just blatantly demonstrated to me yesterday, is to make sure you buy from companies committed to producing safe and healthy products.
There are a number of companies on the market who are committed to the ultimate in purity and safety. A great many of them are USDA certified organic. There are some who are just as committed who don’t have the certification. These are the companies I search out.
There are other companies, probably most of them, who are in it for the profit. They claim to be natural and organic and some even get marginal organic certifications even though they don’t really qualify to be certified organic by “true” organic standards.
So, what happened yesterday?
I got an e-mail from a DyingToLookGood.com member who had just purchased Zuzu Luxe mascara, which is a brand I recommended in Dying To Look Good. I just finished researching mascara for the new Dying To Look Good Best Brands project that I’m working on right now. I checked the Zuzu Luxe ingredients online just the other day. They were perfectly fine, so it was my intention to include them in the new program.
However, I was asked by this member about the ingredients in this product because the ingredients label on the product she bought contained titanium dioxide, which I do not recommend.
I asked her to send me the list of ingredients on the label for the Zuzu Luxe mascara she bought…
It looked like two totally different products.
Here’s the list of ingredients that were on the actual label:
Whether you know what these ingredients mean or not, I’m sure you’ll agree that these two sets of ingredients don’t look like they are for the same product.
Bottom line. Know the companies that you purchase products from. Make sure they are truly committed to producing safe and healthy products AND they operate with honesty and integrity. The mainstream companies starting to create organic lines to get a piece of the organic pie are NOT going to give you the quality of product that the truly committed companies will.
I’ve been chastised by some for being too strict about the way I check ingredients and evaluate products. However, not only does this experience confirm my committment to the best, safest and healthiest natural skin care products and ingredients, I may just tighten the reigns a bit more here.
Zuzu Luxe, you are OUT!
Yours in health,
Christine H. Farlow, D.C.
The Ingredients Investigator
Protecting you from harmful ingredients www.dyingtolookgood.com
From what I could find, MAC does not claim to be a natural skin care line. They do claim to be cruelty free. However, since I received a call asking me about the ingredients in the MAC Cosmetics, I will review one product here and provide the link to the ingredients for the rest of their products.
Finding the ingredients for this product line was not easy. Below I have listed the ingredients for one of their skin care items. The ingredients in red are the objectionable ingredients and the reason why I do not recommend MAC Cosmetics.
What you put on your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream. So you want to make sure that your skin care products are truly natural, preferably organic. The skin care products you use should feed and and nourish your skin with the same kind of healthy ingredients you would find in your kitchen. The best natural skin care products are made from food-grade organic ingredients and are certified by the USDA National Organic Program.
Earth Day is a great time to remind ourselves that we need to take of our earth if we want it to be inhabitable for future generations. What are you doing to help protect Mother Earth? Here are five things you can do to make a difference.
Use baking soda and vinegar for household cleaning or choose products that are made from safe, non-toxic ingredients and are biodegradable. Don’t fall for the “green” ads by companies promoting environmentally friendly packaging for their chemical-rich toxic products.
Read ingredient labels on all the food, personal care and household products you purchase for your family and your home. Not all products that say natural or organic on the label really meet true natural and organic standards.
Reuse or recycle your containers and packaging. Don’t throw away materials that can be put to another use. Take your own reusable bags when you shop.
When we each do our part, it will make a huge difference for the environment and the world our children, our children’s children and all future generations to come will live in.
Are your hands or feet dry? Does it seem that no matter how often you put on lotions or creams, they’re still dry?
Here are some natural skin care products that really work to help you eliminate stubborn dryness.
Rejuvenessence Facial Serum – Even though this organic, natural skin care product is intended for your facial area, it works really great on other parts of your body. I use it on the backs of my hands when they get that dry look that just won’t go away, even after using lotion.
Place just a drop or two on the back of your hands. Rub the backs of your hands together. Wait a minute or two and the oils are completely absorbed into your skin. Your skin looks and feels soft and smooth, without feeling greasy. Use at night before retiring.
Use your favorite lotion, or try one of these certified organic natural skin care products during the day:
If using Rejuvenessence once a day isn’t enough. Use it again in the morning. Once or twice a day will make a huge difference.
Sensatia Botanicals Anti-Wrinkle Therapy – like Rejuvenessence, this organic natural skin care product is intended for the face area, but I have found that it works wonders on dry hands as well. Use it the same as you would use the Rejuvenessence on your hands. The difference with the Sensatia products is that they come in four different varieties to suit your skin’s age, from 20+ to 50+.
If you don’t have a favorite cream or lotion for daytime use, try one of Sensatia Botanicals creams or butters:
Get a 5% discount on any of these Sensatia Botanicals natural skin care therapies when youuse thepromotion code: DYTLGin your shopping cart before you complete your check out.
Two more natural skin care tips for dry hands and feet coming next time…
It’s vitally important to use the purest organic and natural skin care products on your babies and children because they are more susceptible to harm from dangerous ingredients in their skin care products than adults.
“Through its review of 23 peer-reviewed studies of cancer incidence from the past 50 years, EPA has determined that infants up to age two are, on average, ten times more vulnerable to carcinogenic chemicals than adults, and for some cancer-causing agents are up to 65 times more vulnerable. The Agency also found that children from age two to 15 are three times more vulnerable to carcinogens than adults.”
In addition, “…the new risk assessment methods show that children accumulate up to 50 percent of their lifetime cancer risk by their second birthday.” Source: Environmental Working Group.
With the increasing incidence of childhood cancers, it’s very wise to make sure you’re doing everything possible to protect your young ones from unnecessary exposure to cancer-causing chemicals.
This month Miessence is making your shopping for the best certified organic and natural skin care for your babies and children easy. Just purchase one Mother and Baby Range Pack, you will get one complete pack FREE. A Pack includes one of each baby product Miessence offers.
To make sure you get your FREE pack, remember to enter the special babypromo code when you check out.
You can find descriptions for each of the products here.
Can you feel secure about the safety of the ingredients in the natural skin care products you buy from companies that sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics?
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is a good idea. It creates an awareness of the lack of regulation of cosmetic, personal care and skin care products in the U.S. However, it’s not perfect. Companies may sign the “Compact” and still produce organic and natural skin care products that contain harmful ingredients.
For example, if you take a look at the list of companies named in the lawsuit by Dr. Bronners and the Organic Consumer’s Association for the presence of the carcinogenic contaminant, 1,4-dioxane, you’ll find that six of the eight companies have actually signed the “Compact for Safe Cosmetics.” They are:
* Avalon Organics
* Jason Pure, Natural & Organic
* Nature’s Gate Organics
* Kiss My Face Obsessively Organic
* Giovanni Organic Cosmetics
* Head Organics
Some notable companies proclaiming to produce natural skin care products that are missing from the list of signers include:
Most of these companies do manufacture their products with ingredients that are better left out of products we feed our skin, in spite of the fact that they claim to be natural, organic and healthy. Pink Body makes it so difficult to find a list of their ingredients that I can only assume that they are hiding something. I’ll check them out the next time I go to the mall.
Now, not signing the Compact for Safe Cosmetics does not absolutely mean that the products are unsafe. In many cases, it is an indication that some companies are not willing to go the mile to produce healthy skin care products, even though they proclaim that they do so, but that is not always the case.
So, the bottom line, as always, is to read the ingredients list for every natural skin care product you buy, every time you buy.
Christine H. Farlow, D.C.
The Ingredients Investigator
Protecting You From Harmful Ingredients…
www.dyingtolookgood.com
www.dyingtolookgoodbook.com
Just because an herbal skin care product claims to be natural doesn’t mean it is. It may contain a few herbs along with synthetic ingredients, contaminants that cause cancer or chemicals that cause some type of harmful effects.
Not all plant derived skin care ingredients are natural. If the label says an ingredient was derived from coconut, it may or may not be natural, depending on the extent and type of processing. Many plant-derived ingredients are so heavily processed they don’t come close to resembling the plant from which they were derived.
A manufacturer of skin care products may claim that their products are natural or organic, but that doesn’t mean it’s true. The cosmetic, skin care and personal care products industry is highly unregulated. There’s a lot of misinformation presented by the companies in this industry. You can’t believe the advertising or the product labels. The truth is in the ingredients list.
If you don’t want to read the ingredients list on all the natural and organic skin care products you buy, make sure that you choose skin care products that were certified organic by the USDA National Organic Program. Other organic certifying organizations allow ingredients that should not be in organic products.
The Natural Products Association (NPA) has a standard and a seal for certifying natural products. You will start to see products certified by the NPA on store shelves by Thanksgiving.
Under this program, skin care products are certified natural, not organic. This will give some definition to what it means to be natural for skin care products. Up until now, the term natural has not been legally defined for cosmetics, skin care or personal care products.
These new standards are definitely a step in the right direction and certain currently allowed synthetic ingredients will be eliminated in 2010 to improve the standards.
However, the current standards do allow hydrolyzed proteins, a source of hidden MSG and hydrogenated oils. Both of these types of ingredients I consider unacceptable in natural skin care products. Since a great deal of what you put on your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream, why would you use products on your skin with ingredients you would not eat?
One major drawback to the NPA standards is that in order to be certified, there is a hefty fee. Many small natural skin care companies that use the best natural skin care ingredients may find the cost prohibitive and may not be able to afford certification.
Many of these small companies’ products are actually superior to some of the certified products from the larger, mainstream companies that can afford to pay the price. This will mislead the consumer into thinking that the products certified by the NPA are superior to those of the small all natural skin care companies that actually do have superior products with higher quality ingredients.
Certified so far are seven Natural Lips products by Aubrey Organics, nine products by Burt’s Bees and two body cremes by JR Watkins Natural Apothecary.
The Steering Committee & Partners for this new standard are
Aubrey Organics
Badger Balm
Burt’s Bees
Trilogy Fragrances
Weleda
My advice, as always, is to read the ingredients list, even on products certified organic by any standard or certified natural by the new natural standards.
These new standards aren’t perfect as you can see with some of the undesirable ingredients allowed. Also, with Burt’s Bees at the helm and with many of their products containing fragrance, and the downgrading of some of their ingredients to include canola oil since their takeover by Clorox, it is just wise to make sure you know what’s in the products you use and make sure it meets with the level of safety/risk you’re comfortable with.
A good basic all natural and organic skin care program is important for everyone. But a simple, one-size-fits-all program isn’t always enough for each individual. Some people need a more personalized program than one that addresses even the different skin types.
A healthy all natural skin care program may include additional specific products targeted to address certain situations unique to your needs.
Here are a few natural skin care products for facial care that may help your skin become healthier and improve your appearance…
For photodamaged skin, if you’ve spent too much unprotected time in the sun, try Probiotic Skin Brightener. It’s a certified organic skin care product that will help restore the pH balance of your skin, break down impurities in the skin and lighten and brighten your complexion.
Does your skin look irritated and red?Soothing Couperose Gelis atoning and strengthening herbal natural skin care product for sensitive or reddened skin. It contains highly concentrated healing botanical extracts.
If you have acne, you’ve probably tried a lot of different products on the market. Many acne remedies contain a wide variety of chemical ingredients that are best avoided in skin care products. Purifying Blemish Gel is an effective certified organic all natural skin care product with a combination of healing, calming and soothing herbs specifically designed for problem skin.
When you feel stressed or your skin looks stressed and dehydrated, refresh with Rose Monsoon Hydrating Mist. It’s great if you work in an air conditioned office or when traveling on an airplane.
Next time we’ll take a look at some all natural and organic anti-aging skin care products.
