• All Natural and Organic Skin Care Products #58

    13May
    Categories: Natural Skin Care, Natural Skin Care Ingredients Comments: 0

    Product Review - MAC Cosmetics

    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.

    Green Gel Cleanser:
    Water (Aqua Purificata) Purified, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, TEA-Lauryl Sulfate, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Cocamide MEA, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Extract, Laminaria Saccharina Extract, PPG-5-Ceteth-20, Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5), Pantethine, Butylene Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Benzophenone-4, Octyl Salicylate, Sodium Chloride, Octyl Methoxycinnamate, Fragrance (Parfum), Sodium Citrate, Trisodium HEDTA, BHT, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Blue 1, Yellow 5

    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.

    Yours in health,

    Christine H. Farlow, D.C.
    The Ingredients Investigator
    Protecting you from harmful ingredients
    www.dyingtolookgood.com
    dr.cfarlow@dyingtolookgood.com

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  • Product Review - Decleor

    06May
    Categories: Natural Skin Care, Natural Skin Care Ingredients Comments: 0

    A recent review of the Decleor Product line called it “Solution-Based Holistic and Natural Skincare.”

    Decleor is described as a natural skin care product line that “combines Aromatherapy to purify the skin, and Phytotherapy to protect it from environmental damage” resulting in “high-quality products that support the skin and delight the senses.”

    Looking at the ingredients in a couple of these supposedly natural products in this new skin care line quickly demonstrated that their definition of holistic and natural skin care was NOT natural and holistic at all.

    Take for example the ingredients in the Decleor Cleansing Gel:

    Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Water, Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids, Acrylates Copolymer, Triethanolamine, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Fragrance (Parfum), Propylene Glycol, Tetrasodium Edta, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Propylparaben, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone

    The ingredients listed in red should never be found in a truly natural product. The best natural skin care product lines will contain truly natural ingredients. The ultimate best natural skin care brands that are those that are also certified organic.

    Don’t be fooled by misinformation about the healthfulness of organic and natural skin care products. It is abundant. Protect yourself by learning the simple basics of reading product labels.

    Yours in health,

    Christine H. Farlow, D.C.
    The Ingredients Investigator
    Protecting you from harmful ingredients
    www.dyingtolookgood.com

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  • All Natural and Organic Skin Care Products #56

    21Apr
    Categories: Natural Skin Care, Natural Skin Care Ingredients Comments: 0

    5 Natural Skin Care Tips for Earth Day

     

    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.

     

     

    Christine H. Farlow, D.C.

    The Ingredients Investigator

    Protecting You From Harmful Ingredients…

    www.dyingtolookgood.com

    www.dyingtolookgoodbook.com


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  • All Natural and Organic Skin Care Products #55

    17Apr
    Categories: Natural Skin Care Comments: 0

    More natural skin care tips for dry hands and feet

     

    Coconut Oil - Pure, certified organic, unrefined, non-hydrogenated, unbleached, unfermented, undeodorized coconut oil is one of the healthiest oils to use, both internally and for natural skin care. It’s anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal.

     

    Coconut oil does not have to be refrigerated. In fact, it’s a solid at room temperature and will start to melt around 76 degrees F.

     

    To apply it to your hands, feet or other parts of your body, just scrape a small amount with a butter knife or spoon and let it melt in your hands, then rub it in where you want it. I find it leaves a little oily feel on my hands, so I generally use it on clean feet, morning and night and then put socks on.

     

    Since the health of your skin is affected not only by what you put on your skin, but also what you put into your body, I also recommend using one to three tablespoons a day internally. You can melt it and use on your salad with a little lime juice or raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar and Celtic Sea Salt. It’s also the best oil to cook with and makes great stir-fry veggies. Some people just eat it by the tablespoon too!

     

    Besides being good for your skin, unrefined coconut oil is good for your heart, helps improve thyroid function, revs up your metabolism, increases your energy and helps you to lose weight. Yes, it is a fat, and yes it does help you to lose weight.

     

    Yours in health, 

     

    Christine H. Farlow, D.C.

    The Ingredients Investigator

    Protecting You From Harmful Ingredients…

    www.dyingtolookgood.com

    www.dyingtolookgoodbook.com


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  • All Natural and Organic Skin Care Products #54

    15Apr
    Categories: Natural Skin Care Comments: 0

    Natural skin care tips for dry hands and feet

     

    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 you use the promotion code: DYTLG in your shopping cart before you complete your check out.

     

    Two more natural skin care tips for dry hands and feet coming next time…

     

    Yours in health, 

     

    Christine H. Farlow, D.C.

    The Ingredients Investigator

    Protecting You From Harmful Ingredients…

    www.dyingtolookgood.com

    www.dyingtolookgoodbook.com

     


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  • All Natural and Organic Skin Care Products #52

    06Apr
    Categories: Natural Skin Care, Natural Skin Care Ingredients Comments: 0

     

    Product Review – Victoria’s Secret Pink Body Natural, Organic Skin and Body Care Products

     

    If you recall in post #46, I commented on the challenging time I was having obtaining the ingredients for Victoria’s Secret new Pink Body line of natural and organic skin and body care products. Well, I finally made it to the mall so I could actually read the ingredients list on the product labels. What I found is that the ingredients were not listed on the back of the product. They were on a tiny stick-on label attached to the bottom of the product in a print so tiny it was almost unreadable.

     

    I did manage to write the ingredients for three products while the sales clerk kept walking by and asking me if I needed help.

     

    These products are advertised as green, natural, organic and 100% vegan.

     

    The ingredients lists are very long, so I’ll just list the ingredients for one product here. The most objectionable ingredients are in red with a number after them. The numbers at the bottom of the post explain why these ingredients are undesirable in natural and organic skin and body care products.

     

    Soothing Body Lotion

    Ingredients:

    Water

    Octyldodecanol Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides

    Glycerin

    Cetearyl Alcohol

    Dimethicone (1)

    Cetyl Alcohol

    Glyceryl Stearate Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil

    Zen Mays (Corn) Starch (5)

    Jojoba Esters

    PEG-100 Stearate (1,2)

    Glyceryl Oleate Citrate

    Fragrance (Parfum) (3,4)

    Phenoxyethanol

    Caprylyl Glycol

    Ethylhexylglycerin (1)

    Olea Europea (Olive) Fruit Oil

    Allantoin

    Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer (1)

    Isohexadecane

    Bisabol

    Disodium EDTA (1)

    Soymilk (5)

    Xanthan Gum

    Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

    Tocopheryl Acetate

    Polysorbate 60 (2)

    Alcohol Denat.

    Avena Sativa (Oat) Meal Extract

    Benzyl Benzoate

    Limonene

    Hexyl Cinnamal (4)

     

    1. Prohibited by the Natural Standard.

    2. Possible source of cancer-causing contaminant 1,4-dioxane.

    3. Manufacturers not required to disclose ingredients; potential source of hazardous chemicals.

    4. Irritant, allergen, possible immunotoxin, neurotoxin.

    5. Non-organic corn, soy, canola, cotton ingredients may be genetically engineered.

     

    While this product contains some natural ingredients, it contains many ingredients that are prohibited under the Natural Products Association Natural Standard for Personal Care Products. In addition, it is advertised as natural and organic. However, none of the ingredients were identified as organic on the ingredients list.

     

    This product is a good example of why you should learn to read and understand ingredients labels and know how to confidently choose truly organic, natural, safe and healthy skin and body care products for your family.

     

    Yours in health,

     

    Christine H. Farlow, D.C.

    The Ingredients Investigator

    Protecting You From Harmful Ingredients…

    www.dyingtolookgood.com

    www.dyingtolookgoodbook.com


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  • All Natural and Organic Skin Care Products #51

    03Apr
    Categories: Natural Skin Care Ingredients Comments: 0

    Do you know how to tell if your natural skin care products contain genetically engineered (GE) ingredients?

     Technically, the question should be if they “potentially” contain GE ingredients. The reason is that in the U.S. GE ingredients are not required to be identified on the label of organic, natural or any skin care products. In fact, they’re not required to be identified on any label of any product, whether skin care, body care, cosmetics or food.

     

    But there are ways to identify ingredients that may be potentially genetically engineered.

     

    The most common GE crops grown are soy, cotton, canola, corn and Hawaiian papaya. If the products you use contain any ingredients that are derived from these items, they can possibly be genetically engineered.

     

    Ingredients like soy oil, soybean oil, canola oil, corn oil, corn starch are just a few of the ingredients that you might find in a natural skin care product that could be derived from GE crops. However, not all ingredients from these crops are GE.

     

    So how can you tell the difference?

     

    Besides calling the manufacturer, the only real way to be sure that the ingredients in your natural and organic skin and body care products are NOT GE is to make certain that those ingredients are organic. The best organic and natural skin care products are those certified by the USDA Organic Program.

     

    Yours in health,

     

    Christine H. Farlow, D.C.

    The Ingredients Investigator

    Protecting You From Harmful Ingredients…

    www.dyingtolookgood.com

    www.dyingtolookgoodbook.com 

     


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  • All Natural and Organic Skin Care Products #41

    04Feb
    Categories: Natural Skin Care Ingredients Comments: 0

    Four new natural skin care ingredients

     

    Here are some new ingredients you may be seeing in natural skin care products.

     

    GATULINE® SKIN-REPAIR BIO is a new “active ingredient” that stimulates skin regeneration and repair. Made by “hydro-alcoholic extraction of the cotton thistle,” it is certified organic by Ecocert and approved for use in The US, Australia, Japan and Europe. (INCI: Alcohol andWater and Onopordum Flower/Leaf/Stem extract) 

     

     Saberry™ is a standardized natural extract of fresh Indian gooseberries. Processed with a “solvent free technology that preserves the natural goodness of the fruits,” it is rich in antioxidants.

     

    TEGO® Cosmo LSG (Scleroglucan) is a “water-soluble, natural beta-glucan  biopolymer” produced by fermentation. It is used in products intended to protect the skin; is biodegradable and said to be non-toxic.  However, since it is a product of fermentation, it is a possible hidden source of MSG.

     

    TEGO® Cosmo PGA is a polypeptide of the amino-acid L-glutamic acid produced by biotechnology, i.e. it’s genetically engineered. It’s also a potential source of hidden MSG (L-glutamic acid). It is said to be derived from the same micro-organism as natto and to be edible, non-toxic and biodegradable. However because it is genetically engineered and a potential source of MSG, I do not recommend it.

     

    As always, to make sure you’re using healthy natural skin care product lines read the list of ingredients on the back of the label. You can find more information on safe and healthy natural skin care ingredients in the book, Dying To Look Good.

     

    Christine H. Farlow, D.C.

    The Ingredients Investigator

    Protecting You From Harmful Ingredients…

    www.dyingtolookgood.com

    www.dyingtolookgoodbook.com


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  • All Natural and Organic Skin Care Products #39

    16Jan
    Categories: Natural Skin Care, Natural Skin Care Ingredients Comments: 0

    New “green” natural skin care product line for baby

    Green Elly is a new natural skin care product line developed for babies. The story goes that this all natural skin care product line for babies was started by Elly’s mom in an effort to use only green and healthy ingredients, that were good for the baby and good for the environment.

    The press release states “Eco-conscious mom turns entrepreneur and launches a full line of natural skin care for infants and children after learning of developmental, reproductive, austism and cancer issues in skin care studies released.”

    I checked the Cuddle Me Clean Foaming Wash and the Cuddle Me Clean Gel Wash. After seeing the ingredients in these two so-called natural skin care products, I didn’t bother checking the rest of the products.

    Here are some of the ingredients in these supposed natural skin care baby products that I find objectionable and the reasons why:

    • sodium metabisulfite - irritant to the skin, eyes and lungs, skin sensitizer, mutagen, toxic to the brain and nervous system, associated with adverse reproductive effects
    • hydrolyzed silk - source of hidden MSG
    • hydrolyzed wheat protein - source of hidden MSG
    • sodium hydroxymethylglycinate - releases formaldehyde, known to cause cancer
    • trisodium ethylenediamine disuccinate - skin irritant, endocrine disruptor, toxic to the brain and nervous system
    • cocamidopropyl hydroxysultane - may be contaminated with carcinogenic nitrosamines, safety has not been adequately investigated.
    • cocamidopropyl betaine - may be contaminated with carcinogenic nitrosamines, may cause allergic reactions
    • PEG-75 meadowfoam seed oil - may be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane
    • diazolidinyl urea - releases formaldehyde, known to cause cancer
    • iodopropynyl butylcarbamate - toxic to humans, may be toxic to the liver or gastrointestinal tract, toxic to the immune system

    Your baby needs to be cleansed and cared for with truly healthy products containing only safe and natural ingredients. The best all natural skin care for your baby’s sensitive skin is 100% certified organic skin care.

    Christine H. Farlow, D.C.

    The Ingredients Investigator

    Protecting You From Harmful Ingredients…

    www.dyingtolookgood.com

    www.dyingtolookgoodbook.com


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  • All Natural and Organic Skin Care Products #26

    19Nov
    Categories: Natural Skin Care, Natural Skin Care Ingredients Comments: 0

    Organic or natural skin care – which is better?

     

    If a skin care product states that it is natural on the label, it may contain natural ingredients. However, the quantity and the quality of the natural ingredients are unknown. It may also have other synthetic ingredients that can be harmful, cause cancer or be tainted with cancer-causing contaminants.

     

    If the skin care product is certified natural by the Natural Products Association (NPA), it is required to be comprised of “at least 95% all natural ingredients.” The NPA defines natural as “Ingredients that come or are made from a renewable resource found in nature (Flora, Fauna, Mineral), with absolutely no petroleum compounds.”

     

    The NPA Standard for natural skin care products allows some synthetic ingredients only when “there is not a readily available natural alternative ingredient” and “there are no suspected human health risks as indicated by peer-reviewed third-party scientific literature.”

     

    The natural skin care ingredients as defined by the NPA may have been grown with synthetic fertilizers and sprayed with chemical pesticides and herbicides. In this case, there may be unknown harmful chemicals and contaminants in the product which are not listed on the label.

     

    Skin care products that claim to be natural and organic, without any certification, are similar to products that claim to be natural without certification. These products will contain some organic ingredients, but the same questions that lurk for the uncertified natural products still remain for uncertified natural and organic products. Although some of these companies may have top quality products with impeccably pure ingredients, many do not. 

     

    So, what is the best natural skin care? It is a skin care product that is USDA certified organic to food standards.

     

    The problems with the OASIS and EcoCert Organic certifications have been previously discussed in this blog.

     

    Christine H. Farlow, D.C.

    The Ingredients Investigator

    Protecting You From Harmful Ingredients…

    www.dyingtolookgood.com

    www.dyingtolookgoodbook.com

     


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