Don’t Buy Any Skin Care Products Until You Read These Facts
Did you know that cancer-causing chemicals have been found in the skin care products you use every day? In fact, they’ve even been found in those labeled as natural and organic! Cancer has been the second leading cause of death in the U.S. for many years … and it still is. Even children are getting cancer, and their rate is increasing. It’s time to find out how to protect yourself and your family.
Now, you may be wondering …
Are you kidding me? How is that possible? There are so many rules and regulations in this country, surely there are some laws to protect the consumer from cancer-causing ingredients in skin care products, especially those that claim to be natural and organic!
Well, the truth of the matter is there are NOT!
The cosmetics and skin care industry is unregulated. The FDA cannot tell them what chemicals they can use and which they cannot. The ingredients used, even in skin care products labeled as natural and organic aren’t even required to be tested for safety. In fact, a study on the safety of 7,500 personal care products, done by the Environmental Working Group in 2004 found that 99.6% of the products tested contained one or more ingredients that had never been tested for safety by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, the industry’s self proclaimed watchdog!
So, how do you find products that are safe and healthy?
Yours in health,
Christine H. Farlow, D.C.
The Ingredients Investigator
Protecting you from harmful ingredients
www.dyingtolookgood.com
www.dyingtolookgoodbestbrands.com
dr.cfarlow@dyingtolookgood.com
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:
Zuzu Luxe Mascara
Agua, Cellulose Gum, Sorbitol, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lecithin, Panthenol, Melia Azadirachta(Neem) Leaf Extract, Tocopherol Acetate, Euphrasia Officnalis (Eyebright) Extract, Iron Oxides, Hectorite, Titanium Dioxide, Potassium Sorbate.
Here’s the list of ingredients that were listed on the web as the complete ist of ingredients in the product:
Zuzu Luxe Mascara
Deionized Water, Carnuba Wax, Stearic Acid, Panthenol, Tocopherol Acetate, Iron Oxides, Ultramarines, Cellulose Gum, Grapeseed Extract.
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,
The Ingredients Investigator
Protecting you from harmful ingredients
www.dyingtolookgood.com
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,
The Ingredients Investigator
Protecting you from harmful ingredients
www.dyingtolookgood.com
dr.cfarlow@dyingtolookgood.com
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…
5 ways to wear your green this St. Paddy’s Day
Most people wear green clothes or drink green beer on St. Patrick’s Day. Real enthusiasts sometimes even dye their hair green. You don’t have to be Irish to celebrate this holiday. It’s typically a fun day that anyone can enjoy.
Here are some different ways to wear your green this year and to make a difference in the world…
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Wear your green on your skin. By this I mean use “green” skin care products. USDA certified organic natural skin care products are free of synthetic and petroleum-derived ingredients. Not only are they good for your body because you won’t be absorbing harmful and toxic chemicals into your bloodstream, they’re also good for the environment because you won’t be washing toxic ingredients down the drain.
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Eat “green.” Buy organic fresh whole foods. When you buy packaged foods, make sure the ingredients are healthy, whole food ingredients and do not contain toxic synthetic food additives, like artificial flavors and colors, cancer-causing preservatives, like nitrates, nitrites and BHA, trans fats, artificial sweeteners and MSG to name a few. Learn more about healthy eating here.
- Use “green” laundry products to wash your clothes. The chemicals in laundry detergents stay in your clothes and can irritate your skin. The fragrance in these products can contain cancer-causing chemicals and toxic solvents. The ingredients in fragrances are considered proprietary information and the manufacturer does not have to disclose them. Choose instead, unscented, ecologically friendly laundry products.
- Clean your home with “green” cleaning products. There are a number of companies offering household products that are biodegradable and eco-friendly with healthy ingredients. You can even make your own cleaning products with baking soda, salt and vinegar. You can find ads for little books using these ingredients for household cleaning in the newspaper junk ads. They have a lot of great tips and it makes cleaning very inexpensive. Here’s a site that has recipes using these ingredients and more to make your own “green” cleaning products.
- Recycle. Take your own bags to the grocery store. Get cloth bags that you can reuse over and over again. Reuse the paper bags you have until they can’t be used anymore, then recycle them. Recycle plastic bags. Recycle your glass, paper and cans. Then always think reduce, reuse, recycle.
Follow these tips not only on St. Paddy’s Day but all year round and you’ll wear your green every day. And you’ll be making a difference, not only in your health and the health of your family, but also the health of the planet and future generations to come.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Christine H. Farlow, D.C.
The Ingredients Investigator
Protecting You From Harmful Ingredients…
Update on cancer-causing ingredients found in organic skin care products
You may remember, in the news last year, about the organic skin care and body care products that were found to have the cancer-causing chemical 1,4-dioxane and the law suit brought against the companies that refused to change their ingredients.
A follow-up study was done and it showed improved results. However, it also tested some conventional products that were not tested in the original study and found the 1,4-dioxane contaminant present in some of these products.
See the results of the tests here.
What’s important to note is that there are now several different natural and organic standards for skin care and body care products, where in the not so distant past, there were essentially none. Not all of these standards are in agreement about what ingredients should be allowed in skin care products labeled as organic. Many of these standards were written to accommodate companies that were interested in having an organic label without going the distance to provide truly healthy products with only safe and healthy organic ingredients.
Watch a video about the organic products found with cancer-causing ingredients.
The only really safe way to be sure you’re getting truly organic skin care and personal care products is to make sure that the organic label is a true organic label. That would be the USDA Certified Organic label. Any other skin care product label that says certified organic may contain ingredients that are synthetic and derived from petroleum. If you buy a product that does not have the USDA Certified organic label, you must read every ingredient on the ingredients list.
Christine H. Farlow, D.C.
The Ingredients Investigator
Protecting You From Harmful Ingredients…
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:
* Origins
* Pink Body
* Arbonne
* Melaleuca
* Yves Rocher
* Aveeno
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
Five natural skin care tips for a healthier body and glowing complexion in 2009.
1. Truly healthy skin is an inside job. Looking good on the outside is almost an impossibility if you’re unhealthy on the inside. Make sure you’re eating fresh whole foods every day and limiting, preferably eliminating, the processed and junk foods. For help with healthy eating, sign up for the free healthy eating e-course on HealthyEatingAdvisor.com. If you follow it step-by-step, it’s guaranteed to get you eating healthfully, easily and effortlessly. Best of all, you get to choose the healthy foods you like to eat and go at your own pace.
2. Your skin is the largest organ of your body. Whatever you put on it is feeding your body. A great deal of the ingredients in the products you use on your skin end up in your bloodstream. Not all skin care products labeled as natural really are. Make sure the products you use on your skin contain only ingredients that you want in your body. In other words, if you wouldn’t eat it, don’t put it on your skin. You can get help determining which ingredients are healthy and which are not from Dying To Look Good. Carry it with you when you shop so you can be sure to choose only the healthiest products for you.
3. Cleanse, tone and moisturize twice daily. Depending on your skin type, you should exfoliate and use a mineral mask one or more times a week. For detailed instructions for your skin type, refer to previous posts on this blog #16-19.
4. Preferably use certified organic skin care products. They have the cleanest, safest and healthiest natural ingredients. Skin care products that are certified organic according to the USDA National Organic Program will be the cleanest and healthiest. If organic is unavailable, choose those that meet the Natural Products Association Standard and Certification for Personal Care Products. Natural skin care products that are not organic, even if they meet the Natural Products Association Standard, may be contaminated with pesticide residue.
5. Make sure you exercise at least four or five times a week, get plenty of rest, reduce stress, keep a positive attitude and have fun. Remember to smile at everyone you meet or pass on the street, especially those who look the least deserving. It might make someone’s day. And it’s good for your health too!
Follow these suggestions and you’ll be on your way to a healthier body with healthier skin and an overall healthier 2009.
Christine H. Farlow, D.C.
The Ingredients Investigator
Protecting You From Harmful Ingredients…
www.dyingtolookgood.com
www.dyingtolookgoodbook.com
Tips to help you choose the best natural skin care products
Always read all the ingredients on the label of every natural skin care product before you buy.
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 bottom line: Read the ingredients list and make sure all the ingredients in every natural skin care product you buy are healthy. Or buy only USDA certified organic skin care products.
Christine H. Farlow, D.C.
The Ingredients Investigator
Protecting You From Harmful Ingredients…
Why your baby really needs REAL natural and organic skin care
In post # 10, I mentioned a number of the harmful ingredients you need to watch out for when shopping for natural skin care for babies. This included the various chemicals like the PEG’s, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene, oxynol and anything ending in “-eth” like ceteareth, myreth, laureth and oleth, which may contain the cancer-causing contaminant 1,4-dioxane. These ingredients are in many baby skin care products, including those that are said to be natural.
What you also need to know is that infants and children 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.
To be sure that you’re using the safest and healthiest products on your child, the best all natural skin care choices you can make are those skin care and body care products that are certified organic by the USDA National Organic Program… and read the ingredients on every product before you buy.
Christine H. Farlow, D.C.
The Ingredients Investigator
Protecting You From Harmful Ingredients…
