Are You Ready For The FACTS’ ?
Women and beauty products – it’s a love affair that’s been going on for centuries.
And no wonder.
There’s nothing like a new lipstick or favourite perfume to make us look and feel good.
Or so we thought…
In fact, according to a new report, most of our favourite cosmetics are cocktails of industrially produced and potentially dangerous chemicals that could damage our health and, in some cases, rather than delivering on their potent ‘anti-ageing’ promise, are causing us to age faster.
Research that was carried out by Bionsen, a natural deodorant company, in this report it was stated that the average woman’s daily grooming and make-up routine means, and this is extreme to think, she ‘hosts’ a staggering 515 different synthetic chemicals on her body every single day. Now when you consider that that millions of us, myself included, have just recently opened our eyes to realising that we have slowly been poisoning ourselves daily, Concerns about all these chemicals in cosmetics and creams is not new – to the manufacturer.
This has been rumbling along for years.
Our skin, the largest eliminatory organ in the body and our first line of immunity, is permeable to all chemicals. Although many still and will argue the point ! Medical research shows that significant amounts of cosmetic ingredients, including carcinogenic substances, penetrate the skin and end up in the blood stream. Many chemicals in cosmetics don’t cause obvious signs of toxicity on the skin but slowly poison us thorough repeated use.
What seriously concerns me, is that over the past twenty years, we have now become used to reading ingredients labels when shopping for food, so we are more aware than ever before- and some supermarkets and manufacturers have made huge strides in cutting out unacceptable ingredients (such as hydrogenated fats and artificial sweeteners, etc.) HOWEVER the wine industry and i do like a glass or two i have to say ! does not list the chemicals that they add to wine – on the grounds that there is not enough room on the labels!!!!! tsk , tsk, tsk…!This is scandalous. It seems to me that our first concerns should be for the products that WE INGEST! for many years, and that is one hell of a scary thought…
Many of those chemicals, are also used in products such as household cleaners, and have been linked to a number of health problems from allergies and skin sensitivity to more serious hormonal disturbances, fertility problems and even cancer.
Parabens, for example, which are designed to preserve the shelf-life of your cosmetics, are one of the most widely used preservatives in the world, and are found in shampoos, hair gels, shaving gels and body lotions. But their use is becoming increasingly controversial – a range of different studies has linked them to serious health problems including breast cancer, as well as fertility issues in men.
Research from the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine suggests that some parabens we had previously presumed to be safe, such as Methylparaben, may mutate and become toxic when exposed to sunlight, causing premature skin ageing and an increased risk of skin cancer.
Methylparabens are found in more than 16,000 products, including moisturisers and toothpastes. Cosmetic producers have always defended their use of parabens on the grounds that they can’t be absorbed into the body.
But many leading researchers disagree, including Dr Barbara Olioso, an independent professional chemist, who says: ‘Research shows that between 20 and 60 per cent of parabens may be absorbed into the body.’
And a recent study By Rebecca Sutton, Ph.D., Called, Adolescent exposures to cosmetic chemicals of concern, stated some rather alarming and interesting findings…!
Laboratory tests reveal adolescent girls across America are contaminated with chemicals commonly used in cosmetics and body care products. Environmental Working Group (EWG) detected 16 chemicals from 4 chemical families – phthalates, triclosan, parabens, and musks – in blood and urine samples from 20 teen girls aged 14-19. Studies link these chemicals to potential health effects including cancer and hormone disruption.
It was also said that teens used more products daily than the average adult woman ! Teen study participants used an average of nearly 17 personal care products each day, while the average adult woman uses just 12 products daily. Thus, teens may unknowingly expose themselves to higher levels of cosmetic ingredients linked to potential health effects at a time when their bodies are more susceptible to chemical damage. So come on mums out there we need to educate our children too !!
There are a number of laws designed to protect us from dangerous chemicals in cosmetics, but researchers worry that they don’t go far enough. For example, cosmetic manufacturers are required to list their ingredients, but they don’t have to tell us about any impurities found in the raw materials or used in the manufacturing process, so long as they don’t end up in the finished product.
The industry insists that our cosmetics are safe. The Cosmetic Toiletries and Perfumery Association recently said: ‘Stringent laws require all cosmetics to be safe, and each product undergoes a rigorous safety assessment. The number of ingredients in a product, or whether it is natural or man-made, has no bearing on how safe it is.’
Well i for one don’t want to take that as gospel.
They also say that any chemicals are present in safe doses that can’t harm us. While that may be true, there is some disagreement over what constitutes a ‘safe’ level – for young people and children, or sensitive adults, these levels may not be so safe at all.
And even if the relatively small amounts in individual products don’t hurt us, there is growing concern over the number of products women use daily, and if you are a product junkie like me then you will know what the cumulative effect could be, of so many chemicals being used all over our bodies every day, for many years.
Women have never been more image-conscious and our beauty regimes have changed over the years, from a simple “wash & go” attitude, to daily fake-tan applications, regular manicures, false lashes and hair extensions.
‘Lots of the high-tech, new generation cosmetics and beauty “wonder” treatments have been found to contain more chemicals to achieve even better results, which, of course, means women apply more chemicals than ever before.’
We have now become more conscious of our bodies, and wanting to stay younger for longer. For many years the Pure, Safe, beneficial way was an expensive alternative, and not easy to find products that really work for us.
But guess what “NOT ANY MORE !”
If you want to protect yourself and your family, from chemical overload, switch to Natural/Botanical or Organic Products, and read the labels on your beauty and grooming products with care.
Come on over to the SAFE side…!
Steph Duford
EDM Arbonne International
myhealthhoney@gmail.com
