Why buy ethical cosmetics

Skin is your biggest organ

 Think about your every day routine. You wake up in the morning, wash your face, have a shower. You brush your teeth, maybe shave or put on some moisturizer or some makeup. Think of all the cosmetics you used this morning and what they do to your body. You want to be clean and fresh, but also healthy. We use cosmetics every day, again and again, and many of those contain toxic ingredients that are still allowed.

What's that on your face?

 Skin absorbs what you put on it and takes it into your body.

 Cosmetics often contain toxic harmful substances such as perfume, colorants, brighteners, fillers or formaldehyde. So you really want some good stuff on you. Beware of companies and products that say "natural ingredients", without any specifics. Some companies knowingly deceive their customers by including a few token natural ingredients within their chemical soups. Even top-selling brands in the natural products sector have been found to contain 1,4-dioxane, a synthetic chemical carcinogen. 

Men are in this mess too

 Men on average use about half the number of products that women do on a daily basis, but that doesn't mean they're in the clear. The same fragrance chemicals in her products are also found in his aftershave, cologne and shaving cream. Some ingredients damage sperm count. Formaldehyde used as a preservative in shampoos and body washes may cause cancer and trigger skin allergies, according to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

The incredibly ugly side of the beauty industry

 You might be surprised to know what your every day routine implies in terms of health risks. Here are some astonishing examples.

Mercury (often listed as thimerosal on ingredient labels), found in some eye drops, skin creams and deodorants.

Fragrance (Parfum) is contained in so many products, even some marked as "unscented" in order to mask strong chemical smell and can set off headaches, wheezing and asthma.  Some are linked to cancer and neurotoxicity.

Retinyl palmitate and parabens are used as preservatives in a lot of products and can mimic estrogen and interfere with the endocrine system and may interfere with male reproductive functions

Lead - some brands of lipstick still contain lead, which can be ingested and accumulate in the body, potentially causing learning and behavioral disorders.

Formaldehyde (look for DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, methenamine and quarternium-15) is used as preservative in a variety of every day products including shampoos and body wahses and causes cancer and allergies.

BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene)  is used in moisturizers and makeup as preservatives. They are suspected endocrine disruptors and may cause cancer (BHA). They are also harmful to fish and other wildlife.

Coal tar dyes: p-phenylenediamine and colours listed as "CI" followed by a five digit number are natural and inorganic pigments used in cosmetics. They are potential cancerogens and contaminated with harmful heavy metals toxic to the brain. 

DEA (diethanolamine) and DEA compounds are used to make cosmetics creamy or sudsy. DEA also acts as a pH adjuster, counteracting the acidity of other ingredients. DEA is mainly found in moisturizers and sunscreens, while cocamide and lauramide DEA are found in soaps, cleansers, and shampoos. They can react to form nitrosamines, which may cause cancer. Harmful to fish and other wildlife.

Dibutyl phthalate is used as a plasticizer in some nail care products. Suspected endocrine disrupter and reproductive toxicant. 

PEGs (polyethylene glycols) are petroleum-based compounds widely used as cosmetic cream bases and can cause cancer.

Petrolatum is used in some hair products for shine and as a moisture barrier in some lip balms, lip sticks and moisturizers.  

Siloxanes - look for ingredients ending in "-siloxane" or "-methicone." Used in a variety of cosmetics to soften, smooth and moisten. Suspected endocrine disrupter and reproductive toxicant. 

Sodium laureth sulfate is used in foaming cosmetics, such as shampoos, cleansers and bubble bath. Can be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, which may cause cancer.

Triclosan is used in antibacterial cosmetics, such as toothpastes, cleansers and antiperspirants. Suspected endocrine disrupter and may contribute to antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

Don’t let the ocean go down the drain!

Chemicals contained in cosmetics also harm marine life and all ecosystems. This in turn affects us humans!

You can change the face of cosmetics

 The European Union is phasing out the use of chemicals that are suspected human carcinogens, reproductive toxins, or mutagens in personal care products. You can help this change by choosing better products. Choose certified products. Check out the companies that our users hugged or hug a company that you know! 

 References

http://safecosmetics.org/section.php?id=33

http://www.bloomberg.com/slideshow/2011-12-01/what-s-on-your-face-ten-most-toxic-cosmetics.html

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/toxics/dirty-dozen-cosmetic-chemicals/

http://www.natural-skincare-authority.com/cosmetic-chemicals.html

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/

http://static.ewg.org/pdf/EWG_cosmeticsguide_2011.pdf