What you put on your body is just as important as what you put in your body.
Think about how many different products you put on your skin throughout the day.
You clean your skin with soap or shower gel; wash your face with face wash; suds your scalp with shampoo and conditioner; use shaving cream and aftershave; apply lotion, deodorant, perfume or cologne, sunscreen.
If you’re a woman, you can add makeup into the mix.
So let me ask you, do you even consider what exactly is inside each of these products?
If not, I don’t blame you… most people don’t.
But your skin is the body’s largest organ and what you put on our skin does end up in the body via the bloodstream.
And many of the synthetic chemicals and additives in common household products can have serious consequences on your health.
The FDA does not investigate or test for the safety of personal care products before consumers buy them. Instead, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR), an industry-appointed and funded panel, reviews the safety of cosmetic ingredients.
According to Environmental Working Grop (EWG), there are approximately 10,500 ingredients used in cosmetics in our country, and in its 30-year history, the CIR has screened only 11 percent of those ingredients. This means nearly 90 percent of cosmetics ingredients are un-reviewed and un-tested for safety.
The cosmetic industry argues that it’s okay to put these toxic ingredients into products because only small amounts are used in each product, and therefore aren’t harmful.
But the average person uses ten or more products daily that make contact with their Overtime these toxic chemicals add up and can lead to grave health problems.
1. Aluminum – One of the most used products in the world, just about everyone uses deodorant. Unfortunately, most big brand deodorants use aluminum as a to tighten the arm pit skin in order to block the body’s ability to sweat. The arm pit is a major location for the lymphatic system and is one of the most efficient skin absorbent spots on the body.
There’s much debate about the level of concern that should be given to aluminum content in deodorant, but it certainly has no benefits to the body and has been linked to breast cancer, kidney problems, bone disorders and directly link as a neurotoxin, increasing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Aluminum free deodorants that use essential oils are simply a no brainer to use as most deodorants contains a slew of other harmful chemicals.
2. Diethanolamine (DEA) – DEA, easily absorbed into the skin and body, is a chemical used as a foaming and emulsifying agent to help thicken shampoo, body wash and facial cleansers.
DEA is a hormone-disrupting chemical and may form cancer-causing agents. DEA has been linked to miscarriages and inhibiting fetal brain development. They are easily absorbed by the skin and research indicates a strong link to liver and kidney cancer. There is also evidence that carcinogens form when Cocamide DEA is applied to the skin and in reaction with other ingredients.
What to look for on the label: Triethanolamine, diethanolamine, DEA, TEA, cocamide DEA, cocamide MEA, DEA-cetyl phosphate, DEA oleth-3 phosphate, lauramide DEA, linoleamide MEA, myristamide DEA, oleamide DEA, stearamide MEA, TEA-lauryl sulfate [2]
3. Parabens – Parabens are preservatives used in a wide variety of personal care products and foods to prevent the growth of microbes, meaning they increase the shelf life of a products.
Parabens are endocrine-disrupting chemicals which means they directly interrupt how your body regulates your metabolism, growth and development, tissue function, sexual function, reproduction, sleep, and mood.
What to look for on the label: Ethylparaben, butylparaben, methylparaben, propylparaben, isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben, other ingredients ending in –paraben.
4. Formaldehyde – The same chemical that is infamously known to cause a laundry list of diseases in old houses is hiding in your most common skincare products like nail polish, nail glue, eyelash glue, hair gel, hair-smoothing products, shampoo, and baby products.
Banned in Japan in Sweden, and banned in personal care products in all of the EU, formaldehyde is also used to preserve products and extend their shelf life.
Formaldehyde, which is easily absorbed both through the skin and inhaled through the air, is considered a known human carcinogen by many expert and government bodies, including the United States National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
These are just four of the most common harmful ingredients hiding in your skincare products. Most skincare products contain 30+ chemicals that absorb into your body every single day, but since there is no visible danger most people ignore the dangers these ingredients pose.
Other common skincare ingredients that have direct health dangers you should avoid include 1,4-dioxane, benzophenone, butylated compounds, coal tar, some fragrance, homosalate, hydroquinone, lead and other heavy medals, MICA, nitrosamines, octinoxate, phenoxyethanol, phthalates, polyacrylamide, and others.
Most people would never put these chemicals in our bodies if they were served to us on a dinner plate and we should never put them in our bodies via our skin.
Exploring all-natural, food-based alternatives is the best course of action you can take.
Not only will these ingredients replace the harmful ones you may already be using, they will be infinitely more beneficial to the skin and body.
Let us know your own skincare routine by leaving a comment in the comment section below.
Ouro Vitae, A First Finisher LLC Company, 900 Commonwealth Place PMB 2135 Virginia Beach, VA 23464
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
©2022 Ouro Vitae. All rights reserved.
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