Eco-Beauty 101

My Grandfather used to tell the story of how he singlehandedly saved peanut butter from near-extinction. The story always ended: “So I told ‘em, you shave a rat’s back and put ANYTHING on it for long enough, it’s gonna get cancer!” with a triumphant upward thrust of his pointer finger. He convinced ‘em (no, we never asked who ‘em was) and peanut butter was saved from having to carry a Surgeon General’s Warning about its health risks. In the words of another late-great loveable curmudgeon, George Carlin, “it’s bad for ‘ya!”

Oddly enough, these two men came to mind as I set to researching an article about natural beauty products. As it turns out, there’s some veryveryvery bad stuff for you in cosmetics and personal care items. “But surely,” you exclaim, “if it’s that bad for you, it wouldn’t be carried on store shelves!” Au contraire, my friend, there are scant few regulations for cosmetics – the USDA is not all up in your makeup bag. “So I buy natural,” you cleverly rebut; that’s good, but not good enough. Because, much like the synthetic stuff, there are even fewer regulations placed upon claims made by products purporting some kind of nebulous goodness by being “natural”. “Whaaaa?” You ask in disbelief, “manufacturers deliberately mislead to sell products?”

So, if it’s all bad for ‘ya, and it’s all gonna give you cancer, what is a gal (or guy) to do? From the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (www.safecosmetics.org), here’s a quick primer on the stuff you really don’t want on your person and why:

• Parabens: Used as a blanket reference for several chemicals with a similar molecular structure, Parabens are used to prevent the growth of microbes in cosmetics. Parabens have been linked to cancer, endocrine disruption, reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity and neurotoxicity.
• Phthalates: Used to mask scent and color, Phthalates were found in nearly 75% of personal care products tested by the CSC. Research suggests that Phthalates are responsible for disrupting hormonal systems – this is especially concerning for pregnant or TTC women.
• * Lead: Found in various personal care products, (lipstick, whitening toothpaste, nail polishes, and many others) Lead is a proven neurotoxin and has also been linked to reduced fertility and miscarriage. Lead and other heavy metals have been found in both synthetic and “natural” products because several ingredients derived from plant sources can contain lead and mercury.
• 1,4-dioxane: 1,4-dioxane readily penetrates the skin and is considered a probable human carcinogen by the EPA. 1,4-dioxane is a contaminant produced during manufacturing (often a co contaminant with Sodium Laurel Sulfate) and therefore not listed on most ingredients, however it is commonly found in products producing suds.
• Hydroquinone: A carcinogen, immunotoxicant, developmental and reproductive toxicant, Hydroquinone is found in skin lightening products. Hydroquinone is banned in the UK but is allowed up to a 2% concentration in products in the US. Besides the icky properties of Hydroquinone itself, it also decreases melanin production in the skin (hence the usage for skin lighteners) and increases exposure to harmful UVA and UVB rays.
• Nitrosamines: Banned for use in cosmetic products in the EU and Canada, Nitrosamines are impurities and therefore not listed ingredients in cosmetics – but unfortunately found in a wide variety of them. Linked, among others, to cancer, birth defects and endocrine disruption, Nitrosamines have been under the watchful eye of the FDA since 1979 but some studies suggest that the amount of Nitrosamines in a product can actually increase once the product is opened.

In reading various articles and websites, I found the Environmental Working Group’s “Skin Deep” cosmetic safety database (www.cosmeticsdatabase.com) particularly helpful. You can enter the name of just about any personal care product in the Skin Deep search bar and up pops a handy reference guide to the ingredients in your product and their potential side effects.

Feeling overwhelmed? Unless you’re ready for a personal beauty revolution, you can always start small by simplifying your daily beauty routine. Perhaps it’s not imperative to use a wash, exfoliant, toner, sub-lotion, refining lotion, lotion with sunscreen, and makeup primer before you even get to foundation. When purchasing new products, follow the food rules: can you pronounce the ingredients? Though so-called natural and organic beauty products are not regulated, they are likely to have less “bad for you” ingredients than synthetic brands.

If you are compelled to act on a broader scale, join the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and/or donate to the Environmental Working Group. Both of these groups represent a wide range of not-for-profit groups working to increase the safety in and awareness of ingredients in personal care products.

Hopefully you’ll take away from this article some useful information spiced with a dash of George Carlin and a sprinkle of my grandfather: don’t be afraid to question claims made by a certain product (be they good or bad) and never lose your willingness to laugh at the absurd.