But you are smearing them all over your skin, hair, and armpits. Rubbing them on your face, eyes, cheeks, and lips. Washing your hands, dishes, clothes, and floors with them.
"The average woman in the U.S. uses about 12 personal care products daily, the average man about 6, each product containing a dozen or more chemicals." Are these chemicals safe? Can they be absorbed through the skin?
Short Answer:
No, many of these chemicals are not safe, and yes, they can be absorbed. "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" (http://ewg.org/reports/teens). Many of these chemicals are also persistent in the environment, which means they don't break down, so even if they don't get inside our bodies because we use them, they can get inside us just because they exist in our living environment. So what's the long answer? Well, keep reading.
Skin Deep is an online database that compiles information about the ingredients in personal care products, making it fairly simple to look up a brand, a product, or even an ingredient to see how safe it is. "Our staff scientists compare the ingredients on personal care product labels and websites to information in nearly 60 toxicity and regulatory databases. Now in its eighth year, EWG's Skin Deep database provides you with easy-to-navigate safety ratings for a wide range of products and ingredients on the market" (http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/site/about.php).
So for example, let's go to Skin Deep and type in ChapStick. I use ChapStick all the time. It's cheap, and it keeps my lips from cracking, especially in winter. Skin Deep carries data on 23 different ChapStick products. The tube I'm looking at right now comes closest to this particular item: ChapStick Lip Moisturizer Skin Protectant Lip Balm, SPF 15 (http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/product/381110/ChapStick_Lip_Moisturizer_Skin_Protectant_Lip_Balm%2C_SPF_15/).
The most dangerous ingredient in the list is 'fragrance.' Why? That sounds pretty simple. Well it's not. 'Fragrance' is basically code for 'a bunch of stuff we aren't going to list because we don't have to.' That's right! "They [the FDA] don't even require that all of the ingredients be listed on the label."
So then what does fragrance mean? Absolutely nothing. "The word �fragrance� [sic] or �parfum� [sic] on the product label represents an undisclosed mixture of various scent chemicals and ingredients used as fragrance dispersants" (cited below). And guess what? Fragrance gets an 8 out of 10 on the hazard scale, citing "Ingredient not fully labeled - identity unknown," "Moderate evidence of human neurotoxicity," "Not assessed for safety in cosmetics by industry panel," and "Allergies/immunotoxicity" concerns (http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/702512/FRAGRANCE/). This is one of 13 total ingredients in my ChapStick. 8 of these 13 ingredients (or about 62%) are ranked at a moderate level of toxicity or higher (out of low, moderate, and high rankings).
Okay, well what about Burt's Bees? They're all natural right? I've used them before and like them too! Skin Deep lists 169 Burt's Bees products and 28 lip balms. We'll assess the Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm (Tube) (http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/product/319900/Burt%27s_Bees_Beeswax_Lip_Balm_%28Tube%29/).
Overall, this product gets a 2 out of 10. Not bad right? But the worst ingredient, lanolin, is still ranked 4 out of 10, which is a moderate hazard rating. What is lanolin? "Lanolin is a refined derivative of the fat-like sebaceous secretion of sheep," and the following notes are listed: "Known human immune system toxicant," "Uncertain environmental toxin and uncertain persistent or bioaccumulative," "...implicit safe concentration limit in product," "Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful [non-reproductive organ system toxicity]," "Not suspected to be persistent [persistence and bioaccumulation]," "Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food" (http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/703386/LANOLIN/).Obviously, this is far better than 'fragrance,' but do I really want to be putting a known immune system toxicant on my lips? And if it's a known immune system toxicant, then why is it "Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food"?
So what do we need to be concerned about? Is it just chapstick? Nope. "...lots of other products in my bathroom, from sunscreen to lipstick and even baby shampoo, also contain chemicals linked to cancer or other problems, like learning disabilities, asthma, and even damaged sperm."
Is everything dangerous? No. "Of course not all of these chemicals are dangerous, but we know that many are. Some are carcinogens-- that means that they can cause cancer-- others are neurotoxins and reproductive toxins, proven to mess up brain development and reproduction in animals."
Then what do you do? Here are some general principles to keep in mind:
(1) "On cosmetics labels, words like 'Herbal,' 'Natural,' even 'Organic' have no legal definition."
(2) "The FDA doesn't even assess the safety of personal care products or their ingredients...They don't even require that all of the ingredients be listed on the label."
(3) "They [the cosmetics companies] set-up their own committee to self-police their products, and compliance with their recommendations is voluntary."
So, you can't just assume it's safe because it says "Natural," and you can't rely on the FDA or the cosmetics companies to make sure it's safe either. Best rule of thumb: shop with caution.
For a very thorough and informative 8-minute-long extension of what I'm talking about, check out this video from The Story of Stuff Project:
http://storyofstuff.org/cosmetics/.
If you want to look up your own products or ingredients, or if you want to search for new ones try:
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/
http://www.goodguide.com/
For a starter guide on how to get the toxins out of your home, and especially your bathroom, look for my next post: Castile Soap: What Is It and Why Should I Care?
No comments:
Post a Comment