What's on Your Skin: Chemicals in Cosmetics

chemicals in skincare

An informative article on the chemicals found in cosmetics and skin care products was written in the Huffington Post this week.  According to Estelle Hayes in the article, The Chemicals in Your Cosmetics, "Everything from lip balm to hand lotion is filled with stuff we wouldn't dream of putting in our stomachs. Instead, we eagerly spread it over the largest organ of the body -- ensuring effective absorption and exposure to a daily dose of illness-inducing and cancer-causing garbage. The American medicine cabinet has become a virtual love canal of hidden industrial waste that wouldn't be allowed anywhere else."

Hayes talks about how the FDA does not regulate anything used topically on the body, therefore manufacturers can put ANYTHING they want to in these products.  They only require companies to adhere to truth in labeling, so it's up to us to determine which ingredients are harmful.  Here's a quote that sums it up nicely, "As long as manufacturers list in gory detail the witches' brew of industrial chemicals, heavy metals, and toxic substances they blend into your eye cream or face wash, they are free to dump whatever they want into your epidermis." 

For a comprehensive overview of skincare products and ingredients visit: Environmental Working Group (EWG) and their extensive database of cosmetic and personal care products, called Skin Deep: http://www­.cosmetics­database.c­om/.

For more information on this topic, visit our Learn section regarding skincare safety:

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If you've done a recent cleaning of your medicine cabinet OR will do one now, what did you (or plan to) purge?

Posted in: Skin Care Chemicals