What’s Your Makeup Made Of?

We buy organic apples over the shiny red ones next to them, turn off our lights when we leave the room and have even been guilty of scolding party guests for dispensing their empties in the regular trash bin instead of the recycling bin. We love being “green” and feeling like we’re helping out the environment while also banishing harmful cancer-causing chemicals from our daily routines. But what about our makeup regimen? We absolutely loathe the thought of giving up our favorite apricot firming lotion for something that’s nothing other than a blend of hemp and granola and sure to leave us smelling like total hippies. But have you ever turned over that bottle and read some of the ingredients that go into making you smell like a “fresh picked cherry”? Until recently, I hadn’t either. Here’s some things you need to know before you decide to purchase another family size bottle of that shampoo that gives your hair the “straight from the salon look”.

 
Many of us are under the false-pretenses that our cosmetics are created honestly and with the good of the consumers at heart. The truth being that the FDA doesn’t regulate any personal care products or require them to do any pre-market testing whatsoever. This boils down to the scary truth that your face wash could be made of Drano and can be advertised as the “Worlds Best Acne Treatment”. The following is a list of common cosmetic chemicals I found on the SkinDeepSafeCosmeticsDatabase and how using them on your body could harm you.
 
Phthatale family or di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and di(2-ehtylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)
Found in: nail polishes, chemical hair straighteners, body lotions and deodorants
Linked to: Carcinogens in this chemical have been known to cause birth defects, low sperm counts, damage to reproductive organs and lung, kidney and liver cancers.
 
Lauryl sulfate(SLS), Sodium laureth sulfate
Found in: toothpaste, bath salts, shampoo, shower gels.
Linked to: Carcinogens in this chemical are known to cause kidney and liver damage as well as nervous system damage. Use of this chemical can also lead to cataracts, eczema and other inflammatory skin conditions
 
Paraben preservatives or alkyl-p-hydroxybenzoates (methyl, propyl, butyl, and ethyl)
Found in: conditioners, hair gels, foundations, concealers, mascara, face masks, skin creams, sun screen and deodorants.
Linked to: This chemical is known to cause disruption to natural hormone balances and is linked to breast cancer and inflammatory skin rashes.
 
Amine Family or DEA, TEA, MEA
Found in: hairspray, shampoo, soap, sunscreen, foundation, eyeliner, concealers, shaving cream, hair coloring products.
Linked to: Known to be the source of both Kidney and Liver cancers and also is corrosive to the membrane protecting the eyes. This chemical can react with other chemicals and produce harmful, cancer causing carcinogens.
 

Propylene, Butane Glycol
Found in: deodorant, body wash, body lotion, hair conditioner and lipstick.
Linked to: Known to cause brain damage and abnormalities of the liver and kidneys. Also may cause skin rashes and painful skin irritations.
 
So how do we prevent ourselves from coming in contact with these dangerous chemicals? Since giving up our soft and supple skin and dramatic smokey eye look on the weekends is simply not an option and ditching our cosmetics all together isn’t one either, The Skin Deep Database provides a wealth of information on how to “green” your beauty routine on their website, but the following are a few tips I found particularly helpful.

• Use as few products as possible.
• Stay away from any SPF above 30 (they contain tons of chemicals and rarely offer much more protection)
• Keep your shampoo fragrance-free
• Minimize use of dark, permanent hair dyes which often contain the same ingredients used to pave our sidewalks!
• Skip products that use the term “fragrance” in them because it is often a term to avoid saying “hundreds of chemicals”

Also, try purchasing your products from the following skin-safe brands that promise to offer safety along with quality in all their products!

• Origins
• Burt’sBees
• Aveda
• Lush
• TheBodyShop
• JosieMaran
• PangeaOrganics
• PhysiciansFormula
• EcoTools
• Nature’sGate