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Let’s Talk Make-up

Est. Read Time: 3 min
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I was just reading about the toxins in cosmetics and was shocked to find out there are about 900 different chemicals that are toxic used in cosmetics!  That is insane!  Why doesn’t the U.S. regulate these like the U.K. does? Why are these known chemicals not listed on the ingredients?  Why has the U.S. not changed the cosmetic industry requirements since 1938?  Why have only 11 of the more than 10,000 chemicals used to make cosmetics been banned by the FDA? I have countless questions about this issue.  

The obvious reason to care about what is in our make-up and toiletries is that our skin is our largest organ.  What you slather on your skin goes directly into your bloodstream, and on top of that, we breathe it all in and often even taste it since its on our nose and mouth.

Dr. Mercola shared about why it’s so important to know what is in your cosmetics.  This is what he had to say:

“Putting chemicals on your skin is actually far worse than ingesting them, because when you eat something the enzymes in your saliva and stomach help break it down and flush it out of your body.

When you put these chemicals on your skin, however, it is absorbed straight into your blood stream without filtering of any kind, so there’s no protection against the toxin. The five pounds of toxic chemicals per year you may be absorbing from the use of toiletries and beauty products are largely going directly to your delicate organs.

It’s no wonder that they have been linked to deadly side effects like cancer. Parabens, which may be listed on the label as methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben, butyl paraben, isobutyl paraben or E216, have shown particularly troubling links to cancer.

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health stated nearly 900 of the chemicals used in cosmetics are toxic. Women are becoming more aware of this issue, and there are more natural cosmetics available today than in years past. But remember that labels do not tell the whole story. For more on how to select natural products, see Not All Natural Beauty Products are Natural.

There are no federal certifications or official guidelines for beauty products, so anyone can claim that such a product is natural or organic. Some “organic” beauty products contain only a single-digit percentage of organic ingredients.Quick Guide to recognize Toxins in Cosmetics”

So, with all of this BAD news about the industry and their regulations, where do we go from here?  Thankfully there are lots of clean and toxic free products!  I will add some of them here as well as we have a more complete list of great products in our toxin free product directory where you can find toxin free cosmetic options and toxin free makeup options.

My absolute Favorite Brands for Makeup are: Lily Lolo, Jane Iredale, Toups and Co., Fitglow, Earthley Wellness, and Earth Harbor. I have several detailed posts with the products I love linked coming soon!