Buyer beware with Personal Care
I am a passionate advocate for toxin reduction in all aspects of our lives, in particular our personal care choices.
It is a sad reality of progress and consumerism that our bodies are exposed daily to unhealthy chemicals we can’t see taste or smell.
At the end of my blog I will summarise personal care chemicals to try and avoid.
The Backstory
The interesting thing about the personal care market is that the onus of protection lies with the manufacturer. The cosmetics and personal care industry globally has limited real regulation other than its own “ self-regulation.” Makers of soaps, cosmetics and other personal care products can add just about anything to their products and sell on an open market. The sad thing is that big claims and savvy marketing can make products appear to be something that they may not be. Claims about too good to be true ingredients and results without science.
“Greenwashing” can make products appear so enticing and “ natural,” but it can be a well-orchestrated marketing tactic to increase sales in a vulnerable market that targets insecurity and self-esteem.
This is a multi-billion-dollar international industry, and, just as in the food industry, “ share of skin ” is a hotly contested market.
You likely daily feed your skin (and therefore your body) these products . It is the mid- and longer-term exposure to certain chemicals that is of the greatest concern.
The Current State of Regulation
Currently over 1300 cosmetic ingredients have been banned in the European Union.
In the U.S, only 11 have been banned. In Australia, cosmetics are viewed through the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) under the Industrial Chemicals Act of 2019. However unlike the EU, we do not have a banned list of specific chemicals.
We have a Poisions and Medicines standards and instead, we follow a risk-based approach where ingredients are assessed based on their potential risk to human health. The TGA and the industrial chemicals department though, do not ban the use of any products. Personally, I like to check the ingredients label on all products for myself and my loved ones. If unsure, I will research.
A good summary of the current state of play would be:
In the EU, it’s a case of “ prove it does no harm before we will allow it. ”
In the US and Australia, it’s more like “ we will allow it until someone proves it causes harm.”
I suspect that manufacturers do not knowingly set out to harm, however synthetic ingredients are far cheaper than their naturally based or organic alternatives. When you are a major brand with global reach, it can be more about the dollar than patient care and ethics.
For example, I have written previously that several brands of acne wash and dry shampoos were removed from shelves globally in 2024. These products were proven to contain high levels of known carcinogens.
Broadly, I would be cautious of what’s offered cheaply in the bins outside chemist shops, no matter price, how pretty they look or how nice they smell.
Your skin is the largest organ of your body.
Your skin is also the outward-facing first protection of your immune system, full of active cellular pathways and signals that happen to keep your barrier intact and healthy, without you even thinking about it. Your skin actually accounts for the way your body “ breathes .”
Due to the expanse of surface area, your skin has a vast capacity to absorb chemicals that contact it, including synthetic materials made in a lab to mimic natural ingredients and to extend shelf life, enhance texture, smell and overall experience.
With daily application, for days, weeks, months, years, these micro dosages can bioaccumulate in tissues and organs. This bioaccumulation has the potential to damage organs and alter the intricate signaling systems of your hormones and the electrics of every cell.
In good health, your liver protects you as your major detoxification organ, and if not recognized as human-friendly, the offending chemical is packaged up and likely parked in immune tissue, organs, or lymphatic tissues until able to be actively detoxified. This may take a long time and has the potential to trigger chronic inflammatory processes and become the potential for root cause of disease.
So many of today’s soaps and personal care products, often irrespective of the size of the brand and its reach, have the potential to contain unwanted toxic ingredients. You may experience short-term results with some of these synthetic ingredients, but at what cost to your health and that of your future generations.?
4 Common Ingredients to Watch Out For
(courtesy of Puritywoods.com)
Fragrance
Look closely at the ingredients on many personal care products, soap, and cleanser labels, and you are likely to see “fragrance” (or “parfum” or “scent”). Companies are not required to disclose what chemicals are in “fragrance” because it’s considered a trade secret. Unfortunately, it may be any of over 3,000 chemicals, including many known carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxins, allergens, and other potentially toxic ingredients.
As just one example, the US Environmental Working Group found that 75% of products that list “fragrance” contain phthalates, a potential hormone-disrupting chemical linked to serious health issues and banned in many other countries, such as Canada, South Korea and the European Union.
Parabens
Look for any ingredient ending in “paraben” on soaps and cleansers, such as methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben. These ingredients are included to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold, but unfortunately, they come with some potentially very serious downsides.
Research found that parabens are easily absorbed by the skin and can tend to stay in the body’s tissues and fluids. They are xenoestrogens, meaning they can mimic oestrogen, causing the body to react in various ways to the perceived excess of oestrogen. This may lead to multiple issues, including potentially increasing the risk of breast cancer. Furthermore, parabens may raise cellular-level damage caused by UV exposure, which may raise the risk of skin cancer.
Sulphates
Common sulphates include Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and Sodium Laureth Sulphate, which produce lathers and bubbles in soap. This is a banned substance in the EU, demonstrated to cause cancer in rats.
Unfortunately, these chemicals can strip your skin of its natural oils, cause local dryness and irritation, as well as increase penetration of the skin’s surface. They have been linked to skin, eye, and lung reactions, including eczematous dermatitis.
When combined with other ingredients frequently found in cleansers, soaps, and shampoos, sulphates can create nitrosamine, one of the chemicals banned in the EU.
In addition to being a likely carcinogen, research shows 1, 4-dioxane can easily penetrate the skin and may cause irritations of the eyes and respiratory tract.
Formaldehyde / Formaldehyde-Releasing Preservatives
These chemicals are added to soaps and other personal care products to help prevent microbes from growing. However, even though they are still widely used in products, they have been deemed a human carcinogen by the United States National Toxicology Program and The International Agency for Research on Carcinogens.
They may also cause allergic skin reactions and compromise the immune system.
In soaps, rather than adding formaldehyde directly, manufacturers often add preservatives that can release formaldehyde, such as quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidine urea, diazolidine urea, polyoxymethylene urea, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, bronopol, and glyoxal.
Chemicals to Avoid in Haircare
(courtesy of www.organichairstudiosydney.com.au)
“If you're unsure of what ingredients are used, we pride ourselves by using Organic Hair products that are ethically made and cruelty free, they contain NO harmful chemicals in their testing and production and are nutritious for your hair”
We AVOID the following ingredients
p-Phenylenediamine (PPDs)
Sodium Lauryl Sulphate
Sodium Laureth Sulphate
Sulfates (SLS, ALS, SLES, etc.)
Thiomersal, Ethyl mercury, Phenyl mercuric salts = Mercury
Ammonia
Resorcinol = Petroleum
Petrochemicals (DEA, MEA, TEA, PEG's)
Cyclomethicone = Silicone
Amodimethicone = Silicone
Cyclopentasiloxane = Silicone
PVP/PVA Copolymer = Plastic
Methylchloroisothiazolinone = Preservative
Methylisothiazolinone = Preservative
Phenoxyethanol = Artificial Preservative
DMDM Hydantoin = Formaldehyde
Urea = Formaldehyde
FD&C = Artificial Colour
Parfum = Artificial Fragrance
PEG's (Propylene Glycol) = Artificial Moisturiser
Linalool/Limonene = Fragrance enhancer
In Summary
Know the ethics of the manufacturer.
Where is it made, and what are the key ingredients?
Skincare needs to nurture and nourish a living organ. The aim is never to do harm but to improve the quality of the delicate acid mantle and the intricate biome of the layers.
Ethical skincare should be made with a conscience simple, affordable and effective.
