Chemicals To Avoid: Chemicals in Bath and Beauty Products

Chemicals To Avoid: There are no standards for testing or regulations for safe levels of dangerous chemicals, so it is impossible for consumers to know just how dangerous the products are. It turns out that cosmetics are the least regulated products under the FFDCA, Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Dangerous chemicals in beauty and bath products are not ingested, except perhaps in the case of lipstick and lip gloss, so they don’t pass through your digestive system. Your skin absorbs them, and they are passed into your bloodstream.

We’re talking about things you wouldn’t want to touch the paint job on your car, like mercury, lead, formaldehyde, coal tar, toluene, petroleum, and many more. Knowing that your skin is the largest organ of the body and that it is an entryway to your bloodstream, logic follows to make it a habit of only putting things on your skin that you would be comfortable with putting in your mouth. Especially when it is the skin of a baby!

Chemicals To Avoid in Cosmetics

Selenium sulfide, found in dandruff shampoos, is a neurotoxin and possible carcinogen. Lead and arsenic, found in red lipstick and most lip glosses, are harmful to adults but especially dangerous to fetuses and children, damaging their brains and reproductive systems.

Formaldehyde, toluene, and dibutyl phthalate are all chemicals found in some nail polish and are linked to headaches, dizziness, reproductive problems, and cancer. Brands like OPI, Sally Hansen, and Orly have already stopped using these chemicals in their formulas.
Formaldehyde has also been found in baby shampoos and adult bath products. The formaldehyde is released by preservatives used in the formulas and has been linked to the following chemical ingredients quaternion-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, and Diazolidinyl urea. Johnson & Johnson stopped using the formaldehyde-releasing preservatives last year due to public pressure, even though they insisted that the amounts were insignificant.

Also Read: How Good to Use Rose Water for Baby Skin Care

Safe Alternatives

Check health food stores such as Whole Foods to find natural, organic products with the least amount of ingredients possible. Be prepared to lose some of the results you are used to though. For example, shampoos use chemicals to make them foam up with a lot of suds. Natural products won’t be as sudsy. Look for food-grade products like coconut oil for moisturizing. Find do-it-yourself tutorials on sites like Pinterest to make your own skincare with natural ingredients.

If you make it yourself, make sure you store it carefully to avoid contamination. Put it into smaller containers that you can refill more frequently for products that you handle.