I have 2 sweet little boys (Max who’s nearly 3 and Milo who recently turned 1), so it truly disturbs me to learn about the harmful ingredients in popular everyday products and what they are capable of doing!Â
The Campaign For Safe Cosmetics Report done by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in 2009, points out that 61% of the 48 bath products they tested were contaminated with toxic ingredients that can lead to cancer and other health problems.
As parents, we just want to give our kids a bath to keep them clean! We have no intention of soaking them in a tub full of harmful chemicals on purpose. Is it crazy to assume the ingredients used in these products are safe?
Well, I guess it is. Because according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC),
More than 80,000 chemicals permitted in the United States have never been fully assessed for toxic impacts on human health and the environment. Under the current law, it is almost  impossible for the EPA to take regulatory action against dangerous chemicals, even those that are known to cause cancer or other serious health effects.
It’s a known fact that we (adults) absorb 60% of what we put on our skin. Over time, that’s a lot of toxic yuck-and it accumulates!
There’s a difference between putting things on your skin compared to in your mouth. Because at least the enzymes in your saliva and stomach help break down the chemicals and flush them out. But when you put something on your skin, it goes right to your organs through your bloodstream and doesn’t filter the toxins at all.
I also learned from a recent article that when it comes to your armpits and genitalia, the 60% absorbency goes up to 100%. So think twice about what feminine products, deodorants and personal lubricants you’re using!
Here’s an Infographic I created to help you learn about the toxic chemicals your body might be absorbing. It outlines 12 of the worst ingredients you will find in everyday cosmetics and skin care products.
Embed code available at the end of the post.
When you use natural cosmetics and natural skin care products from Natural Healthy Concepts, you can feel relieved that the ingredients are safe for you and your children. We even have safe and natural pet products!
So the next time you give your baby a bath with our safe and natural baby care products, you don’t have to worry about a thing!
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Love the ingredients list to avoid. Research the company and then you don’t have keep reading labels.
Thanks Michele! That’s right. It’s great when you can rest assured that the products you are using are all fine because you trust the company they come from!
No, actually you still need to always read the labels.
Plenty of companies have been found to have secretly switched from organic to non-organic and even GM without telling their customers and even being sneaky and barely changing the packaging in a deliberate attempt to mislead, and other companies get bought out by bigger companies without anyone ever knowing and everything ethical about their products gets thrown out for increased corporate profits.
The list of brands and companies that people still trust after they’ve been compromised for years now is really quite shocking.
I’m not positive where you are getting your information, but great topic. I needs to spend some time finding out much more or understanding more. Thank you for excellent information I used to be in search of this information for my mission.
Thanks for reading! The sources are listed at the bottom of the infographic. Stay in touch ; )
Very good article Ashley Steinbrinck, we should be very careful about what we use these days
As a participant in natural cosmetic industry…we couldn’t agree more. Very nice article.
Good! Thanks for reading ; )
Hi Ashley! Great work thank you! Please add aluminium chlorid to the list- it´s scary what researchers found out recently! Veronika
This is a great article. The link to the original article where you found the stats about armpit absorption isn’t working. I’d love to see that article as well. Can you repost the link to that article or list the source?
Jen, thanks for checking out this article! Unfortunately the article has been removed from the Healthy Living Lounges website and gives me a 404 error. I did re-link to another great article that gives information on studies from the American Journal of Public Health about percent of absorption for underarms, genitalia and skin in general. Check that one out if you have a few minutes! Thanks for your comment and for pointing the 404 error out to us.
Although there may be some merit to this chart, I think most people probably would not have any issues with these chemicals. Most are topical and not ingested, which means the amount your body actually would absorb is too small to have any effect unless you constantly apply them repeatedly every single day. I also have a suspicion that Max and Milo are cats.
Thanks for your comment, Jon! But, just an FYI – According to the Environmental Working Group,
“Cosmetic ingredients do not remain on the surface of the skin. They are designed to penetrate, and they do. Scientists have found many common cosmetic ingredients in human tissues, including phthalates in urine, preservatives called parabens in breast tumor tissue and persistent fragrance components in human fat.” see the full article here. http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/why-this-matters-cosmetics-and-your-health/ The problem is, people do repeatedly use these products everyday – sometimes more than once a day – and especially women supposedly put 5 LBS of cosmetics into their body each year according to Dr. Mercola. I know this stinks. I wish it wasn’t the case. I wonder why manufactures even use these chemicals in their products anyway? Most people probably don’t have issues with them because they aren’t aware of what they are or what they are capable of doing. My motive is to inform people of these ingredients and help them become label inspectors. Even some natural health products still have some harmful ingredients, so it’s important to have some knowledge about the toxic chemicals used to make many products these days. You sure did get a chuckle out of me with the Max & Milo are cats comment. Those names would make good names for cats – but, they are my truly my cute and sassy little boys who I love so much that at bath time, I use natural soap! ; )
Interesting career path there Ashley! Loving your articles. Keep up the good work.
Celeste
; ) Thanks for reading, Celeste!
Hi! I love this poster. Is it available for purchase or do you have a file that has enough pixels for me to enlarge. I wolfs love too display it at my natural beauty studio. Thanks so muchI
Hi Kileigh, I would love for you to spread the word about the toxic yuck in most products! I will send you a high res PDF to print! ; )
Ashley,
Your poster is awesome!!
I am working on a project where the technology I have selected actually blocks the absorption of chemicals found in sunscreen from entering your body through the skin.
I would like to include your poster in materials I am compiling to identify the sources of harmful chemicals that most people don’t readily recognize, or consider.
Is it possible to get a high resolution pdf and/or other format of your poster I could use in a Power Point presentation?
Thank you 🙂
Peace
GR
Thank you GR! Yes – of course. We want to get the word out as much as possible! For that reason, you can find most of the infographics on our website with a PDF printable downloadable link at the bottom. What Toxic Chemicals Your Body is Absorbing is here: http://www.naturalhealthyconcepts.com/infographic-toxic-skin.html – just scroll all the way down and click the link. Good luck with your presentation/project and thanks again ; )
Hey this is fab! I’m in the uk and I know we seem to do things a bit differently over here when it comes to chemicals and health issues this is something I always pop to my friends who insist that the chemicals don’t do any harm. I had breast cancer and I was scanning my notes with my consultant and saw a test result saying chemical analysis, parabens present at site, so I know that parabens were inside my very aggressive tumour so now stay quell away and try to gently help my friends stay clear too, but I find it falls on deaf ears as these products are so simple and easy to use and acquire.
Such a shame and pain!
I’ve looked into other chemicals like tetrasodulium EDTA and the like and scared myself silly, I don’t want to become the crazy cat lady and have every think I’m odd for steering clear of it all so wanted to thank you for some good solid proof that I’m not mad, and that the ever increasing anger and ill health rates may just be reduced I we stop these chemicals for being used so freely when their dangers seem to be well known to the companies who your them.
Apologies for this rants message, I am a little tired but felt I needed to comment, thank you! Nikki xxx
super job!! thanx a million for your time and energy in creating this, absolutely fantastic!!!
Thank you!!
Great article, Ashley. I am 28 years old and tell people all the time that these chemicals are bad for you, and people don’t listen. I personally use Herban Cowboy products (dusk deodorant, dusk soap, dusk lotion) and I love them….so great for men, masculine scent. I do wonder though, Herban Cowboy uses Propanediol instead of Propylene Glycol in their deodorant, and says they are different, but some say they are not different. The after shave lotion contains phenoxyethanol, polysorbate-60, dimethicone….which I don’t see on here, but I hear they may be slightly toxic. I believe its impossible to stay away from toxicity, but I still eat and drink as organic as possible. But I do admit, there are people who drink and smoke forever, and live till theyre 80. But, I always say this: if the natural products work, why not use them instead?
Awesome infografic with loads of great information. Thanks for this and happy new year!
Thanks for a terrific infographic! I embedded it into my recent blog post! http://www.mentalhealthonthewebblog.com/2015/02/07/beware-of-toxins-in-your-personal-care-products/
Thank you!!