Why Green, Natural Skin Care is Important
Diana | Dec 23, 2009 | Comments 0
The average woman rubs, sprays, pours, or otherwise puts ten different products on her skin daily. These include soaps, perfumes, makeup, moisturizers, and more. The Environmental Working Group says that this is about 130 chemicals women are exposing themselves to daily. Ninety percent of those chemicals have never been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration for safety.
That, by itself, is a pretty good reason to avoid as many of those unnatural skin care products. Most of these products are, of course, probably safe. In small amounts, anyway, but considering that they are added to our repertoire daily, who knows what effects they have over time?
Going with the “better safe than sorry” mantra, many of us are turning to natural alternatives and avoiding the question altogether.
So what do you look for when considering skin care products for your new, healthier, more natural you?
First, be sure that the stuff that says “natural” really is. Products can use “natural” and “all-natural” on their labels without restriction, so it's up to the consumer (you) to know what it is that you're looking at. Generally speaking, if the label has complex chemical names on it, it's probably not really “natural.” Another resource is to use the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database (http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/) to find your product and see how natural it really is.
Next, avoid fragrances altogether. Fragranced soaps, shampoos, body rubs, etc. have some nasty chemicals in their makeup if they aren't based on natural oils. Even natural oils can potentially be a hazard if you're sensitive or allergic to them. Staying away from fragrances in beauty products avoids this. The FDA does not require that the chemicals that make up an artificial fragrance be listed on the label, so “artificial rose fragrance” could be a dozen chemicals!
Though it's becoming less and less common now that the hazards have been exposed, some artificial fragrances still contain phthalates, which are hormone synthetics. These can cause a lot of problems, especially with unborn children.
Avoid anything packaged in heavy plastics (especially plastic containers labeled with a V, for PVC). Not only are these plastics likely not very recyclable in your area, but many (like PVC) can leach harmful things into their contents. Most of us are also aware of the dangers of BPA.
Finally, look for products that are certified to have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, pledging to keep harmful chemicals out of their ingredients and packaging. Also, look for products that have not been tested on animals and have been certified as Not Tested on Animals.
For professional skin care information, please consult with your dermatologist.
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Filed Under: Tips for Healthy Skin Care
