Personal Care Products - Avoidable Exposures

Personal Care Products - Avoidable Exposures (for breast cancer survivors)

Although women put all sorts of lotions, creams, conditioners, antiperspirants, and
makeup on their faces and bodies daily, these products are not necessarily safe. The
cosmetics industry remains one of the most unregulated in the United States, with its
products falling outside the jurisdication of the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) and the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This means scarce
oversight, burdening the consumer with the job of evaluating the safety of each
product purchased.

Among the more common chemicals we find in these mysterious mixtures
known as “personal care products” are lead, mercury, and phthalates, the latter of
which is a plastic additive used in not just cosmetics but also in children’s toys,
plastic bottles, and many other household items.

Dr. Samuel Epstein (2009), author of Toxic Beauty: How Cosmetics and Personal
Care Products Endanger Your Health…and What You Can Do about It and chairman
of the Cancer Prevention Coalition (preventcancer.com), has done an extraordinary
job of categorizing and documenting the hazardous ingredients in unregulated
personal care products, referred to often as “cosmeceuticals.” Many of these
products contain what Epstein calls “hidden carcinogens,” ingredients that activate
or discharge powerful toxins, such as formaldehyde and nitrosamines, and go by
names like methenamine, polyoxymethylene, DEA, TEA, and PEG. Other products
are tainted with carcinogens like ethylene oxide, dioxane, and acrylamide
(www.ewg.org/skindeep/).

More Than Skin Deep

Even more disturbing is the recent popularization of products that use
nanoparticles, microscopic bits of the previously mentioned ingredients, which
penetrate the skin effortlessly and, due to their microscopic size, can also invade
blood vessels, traveling throughout the bloodstream to other organs. In May 2006,
Friends of the Earth, a global network of grassroots groups, published the report
(Miller) “Nanoparticles, Sunscreens, and Cosmetics: Small Ingredients, Big Risks,”
which advocates that these suspect personal-care products should be taken off the
market to protect public health.

The Cost of Teenage Beauty

We are particularly concerned about the widespread use of multiple personal
care products by teenaged girls and young women. When the Environmental
Working Group (EWG) conducted a study of teenaged girls (ages fourteen to
nineteen) in 2008 (Sutton), an astonishing 100 percent of them showed evidence of
both methyl paraben and propylparaben in their blood and urine. It is especially
disconcerting that such a chemical onslaught can happen during the critical
developmental window of the teen years; therefore we urge all women, especially
mothers of teenaged girls, to consult the EWG website (ewg.org) for suggestions
and more information on personal care products. A few of these suggestions
follow:

• Use fewer commercial products and simpler, more natural ones.
• Don’t rely on claims like “dermatologist tested” or “natural.” Become an

avid label reader.

• Avoid “antiaging” creams, many of which use potentially dangerous

nanoparticles.

• In particular, steer clear of products and ingredients that have been linked to

cancer and hormone disruption, such as:

1. Antiperspirants containing mineral oil, aluminum compounds,
2. fragrances, and silica (we suggest avoiding all antiperspirants)
3. Dark, permanent hair dyes
4. Fragrances and dyes
5. Nail polish and removers
6. Parabens
7. Triclosan and triclocarban

• Opt for lemon, avocado, tea tree oil, aloe gel, or some combination of them

as beneficial ingredients.

• Buy products from trusted vendors that use only nonhazardous ingredients.

Check out the website of The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
(safecosmetics.org) for suggestions.

• As a good starting place for your research, use EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics

Database (www.ewg.org/skindeep).

From Helayne’s experience, we can also recommend the following:

• Essential oils make wonderful perfume, without the risk. Experiment with

lavender, patchouli, and other scents that appeal to you.

• Coconut oil is a luxurious skin moisturizer and makeup remover.
• Baking soda is an effective facial scrub and underarm deodorant. It also

makes a good toothpaste!

• Pure glycerin soap works as well as any, especially for sensitive skin.
• Xylitol (a natural sweetener) and water make an effective antibacterial

mouthwash.

• Mashed avocado makes a delicious facial treatment that nourishes the skin.
• Applying pulped red hibiscus flowers to your hair is great for softness and

shine (rinse out after thirty minutes). If you are using dried flowers instead
of fresh, add water to make a paste.

• Jojoba oil is an easily absorbed, soothing oil from the seed of the jojoba

plant, known for its affordability and low incidence of allergic reactions.
Reported to be rich in skin-nourishing micronutrients, such as vitamin E,
zinc, and silicon, this oil is easily absorbed into the skin and leaves no messy
residue.