10 Toxic Ingredients To Avoid

10 Toxic Ingredients To Avoid 

Most people don’t realize there are very toxic, cancer causing ingredients in their favorite skincare and beauty products.  For those of us who are already aware, it’s still hard to know exactly what to avoid because most of the ingredients added to skincare and beauty products these days, are hard to even pronouce or figure out what it means.

The FDA does not regulate personal care products ingredients and companies are not required to disclose all the ingredients used to make these products.  Therefore, cheap, toxic, cancer causing ingredients have made their way into our skin care and beauty products without us even knowing.

Your skin is your largest organ and absorbs anything applied to it, which then enters the bloodstream.  So take some time out of your routine to review the back of the ingredient’s lists next time you shop for your favorite skincare and beauty products.  You may be shocked to find out that some of your favorite products include some of the following ingredients which are bad for your skin, your health and the environment.

1. Fragrance – (Perfum, Scent) Often found a wide range of items from skincare, cleaning, laundry products and air fresheners. Fragrance is a blanket term that can be made up of thousands of different chemicals. Many of them are toxic, cancer forming and come with a long list of side effects ranging from asthma, allergies, immunotoxicity, headaches, vomiting, dizziness to skin discoloration.  Phthalates, are another chemical commonly used with fragrances to make them last longer. They are linked to birth defects and are considered a reproductive toxin. They may not be listed in ingredients.

2. Propylene Glycol & Butylene Glycol – Found in cleansers, shampoos, baby wipes, deodorants, hair products, bubble baths to name a few.  Also found in windshield wiper fluid!  The EPA considers them so toxic they say that skin contact or inhalation can cause brain, liver and kidney abnormalities. In some personal care products these chemicals are used in very high, industrial strength concentrations.

3. DEA, MEA & TEA – Used in shampoos & bubble baths. They are hormone disrupting and form cancer causing nitrates. Restricted in Europe yet legal in the USA, they increase the risk for liver and kidney cancer.

4. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate & Sodium Laureth Sulfate – Otherwise known as (SLS).  This toxic ingredient found in almost all drugstore shampoos, conditioners, leave in creams, hair sprays, facial soaps, body soaps and body washes.  Strong detergents and degreasers that are found in over 90% of foaming personal care products. SLS is linked to skin irritation, eye irritation, rashes and hair loss. Animal studies show eye damage (especially to young), immune system damage and death. Can create nitrosamines which are carcinogenic.  once absorbed into the skin, can also be retained in your organs for a lifetime.

5. DMDM & Urea – Found in a wide variety of personal care products. It is a preservative that releases formaldehyde which causes allergies, chest pain, fatigue, ear infections, immune dysfunction, asthma, heart palpitations, cancer and more.

6. Polyethylene Glycol – (PEG) – Often found in almost any skincare product. Petroleum ingredient that is carcinogenic and dehydrates your skin. Increases signs of skin aging and leaves your skin vulnerable to bacteria and disease.

7. Parabens – Often found in shampoos, creams & lotions. There are many different forms of parabens which are used as a preservative in many skincare products. Avoid them ALL.  They are strong hormone disruptors and have been directly linked to breast cancer and heart problems. Often listed as Methylparaben, Probylparaben, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben & Benezylparaben.

8. FD & C Color – Found in makeup, lipsticks, creams, hair products and more. Synthetic pigments from coal that deposit toxins into the skin. Some colors can even deplete oxygen in the body and cause death. Animal studies have shown almost all of them to be cancer causing.

9. Mineral Oil (Petroleum by-product) – Often found in Baby Products (Baby Oil), Vaseline, Lip Products & Moisturizers. It coats the skin like a plastic wrap, clogging pores, causing acne and trapping in toxins.

10. Isopropyl alcohol (Petroleum by product) – Found commonly in cleansers, toners, creams and hair and nail products. It dries and irritates skin, stripping its moisture and immune barrier.

When in doubt, just shop for products that are clearly labeled, ”Organic or All Natural” and take a moment to review the back of labels on the ingredients list and make sure they don’t have any of the toxic 10 listed above.  You especially want to avoid Parabens, Sodium Laureth Sulphate, DEA, MEA, TEA, Dyes or Parfumes