What Chemicals Are Hiding In Your Beauty Products

There’s a lot of money in the beauty industry. In fact, it’s a $70 billion-a-year industry in America, and the laws governing this gigantic industry have not been updated since the great depression. To be exact the last time laws were enacted in relationship to products you put ON YOUR BODY was in 1938. Obviously, science has come a long way since 1938 and we know a lot more about the human body and we know a lot more about what chemicals do to our body. In the 1930s, chemical makers were pushing consumers to use chemicals like DDT in their child’s nursery and using women to sell happy marriages through good skin. The landscape for what consumers want and will tolerate has dramatically changed don’t ya think? But, our laws governing what is “safe” to be used in our products have not.

I bet you’re wondering why these laws are still intact, right? I’ll give you one guess. Money. There’s a lot of money being made off of toxic waste ingredients that are cheap. Chemicals like formaldehyde, asbestos and lead acetate are simply toxic waste products that should never have been allowed in our personal care products. But, they are allowed and as consumers, you need to be informed so you can make educated decisions for yourself and for your family. These outdated laws and toxic ingredients are not just limited to beauty products it’s ALL self-care products including those used for infants. Every single product targeted at every single demographic may contain toxic cancer-causing chemicals. So the common questions I receive when speaking about this issue on panels are “why is nobody watching out for our health and well being?” “Isn’t the government paid to protect us from harmful ingredients?” Well, technically the Food And Drug Administration is supposed to be in charge of that. In a recent New York Time’s piece the FDA was quoted stating:

“We have learned a lot about these chemicals in recent decades,” says an F.D.A. regulator who is not authorized to speak to the press. “But we still don’t have a clear understanding of if or how well they might be absorbed through the skin or mucous membrane. That means women and children slather this stuff on every day without knowing what the real impact might be.” The Cosmetic Ingredient Review does not evaluate the risks of aggregate or cumulative exposure to an ingredient, from multiple products over many years, or the ways in which different ingredients might interact with one another.”

This becomes a big issue when we look at how many products we are all using on a daily basis. It is estimated that women use an average of 12 personal care products per day while men use an average of 6. Those of us that like to use products as part of our self-care routine know this number is likely double for us. When we look at the combination of using these chemicals of concern we see that many of them are cancer-causing, endocrine disruptors and come with a slew of side effects. The scary part of this realization is that the top chemicals of concern in the cosmetic aisle are also the ones that are being used the most. For instance, let’s look at parabens. Does that ingredient ring a bell? You’ll find it on the back of many lotions, shampoos, scrubs and cosmetics like lipstick. This ingredient is a preservative that prevents bacterial growth and companies use it to lengthen the shelf life of a product. The most common are butylparaben, methylparaben, and propylparaben. The problem with parabens is that they are xenoestrogens―agents that mimic estrogen in the body. Endocrine disruptors and specifically “estrogen disruption” has been linked to breast cancer and reproductive issues. What’s more, is that parabens are often found in breast tumors.

There are plenty of safety arguments from the chemical companies but nobody can deny that new science is needed and new laws must be enacted to keep us all healthy and thriving.

We still need more science to understand how this chemical cocktail is forming diseases in our bodies. But, until we have the proof we need to practice prevention. Until our healthcare industry is reformed to actually support “healthcare” versus “sick care” and our government is actually for the people by the people versus corporately owned and operated, WE must rise up and find the truth for ourselves. Without health, we will not obtain true beauty so faking it with junk products until we get the dreaded “C word” diagnosis is not an option.

As you become your own investigator, pay attention to the common answers you’ll find when you look into why chemicals are being used in our food and personal care products.

Question: Why are they using these chemicals in our food and personal care products? Answer: Profit
Question: Why don’t they just use natural clean organic ingredients? Answer: The longer the shelf life the longer they can extend their profit.
Question: Why isn’t there more scientific research to support our health? Answer: Most of the science we have has been funded by the chemical companies. And on the other hand, the science we have against chemicals gets debunked or trashed by the media often times paid for by the chemical companies.
Question: Why isn’t our government doing more? Answer: There’s always a conflict of interest. Simply follow the money.

There are a MILLION reasons why you want to remove toxic chemicals from your beauty bag and replace those must-have favorites with safe products. The good news is that now you can. When I first got into clean beauty there were only a handful of organizations working on it. I remember a time when Skin Deep wasn’t a part of EWG and Safe Cosmetics was the leading organization on this issue. Since then the clean beauty business has exploded and thousands of influencers, bloggers and brands are helping you make the swap easy and affordable.

Access to clean beauty and suggestions for dupes are just a click away. Follow me on Instagram to learn more about the products and resources I suggest. View the clean self-care products I’m currently using here. Need recommendations? Shoot me a DM on Instagram or leave a comment here. I also host regular giveaways featuring clean beauty products, so be sure to enter to win those as well.

Aside from my sharing, the top three places to learn more about clean beauty are:

The top places to shop for clean beauty online are:

We are brought up in this society aiming for pretty but pretty shouldn’t come with the price tag of toxic and sick. We deserve better and with knowledge of this industry’s shortcomings, I hope you’re empowered to make better choices. I hope you now understand that the people paid to protect you are asleep at the wheel. I share that to remind you that you need to take control of your health.

It’s time to remove cancer-causing toxic chemicals from your everyday beauty routine. I mean, why not?

This is a time when women are rising into their power and taking back control of their bodies. So as you’re doing this add self-care clean up to your overhaul. The clean-beauty industry is predominantly founded and run by women. Over 90% of the clean beauty brands have female CEOs. Whereas the conventional cosmetics industry is predominately owned and operated by males who don’t even use the products. Choosing clean beauty is good for you, good for the environment, good for future generations, good for beauty sales workers, good for the she-ro CEOs and good for those on the production line!

Don’t forget, supply always meets demand. We’ve seen the big food companies and personal care companies swallow up the smaller organic brands and they’re doing that simply because they want a piece of the profits. At the end of the day, the consumer has the power, and the brand has to make the consumer happy so they can continue to earn your dollar.

As you make your clean beauty purchases, you’re voting for more clean beauty to be available to everyone.

Vote wisely.