Toxic Products: What to look for?

Toxic Products BLOG

Living in the world that we do, we are bound to come into contact with many toxic chemicals every single day. This can be through cleaning products, personal care products, the food we eat, the medicines we take and many other places. What can we do to limit our exposure? We’ve found that an easy place to start is to check our personal care products. Here are the top 10 ingredients we are looking out for when choosing clean & safe products to use on our whole family. 

– Fragrance/Parfum: Did you know that the term “fragrance” covers over 3,000 different chemicals that are completely unregulated by the FDA? In fact, there is a loophole in the FDA’s federal law that allows personal care product manufacturers to include nearly any ingredient under the term “fragrance” without having to list the chemicals used. One common chemical found in fragrance are phthalates. Not only can phthalates cause damage to your kidneys, liver, reproductive system, and lungs it can also have adverse effects on your baby in utero, including negative impacts on neurodevelopment. 

– Parabens: according to the EWG, studies have found that, regardless of demographics, parabens were found in almost every urine sample taken from adults in the United States. This widely used chemical is found in everything from moisturizers to shaving gels to shampoos. Continuous exposure can lead to male and female reproductive harm, adverse birth outcomes, as well as an increased risk of cancer. When looking for this in your products they may also be listed with these prefixes isobutyl-, butyl-, isopropyl-, and propyl-. 
– Polyethylene Glycols (PEG): PEG is a widely used ingredient in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products. Its purpose is to soften the skin and open up the pores so that the other products can penetrate the skin. In theory, this is not a bad thing. The problem lies in the fact that when it opens up your pores it is also allowing other toxins to penetrate into your skin, a common one being 1,4 dioxane which is linked to various types of cancers and tumors. PEG use in general is backed by very little to no substantial safety data, so we think it is best to toss it out. 

– Triclosan: Triclosan is an antibacterial/antifungal agent. In 2017, the FDA banned its use in specific products like hand sanitizer and soaps. However, this ban did not cover personal care products, in which triclosan can still be found today. Triclosan is concerning on multiple fronts. Studies have shown that even at low exposure it is a known endocrine disruptor, including thyroid function, and can cause reproductive hormone dysfunction.

– BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) & BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene): BHA and BHT are synthetic antioxidants that are commonly used in personal care products and cosmetics as a preservative. It has been listed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a possible human carcinogen. In non-human studies, long term exposure to BHT and BHA have been found to contribute to thyroid, liver, and kidney problems as well as potentially affect both male and female sex hormone expression. 

– Aluminum: Although scientists aren’t exactly sure how aluminum absorbs through the skin, what we do know is that aluminum is biologically equipped to do neuronal damage. While no one has been able to make a direct link between aluminum and brain disorders such as Alzheimers, they do suspect a significant correlation since alzheimer’s patients tend to have a high concentration of aluminum in their brain tissue. It also has genotoxic qualities. What this means is aluminum has the ability to alter DNA structure as well as effect epigenetics. 
-Vitamin A (Retinyl Palmitate or Retinoic Acid): Vitamin A is a necessary vitamin that supports your immune system, eyes, may lower risk of certain cancers, supports bone health and reproductive health. The same cannot be said for synthetic vitamin A, or retinyl palmitate/retinoic acid. In animal trials synthetic vitamin A was found to be photocarcinogenic in mice. While this may not translate over to humans in the exact same manner, it is well worth a consideration. There is also the concern that one can overdose on Vitamin A through ingestion as well as when combined with topical application. 

-Phthalates: These are commonly used to make plastic softer (i.e. it’s in nail polish to make it more flexible) and to make fragrances last longer. The problem is that it comes with an extensive list of health related problems like autism, infertility, asthma, fibroids, endocrine disruption, reproductive system disruption, cancers, neurological disorders, as well as a handful others significant health issues. 

-Sodium Laureth Sulfate: SLES is often contaminated during the manufacturing process and contains ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane. Both of these chemicals are known carcinogens. Ethylene oxide is also known to harm the nervous system and is thought to interfere with human development.

– Formaldehyde releasing preservatives: This ingredient is a bit harder to spot as it the label of your products may not just plainly say “formaldehyde”. Ingredients to look for are Formaldehyde, quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, polyoxymethylene urea, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol (bromopol) and glyoxal. These preservatives slowly release formaldehyde over time. Formaldehyde and FRP’s are related to cancer and skin irritations. 

So how are we supposed to protect our families from all of the unregulated ingredients? How can we figure if our products are truly clean and not causing harm to our families? A great resource is the Think Dirty App. You can download this app and scan the barcode of most personal care and cosmetic products. It will give you a rating from 0 (being very clean/free of toxins) to 10 (being very toxic). It also gives a breakdown of each ingredient and its rating so you can understand why something may be considered toxic. 

Another great resource is the EWG. The EWG is an organization that does immense research on toxins in our personal care products but also in the foods that we eat and the water we drink. You can look up an ingredient on their website and it will give you a detailed breakdown of what the ingredient is, what its level of concern is, and where it is commonly found. 

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