Synthetic Ingredients and Chemicals
Common Chemicals to Avoid
Sodium laurel sulphate (sls)
Research suggest that 90% of all commercial shampoos and personal care products, (including toothpastes), use a detergent called sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS), also known as sodium laurel sulphate (SLS), sodium lauryl sulphate or sodium laureth sulphate (SLES).
These detergents are the foaming agent in personal care products. They are used because they are cheap – a small amount generates a large amount of foam.
Sodium laurel sulphate is considered to be the most harmful – it is used in testing laboratories as the standard ingredient (upon which all other substances are compared) for irritating the skin. Industrial uses of SLS include garage floor cleaners, engine de-greasers and car wash soaps.
Studies show its danger to be considerable when used in personal care products. A solution of just 2% SLS can increase skin thickness, cause irritation, inflammation, and increase other forms of immune activity in the skin. Some shampoos contain more than 50% SLS!
Other research suggests that SLS and SLES may cause potentially carcinogenic nitrates and dioxins to form in shampoos and cleansers by reacting with other commonly used ingredients, such as MEA, TEA and DEA. Nitrates – which are easily absorbed by the body – may enter the blood stream from just one shampooing. Younger people, particularly children, are most susceptible to the effects of SLS and LES.
Sodium laureth sulphate (SLES) – the alcohol form of SLS – is slightly less irritating, but can be more drying to the skin. Both SLES and SLS have been found to damage hair follicles and cause hair loss.
Parabens
According to recent studies, 99% of personal care products contain synthetic preservatives – used to increase shelf life – called parabens.
Parabens, commonly known as methylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben and butylparaben, are also used extensively in shampoos, and other personal care products – also produced for children.
As well as causing skin irritation, rash, dermatitis, and allergic skin reactions, parabens mimic the female hormone estrogen and have recently been linked to breast cancer.
New research undertaken by the university of Reading found high concentrations of parabens in 18 out of 20 breast tumors, with the indication that they came from something applied to the skin, such as an underarm deodorant, cream or body spray.
The Journal of Applied toxicology, which published the research state that ‘from this research it is not possible to say whether parabens actually caused these tumors, but they may certainly be associated with the overall rise in breast cancer cases’.
Previously published studies have shown that parabens are able to be absorbed through the skin and to bind to the body’s estrogen-receptors, where they can encourage breast cancer cell growth.
Children are also particularly at risk because the rate of exposure in relation to body mass is greater. Also, children’s skin is thinner allowing harmful substances to be more easily absorbed.
Propylene glycol
An ingredient used in anti-freeze and brake fluid, it is the most widely used moisture carrying ingredient found in cosmetics. Propylene glycol is used in many moisturizers and hand/body lotions as an emulsifier and solvent – used instead of glycerine (which is more expensive).
This chemical, acknowledged as a neurotoxin, is readily absorbed through the skin and scalp. It has been linked to contact dermatitis, kidney damage and liver abnormalities. It also inhibits skin cell growth, damaging cell membranes and causing rashes, dry skin and surface damage to the skin.
Parfum (or fragrance)
The word ‘parfum’ can include thousands of different chemicals – many of which may be toxic of carcinogenic. Synthetic scents and musks, which are particularly linked to allergies and multiple chemical sensitivities, are typically made up of 95% chemical compounds derived from petroleum.
A loophole in current legislation – designed to protect the commercial secrets of manufacturers can mean that even hormone disrupting PHTHALATES which may be present in most types of body care preparation doesn’t have to be listed by name.
This is because it is used as part of the fragrance, and is therefore hidden within the all embracing term ‘parfum’. Of the thousands of chemicals used in fragrance, only a few have been safety tested.
Synthetic colorants
Synthetic dyes from aluminum and coal tar can be absorbed into our bodies and stored in our organs and fatty tissues. For those sensitive individuals, the use of coal tar colors can cause such symptoms as nausea, headaches, skin problems, fatigue, mood swings or other allergic symptoms.
Coal tar dyes have produced cancer in laboratory animals.
Phthalates
Phthalates have traditionally been found in many leading beauty care products, including hair spray, deodorant, nail polish and perfume. They are a group of chemicals used as solvents and fixatives. (They are also used extensively in the plastics industry – to make plastic pliable).
Phthalates can be absorbed through the skin, inhaled as fumes, ingested when they contaminate food, or when children bit or suck on toys. They have recently been banned for use in children’s plastic toys.
They are persistent and bio-accumulative and are widespread contaminants of the environment and the human body. Hundred of animal studies have shown that phthalates can damage the liver, the kidneys, the lungs and the reproductive system.
Cosmetics companies have always been quoted as saying that the level of phthalates in their products is “safe”. That might be true if people were exposed to only one phthalate from one source at any one time, but that is rarely the case. It’s the cumulative effect that gives the greatest cause for concern.
Because the ‘bio-accumulate’, phthalates end up in our rivers and seas, where they are ingested by water creatures, eaten by fish, and end up in the food chain. When the fish is eaten, the phthalates, enter the body, where they mix with other phthalates which have been absorbed by the skin. They have even been found in breast milk.
In 2001 the European Union classified phthalates as substances “toxic to reproduction”, and in 2003 the European Parliament banned two phthalates – DBP and DEHP – in both domestic and imported cosmetics.
But current labeling laws contain a “trade secret” loophole that allows companies to use generic terms such as “fragrance” or “parfum” rather than disclosing ingredients. Most synthetic fragrances contain phthalates – although you’ll never find them listed on the label!
Women’s Environment Network – WEN has done a lot of research on phthalates, and has produced a report – “Pretty nasty”. WEN states: “Chemicals that cause birth defects do not belong in products marketed for personal or household use. While the levels of phthalates in some individual products were low, people are being exposed to phthalates from many different products each day.”
(Beauty & Natural Therapies, p 3 of 3)
Finding Safe Organic Products
We are proud to offer you the finest, purest and most natural and organic products available in the spa industry. All of the products at Nurturing You are 100% beneficial to the body and each product is selected carefully, made from organic ingredients, natural plant and herbal essences that provide quality and therapeutic benefits to the skin and hair. Everything that our bodies come into contact with has an effect on our health as well as on our beauty. Relax, knowing our products are free of parabens and synthetics.
