20 Cosmetic Ingredients You Must Avoid
This is really scary. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), nearly 90% of the 10,500 personal care product ingredients known to the FDA have not been evaluated for safety by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, the FDA, or any other publicly accountable institution.
With no governing body, there’s bound to be an abuse. We’ve practically given the whole cosmetics industry the license to harm us!
The ugly truth is that most of what you pay to purchase these commercial products goes towards advertising expenses as the products themselves are made up of incredibly cheap, synthetic chemical ingredients, water, and fillers. I can honestly tell you that while my products are very reasonably priced, what you pay for goes mostly towards highest quality essential oils and herbs grown in organic farms. Would you pay $40 for factory-farmed beef versus $1 for free-range, grass-fed beef? Of course not! Yet, bombarded and confused by heavy, misleading advertising done by big corporations, that's what most people are doing.
I strongly urge you to read every single ingredient listed before you make your next purchase. Yes, it’s a bit cumbersome at first, but it’ll soon become your second nature and believe me, it’s worth doing. Here, for your convenience, I've even listed the ingredients you must avoid, so you have no excuse!
Alcohol - free radical and can cause dryness and flaking of the skin; can allergic reactions and skin irritation
Aqua Biomin Saccharomyces/Magnesium Ferment - yeast and an acid that causes diabetes and other topical yeast infections.
Butylene Glycol – an acid; may be narcotic and cause asphyxiation.
Cocomidopropyl Hydroxysultaine – carcinogen used in processing of coconut oil.
DMDM Hydantoin - releases formaldehyde which causes joint pain, skin reactions, allergies, depression, headaches, chest pains, ear infections, chronic fatigue, dizziness, and loss of sleep; also irritates the respiratory system, triggers heart palpitations or asthma, and aggravates coughs; weakens the immune system and can cause cancer.
Ethyl Acetate - highly toxic chemical used in cosmetics; also used in paint remover products, including nail polish remover.
Hydroquinone – highly toxic chemical found commonly in skin whitening products; widely used in plastics manufacturing; carcinogen which effects liver, blood, lungs, reproductive organ and skin; can cause irreversible skin damage that even the lenient FDA warns us to avoid it.
Imidazolidinyl Urea and Diazolidinyl – derived from animal urine, they’re the second most commonly used preservatives after the parabens
Lactic Acid – an acid and cancer causing agent found in all cancerous tumors
Methyl, Propyl, Butyl, and Ethyl Parabens – known to be toxic, they’re the most commonly used preservatives; causes allergic reactions and skin rashes.
Petrolatum (Petroleum Jelly/Mineral Oil Jelly) - mineral oil, which is often the only ingredient in many baby oils, can cause sun damage and should not be used on the skin; actually causes dryness in skin as it inhibits body’s own natural moisturizing mechanism; very ironic that it's widely used in lip products and claim to protect lips from chapping and sun burn.
Propylene Glycol (vegetable glycerin mixed with grain alcohol) – can cause allergic and toxic reaction.
PVP/VA Copolymer – petroleum-derived chemical often used in hairsprays and cosmetics
Saccharomyces Magnesium Ferment - an acid from yeast; causes damage to the insulin producing beta cells and pancreatic cancer.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) – very harmful synthetic substance used mainly shampoos for its detergent and foaming abilities; causes eye irritation, skin rashes, hair loss, scalp scurf similar to dandruff, and allergic reactions; widely used as commercial garage floor cleansers and engine degreasers; can cause eye damage, diarrhea, severe skin irritation, shortness in breathing, and even death; pro-longed exposure laves residues in the heart, liver, lungs, and brain; often disguised in pseudo-natural cosmetics with the parenthetic explanation "comes from coconut".
Stearalkonium Chloride – highly toxic chemical widely used in hair conditioners and creams; causes allergic reactions; originally developed as fabric softener
Synthetic Colors – believed to be carcinogens; depletes oxygen in the body.
Synthetic fragrances – listed simply as “fragrances,” they cause headaches, dizziness, rash, vomiting, skin irritation, and violent coughing; use essential oils and avoid commercial perfumes and colognes.
Tea lauryl sulfate – hormone disrupting chemical; can form cancer-causing nitrates and repeated use can result in liver and kidney cancer.
Triethanolamine (TEA) – often used as pH adjuster in cleansers; causes allergic reactions, including eye problems and dryness of hair and skin.
