Are There Toxins in Your Cosmetics?

Assalaamu' Alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh,

I received this email from Jillian Michael's website. *Side Note* If you are not familiar with Jillian Michaels, she is one of the top personal Trainers on the show The Biggest Loser. If you're looking for a challenging workout dvd I totally suggest purchasing one of hers. I'm use to Tae-Bo (Billy Blank's workout series) and yes he's tough but when I did Jillian's dvd I totally felt out of shape. So try her dvd if you're looking for a challenge beyond your norm.
So back to the email :).


From LOSING IT! With Jillian Michaels
Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Are There Toxins in Your Cosmetics?
Did you know that cosmetics and personal-care products are a huge source of endocrine-disrupting chemicals? "But wait," you're thinking. "If it's on the drugstore shelf, it must be proven to be 100 percent safe — right?"

Not necessarily. While the Food and Drug Administration regulates the safety of cosmetics, manufacturers don't have to seek approval before they bring a new product to market. Beyond an established list of prohibited or restricted substances, the FDA doesn't have the authority to regulate individual ingredients. As a result, all kinds of questionable chemicals are contained in the products that many of us rub into our skin every day. Here are some of the potentially harmful ones I want you to avoid:

Formaldehyde: This preservative may be found in moisturizers, facial cleansers, shampoos, conditioners, body washes, eye shadows, mascaras, and many other products. It's harmful to the immune system and is a known human carcinogen.

Parabens: Found in shampoos, conditioners, body washes, tooth whiteners, toothpastes, facial cleansers, sunscreens, moisturizers, and astringents, these preservatives have estrogenic effects on the body and have been linked to breast and prostate cancer.

Placenta: Used in some hair relaxers, moisturizers, and toners, placenta is also estrogenic and may increase the risk for breast cancer.

Triclosan: This antibacterial agent is found in a variety of products, including moisturizers, hand creams, shampoos, conditioners, antiperspirants, and toothpastes. It may interfere with the metabolism of thyroid hormone and contribute to antibiotic resistance.

Play it safe when you buy personal care products — first look them up in the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database, and buy from companies that have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics.

So I decided to look up some of my daily use products on Comesticsdatabase.com to see whether my cosmetics were harmful or not. I suggest using this website and researching your personal products to see whether they are a risk factor or not to your health. I personally try to purchase organic or all natural products, but this new finding I think I'll be more on the fence of buying strictly organic and all natural products from now on. The products tend to be a little more costly but I rather spend the money on the "good stuff" to prevent causing harm to my body. This actually is related to price of food and how its made but that topic is for another time.

For next time....Assalaamu' Alaykum :D