Clean skincare is something I have mentioned many times on The Foundation blog and my Instagram. But with my doctorate wrapping up (*pops bubbly*), I realized why switching to toxic skincare products is essential for your health.
This article will...
Summarize the main points of each issue
Would you please share some concrete facts and information about regulations related to the importance of using clean beauty products?
Talk about the why and how of switching to nontoxic, clean products.
Let me end by sharing 8 of my favorite nontoxic brands for clean skin, makeup, and household products. They will make switching to clean products a breeze!
This is something that I am passionate about for my health, and I wanted to share it with you. Ok, enough intro. Let's dive into WHY it is so important to switch to clean skincare and beauty products.
Wait... Can Toxins Be Allow In My Products?
You may believe that federal agencies must prove safety before products can be approved, used, and sold. But that is often not true. The European Union has more than 1400 banned personal care chemicals due to safety concerns. These include a chemical that can cause neurological effects, hormone-disrupting properties, or carcinogenic effects. The United States has banned only 11 chemicals from personal-care products (Faber 2019, 2019). The U.S. is far behind the E.U. in this area, but it's not that they are superior. The U.S. federal cosmetics law was established in 1938 and has not kept pace with technological advances and industry changes (Faber, 2019).
This means that many chemicals can cause adverse health outcomes. These chemicals are often found in products we use every day, such as toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, and makeup. These chemicals are banned in many countries as a precautionary measure. However, in the United States, the FDA requires a higher level of what is known as "proof that harm" before any action can be taken. This allows these chemicals to be present every day in the products we use. The U.S. law does not require cosmetics manufacturers to submit safety data to FDA. It has been estimated that only 10% have been evaluated for safety by Goleman (2010).
In summary, American laws and regulations are far behind the times in evaluating the safety of chemicals in products. This means that Americans are regularly exposed to chemicals in every product they use. Every single. Day special cleansing gel.
The issue: Here's the complete story
There have been adverse effects on the health of the general population from exposure to environmental contaminants. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has published only 200 evaluation data on the 83,000 chemicals Americans use (Wilson & Schwarzman 2009). Many Americans don't know that their products contain untested or potentially dangerous chemicals (Vogel 2011, 2011).
Every day, individuals may contact or use a variety of chemicals found in personal care products. The body can inhale, ingest, or absorb them topically. They could also pass through breast milk and the placenta (Chan Chalupka & Barrett 2015).
The current U.S. law does not allow cosmetic manufacturers to submit safety data to FDA. It only bans 11 chemicals. What a contrast! The E.U.'s approach, known as REACH (Registration Evaluation Authorisation and Restriction Of Chemicals), requires manufacturers to prove each ingredient's safety before being used in a product.
Although the U.S. has similar rules regarding new chemicals, this does not apply to thousands of potentially hazardous chemicals already incorporated in products ( Restricted and Prohibited Ingredients In Cosmetics, 2017). The FDA requires that a chemical be considered dangerous before any action can be taken. (Faber, 2019, These lapses in legislation have resulted in the American public being regularly exposed to chemicals in personal-care products.
The current U.S. legislation doesn't limit the number of chemicals contained in personal care products. Instead, it places responsibility on consumers to understand complex chemical jargon on ingredient labels. However, less than 3% of college-aged students are aware of this as a potential source of toxic exposure (Chan Chalupka, Barrett, 2015). This is concerning as the Environmental Working Group found that women are exposed to an average of 162 chemicals per day from personal care products and cosmetics (EWG 2012). Toxic exposure must be reduced in America due to rising concerns about cancer, hormone imbalances, and neurological diseases.
Let's sum it all: The key facts and cliff notes version.
We use many chemicals in personal care products every day (makeup, skincare, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, toothpaste). Many chemicals can cause toxic effects on the body, such as cancer, hormonal issues, neurological issues, and more.
Many countries regulate personal care products in different ways. For example, many countries ban chemicals such as formaldehyde and parabens. These chemicals aren't banned in the United States, and they are permitted in personal care products used every day by many Americans.
Women who use more personal care products (such a sunscreen, makeup, and skincare) report higher levels. Women who used more personal care products than their counterparts had higher parabens, phthalates, and other phenols in urine (Berger et al., 2019).
These chemicals are commonly found in U.S./Canadian cosmetic products as PFAS (per and poly-fluoroalkyl substances). This broad term is used to describe over 5000 chemicals that build up in our bodies ("bioaccumulate") and which have been linked with thyroid disease, cancer, liver toxicity, and decreased fertility. Whitehead and colleagues (2021) found that PFAS was present in 52% of 231 randomly chosen makeup products sold in the United States. (Oh, my! This is alarming. 88% of products were tested for PFAS, and none of them listed any ingredients that could explain these chemical markers. (Double yikes).
Federal cosmetics laws in the United States are very outdated. They were established in 1938 and have not kept pace with changing scientific knowledge and industry needs (Faber 2019, 2019).
Chemicals will be banned in many countries after only preliminary toxicology data is available. This follows the "precautionary principle" when determining limits on exposure to potentially dangerous substances. The FDA regulations in the United States require strong evidence of harm before any actions are taken. Otherwise, a chemical would not be allowed to remain in a product.
The European Union banned over 1,300 chemicals in personal health and cosmetic products to ensure consumer safety. In contrast, the United States only banned 11 chemicals (Faber 2019, 2019).
The current U.S. legislation doesn't limit the number of chemicals contained in these products in other countries. Instead, consumers are responsible for finding non-toxic products. This is worrying because most Americans don't know that personal care products can be toxic to their health (Chan Chalupka & Barrett 2015).
It is essential to examine the chemicals found in our products in light of rising cancer and hormone imbalances in America.
Here is a policy brief that I created on this topic for graduate school. Pin it and share it (but please credit where appropriate).