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Harmful Ingredients To Look for in Cosmetics and Foods January 30, 2016 16:17

Sourced from http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/704811/PHENOXYETHANOL/

I have a general mistrust for "organic" store products...here's why...

Go grab an "organic" product you've recently purchased, find the ingredient list, do you see any of the following:

Hydantoin AKA DMDM- is a preservative that releases formaldehyde that is used in embalming. Found in many after sun Aloe vera products, lotions, sunscreens, etc.

Phenoxyethanol- AKA Ethylene glycol phenyl- is known to cause DNA mutations and is an endocrine(hormone) disrupter and can cause bladder damage. This product is also tested on animals so NOT vegan friendly! Another quick fact about this dirty additive is that you can find it in many shampoos and cosmetics so check your labels!!!

Germall plus- AKA Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate and Propylene Glycol (anti-freeze) yes the kind you put in your car, Need I say more? This is a very common preservative found in many cosmetics, body washes, shampoos, etc.

FD&C colours- such as Red 40, blue 1, etc are derived from the coal tar used to make synthetic dyes, I'm pretty positive It can't be healthy to put that on your skin or in your body.

DHA AKA Dehydroacetic acid- used as a preservative and can cause kidney damage if ingested, so my question is what happens when it's absorbed through the skin?

Synthetic Fragrances- can cause allergic reactions and are very toxic to the body. They contain many chemical compounds ranging between 10-3000. Many fragrances contain Phthalate which help make plastic products. So again you're putting endocrine disrupters, carcinogenic chemicals on your body when you apply any product that has a fragrance(s) in it. 

Hydroquinone- been shown to cause leukemia in mice. The European union banned it from cosmetics.

Methylparaben, and propylparaben- estrogenic (messes with natural hormone balance, too much estrogen causes estrogen dominance which can cause cancer, and many other problems for men and women), carcinogenic, allergenic, found in breast tissue.

Parrafin, mineral oil, petrolatum etc.- petrochemicals, clogs pores, acne causing, respiratory toxin, can cause dizziness

SO maybe you're starting to see why I'm a little skeptical of store bought products, many of them claiming to be organic and "good" for you.

I'm not buying it, literally.

I won't buy products with these things in them and I refuse to put them in the products I sell. If I won't put it on my skin, I'm not going to put it in my products, knowing that they're potentially harmful.

So before you buy, LOOK AT THE INGREDIENT LIST! I'm not yelling, just urging you!

You may think it doesn't make a difference because it's in such small quantities, but your skin readily absorbs what you put on it and whatever you put on it can get transferred to organs, cells, your brain etc. Think about it....

That face cream you use, everyday, that may have harmful ingredients, those little amounts of preservatives and petrochemicals in the cream can build up in your system overtime, resulting in real problems for your body.

A word about the word "Organic."

My definition is different from the commercial definition of organic, to me organic means: real whole foods, and herbs that have not been treated with synthetic fertilizers or pesticides of any kind, have been grown in soil that does not have residues from pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, etc.. Free from all tainting.

For instance here is a list of Non Organic Ingredients allowed in Organic foods: Sourced from http://foodbabe.com/2012/05/24/full-list-of-non-organic-ingredients-allowed-in-organic-food/

 

Non-Organic Agriculture Products Allowed:

  • Casings, from processed intestines.
  • Celery powder.
  • Chia ( Salvia hispanica L. ).
  • Colors derived from agricultural products.
  • Annatto extract color—water and oil soluble.
  • Beet juice extract color
  • Beta-carotene extract color, derived from carrots
  • Black currant juice color
  • Black/Purple carrot juice color
  • Blueberry juice color
  • Carrot juice color
  • Cherry juice color
  • Chokeberry—Aronia juice color
  • Elderberry juice color
  • Grape juice color
  • Grape skin extract color
  • Paprika color —dried, and oil extracted.
  • Pumpkin juice color
  • Purple potato juice
  • Red cabbage extract color
  • Red radish extract color
  • Saffron extract color
  • Turmeric extract color
  • Dillweed oil
  • Fish oil —stabilized with organic ingredients or only with ingredients on the National List
  • Fortified cooking wines.
  • Marsala.
  • Sherry.
  • Fructooligosaccharides
  • Galangal, frozen.
  • Gelatin
  • Gums—water extracted only (Arabic; Guar; Locust bean; and Carob bean).
  • Hops ( Humulus luplus ).
  • Inulin-oligofructose enriched
  • Kelp—for use only as a thickener and dietary supplement.
  • Konjac flour
  • Lecithin—de-oiled.
  • Lemongrass—frozen.
  • Orange pulp, dried.
  • Orange shellac-unbleached
  • Pectin (high-methoxy).
  • Peppers (Chipotle chile).
  • Seaweed, Pacific kombu.
  • Starches.
  • Cornstarch (native).
  • Rice starch, unmodified —for use in organic handling until June 21, 2009.
  • Sweet potato starch—for bean thread production only.
  • Tragacanth gum
  • Turkish bay leaves.
  • Wakame seaweed ( Undaria pinnatifida ).
  • Whey protein concentrated

Here's a list of synthetic ingredients allowed in "organic foods" sourced from http://foodbabe.com/2012/05/24/full-list-of-non-organic-ingredients-allowed-in-organic-food/

Synthetics Allowed:

  • Acidified sodium chlorite—Secondary direct antimicrobial food treatment and indirect food contact surface sanitizing. Acidified with citric acid only.
  • Activated charcoal —only from vegetative sources; for use only as a filtering aid.
  • Alginates.
  • Ammonium bicarbonate—for use only as a leavening agent.
  • Ammonium carbonate—for use only as a leavening agent.
  • Ascorbic acid.
  • Calcium citrate.
  • Calcium hydroxide.
  • Calcium phosphates (monobasic, dibasic, and tribasic).
  • Carbon dioxide.
  • Cellulose—for use in regenerative casings, as an anti-caking agent (non-chlorine bleached) and filtering aid.
  • Chlorine materials—disinfecting and sanitizing food contact surfaces, Except, That, residual chlorine levels in the water shall not exceed the maximum residual disinfectant limit under the Safe Drinking Water Act (Calcium hypochlorite; Chlorine dioxide; and Sodium hypochlorite).
  • Cyclohexylamine —for use only as a boiler water additive for packaging sterilization.
  • Diethylaminoethanol —for use only as a boiler water additive for packaging sterilization.
  • Ethylene—allowed for postharvest ripening of tropical fruit and degreening of citrus.
  • Ferrous sulfate—for iron enrichment or fortification of foods when required by regulation or recommended (independent organization).
  • Glycerides (mono and di)—for use only in drum drying of food.
  • Glycerin—produced by hydrolysis of fats and oils.
  • Hydrogen peroxide.
  • Magnesium carbonate—for use only in agricultural products labeled “made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s)),” prohibited in agricultural products labeled “organic”.
  • Magnesium chloride—derived from sea water.
  • Magnesium stearate—for use only in agricultural products labeled “made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s)),” prohibited in agricultural products labeled “organic”.
  • Nutrient vitamins and minerals, in accordance with 21 CFR 104.20, Nutritional Quality Guidelines For Foods.
  • Octadecylamine —for use only as a boiler water additive for packaging sterilization.
  • Ozone.
  • Pectin (low-methoxy).
  • Peracetic acid/Peroxyacetic acid —for use in wash and/or rinse water according to FDA limitations. For use as a sanitizer on food contact surfaces.
  • Phosphoric acid—cleaning of food-contact surfaces and equipment only.
  • Potassium acid tartrate.
  • Potassium carbonate.
  • Potassium citrate.
  • Potassium hydroxide—prohibited for use in lye peeling of fruits and vegetables except when used for peeling peaches during the Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) production process.
  • Potassium iodide—for use only in agricultural products labeled “made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s)),” prohibited in agricultural products labeled “organic”.
  • Potassium phosphate—for use only in agricultural products labeled “made with organic (specific ingredients or food group(s)),” prohibited in agricultural products labeled “organic”.
  • Silicon dioxide.
  • Sodium acid pyrophosphate —for use only as a leavening agent.
  • Sodium citrate.
  • Sodium hydroxide—prohibited for use in lye peeling of fruits and vegetables.
  • Sodium phosphates—for use only in dairy foods.
  • Sulfur dioxide—for use only in wine labeled “made with organic grapes,” Provided, That, total sulfite concentration does not exceed 100 ppm.
  • Tartaric acid—made from malic acid.
  • Tetrasodium pyrophosphate (CAS # 7722–88–5)—for use only in meat analog products.
  • Tocopherols—derived from vegetable oil when rosemary extracts are not a suitable alternative.
  • Xanthan gum

Can you believe it? That's why I said, check your labels!!

Here's a resource for your continued research on this subject.

http://www.safecosmetics.org/get-the-facts/chemicals-of-concern/

Image of phenoxyethanol sourced from http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/704811/PHENOXYETHANOL/

Lots of love,

Heavenly Botanicals

~Brie