|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
 |
||||||
|
Harmful Ingredients to Avoid In Personal Care Products |
||||||
| Ever
wondered what exactly is in the many shampoos, shower gels and skin care products
available on the market? Ever wondered what these substances do to the human
body? Below is a list of common chemical substances which can be found in a vast majority of toiletries available. |
||||||
| Sodium
Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) - Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES) potentially,
SLS is perhaps the most harmful ingredient in personal care products. SLS is
used in testing labs as the standard ingredient to irritate skin. Industrial
uses of SLS include garage floor cleaners, engine degreasers, and car wash
shampoos just to name a few. Studies show its danger potential to be great
when used in personal care products. One study indicates that SLS is systemic,
and can penetrate and be retained in the eye, brain, heart, liver etc.,
with potentially harmful long-term effects. It could retard healing; cause
cataracts in adults, and can keep children's eyes from developing properly. Other research has shown that SLS and SLES may cause potentially carcinogenic (cancer causing) nitrates and dioxins to form in shampoos and cleansers by reacting with commonly used ingredients found in many products. Large amounts of nitrates may enter the blood system from just one shampooing. SLES is the alcohol form (ethoxylated) of SLS. It is slightly less irritating but may cause more drying. Both SLS and SLES can enter the blood stream. They are used in personal-care products because they are cheap. A small amount generates a large amount of foam, and when salt is added it thickens to give the illusion of bring thick and concentrated. |
||||||
Propylene Glycol - called a humectant in cosmetics it is really "Industrial Antifreeze" and the major ingredients in brake and hydraulic fluid. Tests show it can be a strong skin irritant. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) on propylene Glycol warn users to avoid skin contact, as it is systemic and can cause liver abnormalities and kidney damage. |
||||||
Mineral Oil - Comes from Crude Oil (Petroleum) used in industry as metal cutting fluid. May suffocate the skin by forming an oil film. Healthy skin needs oxygen, and to release carbon dioxide it should not be inhibited. Holding to large amounts of moisturise in the skin can "flood" the biology and may result in immature, unhealthy, sensitive skin that dries out easily. |
||||||
| Petroleum - Same properties as Mineral Oil. Industrially it is used as a grease component | ||||||
Bentonite or Kaolin – Clays in foundations that may clog and suffocate the skin Glycerin – Draws moisture from inside the skin and holds it on the surface for a better feel. Dries skin from the inside out Collagen and Elastin of High Molecular Weight – Derived from animal skins and grounded up chicken feet. Both of these ingredients form films that may suffocate and over moisturise the skin. Bar Soaps – Made from animal fat and lye. May let bacteria feed and grow on it. May corrode the skin and dry it out. Many
of the “hyped” ingredients procollagen, collagen, Elastin, cross-linked
Elastin, and hyaluronic acids found in most cosmetic brands cannot penetrate
the skin because the size of the particles is bigger that the size of the
pores in the skin and are therefore of little benefit
| ||||||
