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The Dirty Dozen: Health and Beauty Products

June 11, 2015 by Kelly

beautyAs the years go by and more information comes out about chemical use in  health and beauty products, I have started to take a good, hard look at the products I use. A few years ago, my cupboards were stocked with Pantene shampoo, St. Ives body wash and Clean & Clear face-wash. I used nail polish often, wondering why my nails would always peel and become brittle. I bought whatever was on sale at the drug store and didn’t think twice. These big companies like Proctor & Gamble wouldn’t sell us something harmful, would they?

What’s scary is just how many health and beauty products are laced with chemicals that can cause health issues such as hormone imbalances, respiratory problems and even cancer. They’re everywhere, hiding in your perfume, hair dye, deoderant and even make-up. The David Suzuki Foundation did a survey on Canadian’s cosmetics and found that 80% of products had at least one ingredient from their Dirty Dozen list for Health & Beauty products, and more than half had multiple ingredients. This survey was from 2010, so it’s about 5 years old. I’m curious about what the results today would be, but still. Not good.

If you’re trying to live a cleaner, healthier life, you can’t forget about the products that you put on your body on a daily basis. Our skin is our largest organ, and what you put on your skin gets absorbed into your body. If you are looking to “clean” up  your health and beauty cupboard, you want to avoid using products with these “dirty dozen” ingredients:

  1. BHA and BHT
  2. Coal Tar Dyes (p-phenylenediamine and colours listed as “CI” followed by a five digit number)
  3. DEA-related ingredients
  4. Dibutyl phthalate
  5. Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives
  6. Parabens
  7. Parfum (a.k.a. fragrance)
  8. PEG compounds
  9. Petrolatum
  10. Siloxanes
  11. Sodium laureth sulfate
  12. Triclosan

Take a second and look at that list. Daunting, right? Do you even know what you just read? More things we can’t pronounce or don’t understand. Awesome.

Lucky for us, the David Suzuki Foundation has created this super convenient Sustainable Shopper’s Guide listing the 12 ingredients to avoid in your cosmetics. Print it out and take it with you shopping. If you go to your local drug store, finding anything without these ingredients is like finding a needle in a haystack. You will probably have to venture off the beaten path a bit. Check out your natural food stores – often they have a beauty section. Or look for great, reputable brands online. There are so many people playing in this arena, such as Joyous Health, Green Beaver or 100% Pure.  The Environmental Working Group also has a great database of health and beauty products and their “risk” ratings. Check out how your current health and beauty products measure up on this list – you may be surprised with what you find.

Take time to research what you are putting on your body. I promise it will be worth it. Do you pay attention to the health and beauty products you buy?

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Filed Under: Live Well Tagged With: beauty, beauty products, chemicals, clean, dirty dozen, healthy, healthy living, natural, skin, Women's health

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Liz says

    June 11, 2015 at 5:07 PM

    I admit, I don’t look at the ingredients much. Then again, I don’t use a lot of products. I tend to go sans makeup, except for a bit of mascara and eye-shadow. I don’t wash my hair everyday.

    Still yet, it is terrifying to see all the things we put on and around our body without a second thought, trusting big business to protect us. Ha!

  2. Kimiko says

    June 12, 2015 at 4:47 PM

    This is crazy and makes me just want to shut my eyes and plug my ears… but I do think its important to know… so when I’m feeling brave this weekend, I’m going to research my makeup. I use Bare Minerals products and Clinique… hoping they aren’t high on the risk list.

  3. Ivy says

    June 12, 2015 at 7:06 PM

    I must admit, I rarely look at the ingredients/calories when buying food, so I definitely have not even thought about looking into the ingredients in my products. It has definitely made me think about what products I had been using when living in Hong Kong and how it may very well have caused some kind of hormonal imbalance, thus resulting in me not menstruating for a 6 month period. I mean, there were definitely other factors too (I was going through a very ugly breakup), but who’s to say that the products I was using (I couldn’t bring any of my stuff in Canada with me when I moved there) wasn’t also a culprit in my health issues? Thank you for posting this!!

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Between the chaos and the rush of modern day society, I help women find balance in their lives. I’m Kelly, nice to meet you! Learn more.

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I am a holistic nutritionist and believe that health can be optimized through diet. However, I am not a medical doctor nor do I diagnose, prescribe or promise to heal a diagnosis. Recommendations listed in this post may not be suitable for everyone. Supplements may interfere with medication. It is important to review any changes with your health care provider. Read more here.

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Disclaimer: Kelly Maia Agnew (Kelly Maia Nutrition) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.ca.

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