Well, this topic didn't start out as a blog post idea, but it kind of turned in to one.
A few days ago, I polled my Facebook friends and asked what moisturizer they were using. I really just wanted to search for a few on the Think Dirty App and compare ingredients for my Young Living members.
You see, each month, in our oily group, we do a Ditch & Switch Challenge, and everyone that participates is entered to win $20.00. We talk about the harsh ingredients in our current products and how Young Living often gives us better options.
As I was beginning my research, I realized that I had forgotten many of the common brand names for moisturizers and skin care, and I was drawing a blank when I was trying to look them up. Thus, my Facebook poll was born, and then I thought I'd share all of my research here, because some people were asking...... In the end, I had over 60 comments with lots of different opinions, so I'll be digging in to several (not all of them) and I'll share over the next few weeks.
As I was beginning my research, I realized that I had forgotten many of the common brand names for moisturizers and skin care, and I was drawing a blank when I was trying to look them up. Thus, my Facebook poll was born, and then I thought I'd share all of my research here, because some people were asking...... In the end, I had over 60 comments with lots of different opinions, so I'll be digging in to several (not all of them) and I'll share over the next few weeks.
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We often trust our skincare products, because they're approved by the FDA and surely cosmetic companies do their research and wouldn't knowingly expose us to toxins and harmful chemicals. Right???
According to a survey of more than 2300 people, the average adult uses 9 personal care products each day, with 126 unique chemical ingredients.
Here are some tough facts to swallow:
1. 12.2 million adults – one of every 13 women – are exposed to ingredients that are known or probable human carcinogens every day through their use of personal care products.
2. One of every 24 women, are exposed daily to personal care product ingredients that are known or probable reproductive and developmental toxins, linked to impaired fertility or developmental harm for a baby in the womb or a child.
3. One of every five adults are potentially exposed every day to all of the top seven carcinogenic impurities common to personal care product ingredients — hydroquinone, ethylene dioxide, 1,4-dioxane, formaldehyde, nitrosamines, PAHs, and acrylamide.
4. Women use more products than men, and are exposed to more unique ingredients daily.
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I used several websites to check several ingredients in the moisturizers researched. The Think Dirty App is great if you're just getting started with looking in to your skin care products, but it's also not the absolute best. About a year ago, the app was bought out, and several products that use to have a high rating, now have a lower rating. My general rule of thumb is that if "fragrance" is listed as an ingredient, I won't use the product at all. You can ready why here. I also used www.ewg.org, and my search engine.
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Alright, let's get down to dissecting these moisturizers we use.
On the Think Dirty App, it's rated a 7. On the bright side, this moisturizer does not appear to have a fragrance, until you look closer.
Methylparaben is a fragrance ingredient which contains preservatives that mimic estrogen and can act as a potential endocrine system disruptor. Some studies of breast tumors show a build up of methylparabens in the breast tissue.
Propyl Paraben is used as a fragrance and preservative, and can cause allergies. And guess what- it's also been found built up in breast tumors, and is a possible endocrine system disruptor.
The 4th ingredient C13 14 Isoparaffin is derived from petroleum. It can cause allergic reactions and is a possible carcinogen. This ingredient also causes possible organ system toxicity.
(Friends, I should add here, that I'm not going to dissect every ingredient, you'd completely loose interest and it would take several days to blog it all.)
Mary Kay Timewise
I had lots of friends share that they used this moisturizer. First, it's rated as an 8 on the Think Dirty App. The closer to 10 a product is, the more toxic it is for us.
Let's chat about Diazolidinyl Urea, yeah, don't worry, I can't pronounce it either. Urea allows chemicals to penetrate deeper in to the skin and is added to products as a preservative and anti-microbial. Urea can increase your risk for contact dermatitis and has also been shown to release formaldehyde- a carcinogen. This ingredient contains formaldehyde releasing agents, can cause skin irritations, allergies, and may trigger eczema.
Talc...... many products I researched contained Talc. Talc is used as an abrasive, absorbent, anti-caking skin protecting agent in cosmetics. It's recommended to avoid using the chemical around the mouth and nose. Talc causes respiratory and skin irritations, and possible carcinogens. And friends, one of those carcinogens can cause ovarian cancer. Yes. Cancer in the Ovaries.
The next two ingredients, Methylparaben and Propylparaben are found in Olay's and were shared above.
Retinol is used as a medication for acne, and can also lead to developmental or birth defects.
The next two ingredients, Talc, Methylparaben, are talked about above, so we'll skip those and go to phenoxyethanol. First of all, phenoxyethanol is a synthetic, antimicrobial preservative used in cosmetics. There are NO reports of this compound being found in natural extracts. Friends, it was formulated in a lab. The FDA stated that phenoxyethanol can depress the central nervous system and may cause vomiting and diarrhea, and cause skin irritation.
Rodan and Fields isn't listed on the Think Dirty app, so I had to do some digging. I had several friends mention that they use this company, however, they didn't mention the specific regime they use, so I just went with the Soothe Moisture Replenish Cream.
Here's a screen shot of it's ingredients.
First up, Water.
Next, we have Dimethicone. According to EWG.org, dimethicone is a low overall hazard, and does not cause cancer or allergies. However, it can contribute to organ (non-reproductive) toxicity. (source)
Glycerin is generally safe, and only a small number of people have reactions to it.
Pentylene Glycol, is a synthetic ingredient and often used as a thickener or softener in cosmetics. If used on damaged or broken skin, it can cause irritation and system toxicity. In addition, it can reduce the skin's moisture level and speed up aging.
Okay, I had to do some digging, as I went through these ingredients one by one..... there are some good for you ingredients in here.... Echium Plantagineum Seed Oil, Chamomilla Recutita Flower, Grape Seed Oil.......
But, this also has phenoxyethanol (see above), Benzyl Alcohol, which has a moderate hazard on EWG, and can lead to asthma/respiratory concerns. It can also cause dryness, irritation, and breakouts. Potassium Sorbate, which has a mild-moderate toxicity, and can lead to swelling, redness, irritation especially at mucous membrane, and if you inhale this, then coughing and wheezing are common. BHT is generally recognized as safe, but some data has shown that it causes cancer in animals.
Overall, this may not be the best product to use, but it's definitely not the worst, and from what I can tell, this specific moisturizer doesn't have fragrance listed as an ingredient, but remember that Rodan and Fields has several different regimes, so if you use this product, I'd encourage you to dig in to each ingredient one by one.
Arbonne RE9 Advanced Day Creme
This was a lot easier to find since it's already been researched on EWG.org . Overall, the toxicity rating is a 4, but it's ingredients can lead to cancer, and developmental/reproductive toxicity. And, Retinyl Palmitate is rated a 9. I dug a little deeper, and found that in one study, it enhanced photocarcinogenic activity in mice, and according to the EWG, it can cause developmental/reproductive toxicity, cancer, organ system toxicity, and cause biochemical or cellular level changes. I'm assuming if Arbonne would remove this ingredient, their product would be rated a lot better.
We'll chat more about Retinyl Palmitate soon, because I've done some more reading on that study with mice.
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Okay, that's 5 ingredient reviews for you!! If you'd like for me to research your specific moisturizer, leave me a comment and I'll do my best to include it in the next post.
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