The skincare industry in North America is very unregulated. Anyone can really slap on a label stating “organic” or “natural” yet still contain toxins. We often see the words like “clean” and ” paraben free” yet what is really going on in our products? What exactly are we putting on our skin and our family’s? And just because something is natural does not necessarily mean it is good for us.
The organic beauty industry is tipped to reach $US25.11 billion in sales by 2025!! Now that is a serious amount of lotions and potions!!!! But why suddenly the change to start being smarter with our products? I started about 6 years ago when I began my side gig in health and wellness. I had to educate myself on what it meant to have a purer safer alternative product to what I was already using. Honestly I heard a few words thrown around but did not really care because I always thought if it was expensive then it had to be a good product!!
Well was I wrong!! I have since learnt and now have so many other consumers that what we put on our body is just as important as what we put in our bodies. Consumers are demanding safer ingredients in products that actually work. Consumers are also asking for cruelty free products not just in testing on animals but not using any animal by products at all.
Did you know that the European Union have the highest standards in the skincare industry and ban 1400 ingredients from products!!! Canada bans 700 while the US only ban 30!!! That’s a staggering amount of harmful, toxin ingredients in our skincare products!! Knowing that our skin is our largest organ and what we put on our skin is absorbed very quickly into our bloodstream these numbers are quite worrisome!
The United States has NOT “passed a major federal law governing the beauty industry since 1938.”The Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA)has not been updated since 1999! The CEPA governs ingredients in personal care products. ” Now that is a lot of time with no serious updates in regulations in the skincare industry.
It seems to me that we must become our own personal health advocates. Start reading labels and researching what is in our products that should not be there. Parabens are a common word now. Studies now show that there are parabens found in breast cancer cells.Our bodies do not produce parabens, they come from what we we absorb into our bodies by putting onto our skin.Would you want your children using products that contain parabens and other harmful toxic ingredients?
The selection in the marketplace today is extensive and there are more and more companies taking out the nasties in their products. There still is a lot of work to be done but the push for change has begun. As Gregg Renfrew, CEO of Beautycounter, rightly stated.” It is time for safe beauty to no longer be an option, but rather a requirement.”
- start educating yourself
- avoid products that contain parabens, Phthalates, Formaldehyde-donating preservatives, Petrolatum ,Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and Synthetic fragrances and dyes . These chemicals are hormone disruptors , potential carcinogens , cause skin irritation and are toxic.
- understand why they are harmful
- seek a safer , healthier alternative in the marketplace
- know that just because it is expensive and a celebrity endorses it does NOT make it a safe product
- cosmetic companies spend billions on advertising a year rather than spending some of that money on creating healthier products.
Years ago the consumer placed their trust in cosmetic companies and we believed that we were buying a good quality product. After all if celebrities were also using them then it was good enough for us .But now with the internet and more research and conclusions on ingredients in skincare, the consumer is more educated and is demanding safer products for us as well as no longer testing on animals.
I would love to hear what products you use and if you are concerned with what you are putting on your skin.
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