CAROL NYAZIKA
Many people are promoting natural skincare. Others are taking it a step further by saying that their products are vegan too.
Did you know that cosmetics are one of the least regulated consumer products on the market today and that most ingredients have never been assessed for safety in the US? According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, only about 13 percent of ingredients used in personal care products have been reviewed by a self-regulated industry, and more than 1 in 5 products contain chemicals linked to cancer.
This is seen in the recent case with Johnson and Johnson. They had to pay $72 million in a case for damages. They were sued because their talc powder, allegedly, contained an ingredient that caused ovarian cancer. The beauty industry in Zimbabwe isn’t standardised either which is a concern for us.
Now you can see the problems associated with synthetic cosmetic products that are cheap and easily available to you.
But most of us are like us before we knew better! We didn’t stop to think, “what’s in this stuff? Should I read the label? And even if I do, do I know what these ingredients are, or how to pronounce them?” Fear not, we are here to demystify a few of the bad stuff for you.
The bad stuff
- Talc – Also known as hydrous magnesium silicate, talc is a highly toxic ingredient that’s like asbestos. Why would you want that on your skin?!
- Benzoyl peroxide – found in acne products, benzoyl peroxide strips moisture and can irritate the skin and eyes.
- Diethanolamine (DEA), Monoethanolamine (MEA) and Triethanomaline (TEA) – these foamy ingredients are major irritants and can also cause dermatitis.
- Dioxin – used in ‘antibacterial’ products, dioxin has been linked to a laundry list of health problems, including nervous system disorders.
- Imidazolidinyl – this preservative release a chemical called formaldehyde, which can prompt allergies, headaches, joint pain and skin reactions.
- Methyl, Propyl, Butyl and Ethyl parabens – used as preservatives to extend the shelf life of products, parabens are notorious for causing allergic reactions, skin rashes, and triggering hormone imbalances.
- Synthetic fragrances – any beauty product labelled with “fragrance” are like drugs: you have no way of knowing what’s in them. What we do know is that they’re loaded with chemicals. Headaches, dizziness, rashes, respiratory problems and discolouration are all common side effects. Our advice? Pass on the scents unless natural!
- Phenoxyethanol – A common synthetic ingredient found in many skin care products as a preservative and linked to skin and eye irritations. Natural skincare is extremely beneficial to your skin’s health. Your skin is constantly changing and growing. More and more companies are putting harmful, dangerous chemicals into their skincare products that can cause long term damage to skin, because it’s cheap and drives up their profits Natural skincare is the safest, most effective solution to your skin’s needs. Plus, natural skincare has more benefits than just nourished skin. It’s important to treat your body as if it were a temple. Organic skincare is not only safer, but since it contains all-natural ingredients, it works so much better. It nourishes your skin and lasts all day with the added benefit of not clogging pores. It is also great on sensitive skin and it does wonders if your skin is irritated. So, do your body and skin a favour and switch to natural skincare! Now, what to do to make the switch?
- Don’t throw away everything!
Not quite the answer you expected, right? It’s important to take a less drastic approach in case you go through a detox phase, which often does happen. Try to wean yourself off it slowly. Detox symptoms are just an example of how dependent our bodies have become on these harmful chemicals. You may still detox, but it will be much easier for you. Don’t be too hard on yourself and take one thing at a time. Otherwise you’ll get overwhelmed and give up. The bottom line is when you know better, you do better. And now you know.
- Simplify your beauty routine.
How many body care products (including cosmetics) do you use per day? Ever counted? After you do that, count the number of ingredients in each product and then add them all together. Are you applying hundreds of chemicals in combination each day? Do you really need separate creams for your eyes, face, body, hands, feet, etc? Your health, wallet and cabinet space say… NO!
- Learn to read labels.
Look past pretty bottles, ignore miraculous marketing claims and go directly to the ingredients! Just because a company says its “healthy,” “100% natural,” “pure,” “botanical” or “organic” doesn’t mean that it actually is. These terms are used frivolously and have saturated the market. I have listed what to look out for so you are half way there!
- Know your ingredients.
What goes for one doesn’t always go for all. Go product-by-product and read every single ingredient on the label. If you’re not sure what it is or if the company doesn’t disclose all (only mentions key ingredients – which happens a lot), don’t buy the product.
