Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Skin Deep: Toxins in Cosmetics & Personal Care Products

While nutrition is focused on what food we're putting into our body, we also must consider what we're putting on our body that could have negative consequences to our health.

Today we're bombarded with reports about how our bodies are overloaded with toxins. In a previous blog I wrote about a Consumer Report's study that discovered toxic metals in several popular protein drinks and powders. Yet one culprit we make not think having a toxic load is our cosmetics and personal care products.

Though Glamour magazine reports that a woman eats anywhere from 4-9 pounds of lipstick per year, I don't think anyone would call Glamour a bastion of scientific knowledge. So while I think this figure is suspect, it still brings up the point that we may be ingesting chemicals that we never intended to. Many mainstream lipsticks consist of synthetic oils, dyes, and petroleum waxes.

Though this is slightly off-topic, I thought it was an important issue to raise. I also wanted to let you know about a helpful tool I found from the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

The EWG has a searchable cosmetic and personal care products database. You can search anything from makeup to skincare to sunscreen to toothpaste. The database rates each product on whether it has a low, moderate, or high toxic hazard based on its ingredients. I used it to search the makeup that I use and based on it decided to make the switch to organic makeup.

Good nutrition and health is not only about what you put in your body but also what you put on your body.

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