The Body Care - Chemical Shuffle

California recently filed a lawsuit Against Whole Foods, Avalon, and others whose products tested positive for the carcinogen 1,4-Dioxane in a study done by the
Organic Consumers Association (OCA) Under California Proposition 65 any substance that contains a known carcinogen must carry a warning label or face prosecution.

Most people are under the assumption that body care products are regulated by the FDA or some other federal agency that assures safety and purity. In fact in 1938, the Cosmetic Act made manufacturers of body care responsible for regulating the products they produced. At the time it was assumed the skin was impervious to any of the chemicals they may have used in their beauty formulas. Today with the introduction and effectiveness of skin patches for drug delivery, we are more aware that chemicals placed on the skin’s surface will be absorbed into the body. Even worse every chemical our body is exposed to may not be totally eliminated and may be stored in the body’s fat and tissues. The storage of chemicals in the body is called “body burden” and there is not a person alive today that does not have some sort of body burden. Additionally each child born today will inherit some of their mother’s body burden and then will add to this burden throughout their lifetime.

There are over 30,000 different chemicals used in body care products today. At least one third are known to be carcinogenic, estrogenic, teratogenic or to cause various problems in human beings. The strategy of the chemical companies who produce these substances is to deny and/or minimize the problems they may cause. One of their key arguments is that these chemicals are in such minute quantities in their products that they couldn’t possibly cause harm. This argument negates the fact that these chemicals are in multiple products that are used daily along with multiple other chemicals that could cause synergistic effects.

The chemical named in the lawsuit is 1.4-Dioxane. 1,4-Dioxane is not added directly to body care products but rather it is a by product of the chemical process that turns Sodium (or Ammonium) Laurel Sulfate (SLS) to Sodium (or Ammonium) Laureth Sulfate. Sodium Laurel Sulfate.is a very harsh and powerful sudsing agent and degreaser. Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a slightly larger molecule that is little less harsh on the skin. To make the Lauteth version Ethylene Oxide (a petroleum product and known carcinogen) is added to the SLS .in a process called ethoxolation. Chemical companies like to confuse us and claim that one chemical is safer than the other but in truth the safety of neither has been proven. And while only certain manufactures were named in the current lawsuit any body care product or cleanser that has Sodium or Ammonium Laureth Sulfate as an ingredient will also contain 1,4-Dioxane.

There are other unintentional ingredients such as nitrosamines and formaldehyde that also show up in body care products. However, aside from these chemicals we also need to look more closely at the chemicals that manufacturers intentionally put into our personal care, . Many such as phthalates and parabens have been associated with cancers and have been outlawed in Europe. Our manufacturers continue to use these chemicals because they are cheap and effective for the uses they want and manufacturers value profit above safety.. They also choose to confuse us, often by noting the natural source of the chemical in parenthesis as (coconut oil) and by noting the words natural or organic somewhere on the label. But be aware that unless accompanied by a third party certification seal such as USDA organic, these words are just marketing terms designed to have us think these products are greener than they really are. This is a marketing technique called “greenwashing” .

The bottom line is most commercially sold body care products contain chemicals that can harm our health and that of the planet. There are good products available but we have to educate ourselves as to how to read labels and what to look for. As long as our laws allow manufactures to use questionable chemicals in the products they sell us, buying these products in a store such as Whole Foods or a high end department store, .is no assurance of quality. The quickest way to get good products to the market place is to vote with your purse and stop buying products with chemical ingredients. You can also go to www.safecosmetics.org and sign the petition to urge our legislatures to take action

For organic and chemical free body care products, check out www.blissfullyorganic.com , and also http://www.theoilsolution.com/bliss Also for chemical free mineral make up www.itvsmiles.com

BTW: Whole Foods shame on you. Many people trusted you to do better.

Cheryl Rounds