Did you know…
• The cosmetic industry’s safety panel, CIR, has assessed less than 20% of cosmetics ingredients for safety.
• A high percentage (estimated at 60%) of the cosmetic ingredients that we apply readily penetrate the skin and enter our bodies.
• Most cosmetic marketing claims are unregulated, including the terms ‘natural’ and ‘hypoallergenic’.
• ‘Fragrance’ listed on a cosmetic ingredient label may be a combination of 3,000+ different undisclosed ingredients, including hormone disrupting phthalates.
• The federal law that regulates cosmetic safety in the United States has not been significantly updated in more than 75 years.
• Cosmetics companies are not required to conduct pre-market safety testing of cosmetics products and ingredients.
• A 2016 study found that when subjects switched their conventional personal care products to natural versions, they experienced a 27% to 45% decrease of concerning ingredients in their urine in just three days.
• A recent study done on HER2 positive breast cancer cells found that parabens were able to significantly speed up breast cancer cell growth, even at extremely low concentrations.
What can you do now?
• Learn more about personal care product ingredients from resources like the Environmental Working Group, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, and Unite for HER.
• Read the labels on your personal care products at home.
• Choose organic or natural versions of the products that you use most often.
By: Jolene Hart, Certified Health Coach, Author, and UFH Beauty Advisor