I truly believe that you are what you eat. As a result, I'm an obsessive label-reader. It's terrible, but in a good way. It significantly reduces the amount of processed foods I eat, and when it comes to my skin care lotions, it has steered me towards products with less fillers and scary-sounding chemicals. I mean, it's nearly impossible to do so if you want to enjoy life, but if you can at least limit the amount of toxins you ingest or come into contact with, then you should, right?
With all this, I never thought to extend my label-reading to my make up before. That is, until I found a new website to feed my obsession sickness interest, www.CometicsDatabase.com. This site is amazing - it rates the toxicity levels of your skin care products and cosmetics. Talk about eye-opening! This site even tells you what the toxic ingredients in your product have been linked to, such as:
- Cancer
- Developmental/reproductive toxicity (YIKES!!!)
- Allergies/immunotoxicity
- Other concerns such as: Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Enhanced skin absorption, Biochemical or cellular level changes
Changes on the cellular level???!!! Neurotoxicity??? Are you shitting me??? I have now trashed about half the products in my make up drawer, much to my relief and dismay (make up is NOT cheap). Fortunately my new foundation from Shu Uemera is a 3 (on a scale of 0 to 10, 0 being no toxicity at all), but all of my blushes were a 9!!! My new Shu Uemera eyeshadows are a 7, which isn't THAT terrible, but do I really want that so close to my eyeballs?! I'm compromising and saving those for special occasions...gimme a break, I just bought them two months ago!
Fortunately my moisturizers and lotions are all in the 2-4 range, but I had to throw out my hair stuff. Oh well, I've been looking for an excuse to treat myself to L'Occitane shampoo and conditioner anyways (they are each a 3, yay)! While my toothpaste is safe (thank god), I have not yet had the guts to look up my lip glosses (because you ingest that shit every time you lick your lips) or my deodorant.
Like I said, it's a sickness. Really, I can't help it, I need to know!!! Sometimes I think ignorance is bliss, and I really wasn't sure I wanted to know. But, at least I am now armed with a tool to make better informed decisions going forward!
7 comments:
OK I am really confused by the site. I put in my lip balm which got a 2, which is great, but the ingredients look very natural to me, and yet it's listed as having some very scary "other concerns". If you are concerned about the ingredients in your food and cosmetics, you will probably want to throw away your fabric softener and most of the plastic food containers you own. I bought stainless steel water bottles because I am so freaked out by water in plastic. I also probably have a cell phone shaped tumor in my brain. lol
Crap. I can feel my neruosis growing. I despise shopping even more than I hate lipstick that smears...now you're telling me that the semi-permanent stain that allows my children to wander through life NOT looking bruised from all my kiss-smears on their foreheads...is gonna make my lips fall off. *sigh* Damn. I gotta go shopping.
I am still a little mad at you for showing this to me Chloe. The day we sat online and looked up our products I was devasted! You are right, our stuff isn't cheap, but is it worth it? Probably not, so off to Sephora we go with research in hand!
Well, okay. More for my "to do list", but point very well taken. Great post.
I read this site, Beauty Brains, which deals with a lot of these same issues. They're scientists who break down beauty products and give you the what for.
Please tell me, before I look, that Bare Minerals is okay...
Aunt Juicy - crap, what's wrong with fabric softener???!!! It's funny you mention plastic containers, because I am actually considering going old school and buying Pyrex glass containers! That would mean no more carrying leftovers to work for lunch, but that's okay. That still doesn't solve the fact that I use a Brita water filter/carafe though!
@Chantel - there are actually a few good lipsticks out there, keep looking! :)
@Rebekah - would you rather I keep you ignorant and then shit starts falling off...or let ur lady parts stop working???
@E.C. - I must check out that site, Beauty Brains! But I looked up Bare Minerals for you, you're safe ;) Hope you're feeling better!
And while we're all nice and freaked out, did you know that the plastic shower liner you use releases toxins when you're showering, and then you inhale those toxins (AND mold) in the steam???!!!!
I really need to stop reading about this shit.
My lady parts STOP WORKING? That is a no go captain :)
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