Maybe its Maybelline, maybe its cancer?

If someone gave you a glass of water and said,"if you drink this, theres a possibility it could kill you." Would you take the chance? This analogy is frequently used in reference to the chemicals hiding in our cosmetics. Companies claim theres only a chance you could be harmed with the chemicals in their products. Why even risk it? When approached with the theory that their products could be harmful to our health, large corporations are either a) refusing to comment or b) claiming these ingredients are only harmful in large amounts or c) flat out denying theres an issue. Okay, back to our water analogy. Let's say there is something poisonous in our water but only a very small amount. Think of how much water you drink on a daily basis. Overtime you take a sip, you're adding a little more of this poison to your body until it accumulates to a harmful level. Now, don't think I'm telling you not to drink water, you need that! I just want you to think about how often you wash your hair or how frequently you moisturize your hands. Every time you do so, these "tiny amounts" of chemicals are accumulating in your body until it does get to a point where it will hurt you. Now, I keep mentioning the term "chemicals" but what exactly does that mean? I'm referring to specific ingredients companies include in their items: Parabens, Phthalates, PEG's, Formaldehyde (yep, the stuff you preserve corpses with), Sulfates, and so on. If you go back to my previous post, you'll see why these are so important to stay away from.

I'm sure you've heard of Clinique, Maybelline, L’Oréal, Revlon, The Body Shop, Christian Dior, and Lancôme Paris. If not, at least one or two have to sound familiar, right? Did you know their makeup contains nanoparticles? Nanoparticles are like tiny little workers who come in, make a mess, leave everything unfinished, then overcharge you. They could cause lung damage and even harm unborn babies if used while pregnant! They are also considered to result in bioaccumulation, like aluminum. The organization, Friends of Earth, talk about how "poorly understood" nanoparticles are. Nothing is worse than cleaning your skin with a safe, natural product and then layering all these chemicals on top of the good work you just did. Unfortunately, most foundations, concealers and even mineral makeups contain them. Did you know only one of the brands I just listed even has anything about nanoparticles on their label? So basically every time you put your makeup on in the morning, your skin is absorbing this stuff and you don't even know it's happening.

So why are these companies defending products they know to be harmful to us? I recently read an article about a woman who unfortunately lost her battle to ovarian cancer. They concluded the cause of her illness was directly related to Johnson and Johnson products. Her family was able to settle a lawsuit with the company for 72 million but that won't bring back their loved one. It turns out, Johnson and Johnson use formaldehyde and talc in their products, both linked to cancer. Now, you're likely not going to see the term "formaldehyde" on their labels. Why is that? They use certain chemicals that will release dangerous amounts of CH2O (the chemical equation for formaldehyde). I was shocked to hear about this considering how many people I know who use these products on themselves and their babies. After doing some digging, it turns out this isn't the first time Johnson and Johnson has had lawsuits against them regarding the chemicals in their products. Apparently, Johnson and Johnson decided to ignore the findings that ingredients in their baby shampoos, lotions, wipes, etc were carcinogenic (or cancer causing). This lawsuit claims the company was made aware of this and they chose to move forward with production anyway. What kind of company encourages people to use products known to cause cancer?

Do me a favor, go into your bathroom and pick up your deodorant. Look at the label and if you see "Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex GLY" or something along those lines, toss it in the trash. A majority of deodorants contain aluminum, a metal that results in bioaccumulation. The word bioaccumulation refers to something, usually a toxic substance, that will be absorbed by an organism at a very fast rate. Aluminum builds up in our fat cells (yes, we all have them) over time. Theres really no way to get rid of it once you have it. The best thing to do is avoid adding more to what’s already there by not using a deodorant with heavy metals in it. Johnson and Johnson isn't the only major company that continues to produce product they know is harmful. I read another article about a few guys who experienced chemical burns after using Old Spice deodorant. Again, I'm wondering why these major corporations continue to use these chemicals even though their customers are being harmed by them? At first I thought maybe its simply an economic thing. Maybe its just cheaper to produce? I don't think thats the case considering they are willing to alter their products to abide to safety standards in other countries. If they already have a safer alternative, why aren't we getting the same stuff?

Tom's of Maine is another example of what I consider to be a dishonest company. Did you know it's owned by Colgate, a company that puts triclosan (a known pestiside) and Sodium Laurell Sulfate (a hormone disrupter) in their toothpaste? While their deodorants don't contain aluminum, it still lists propylene glycol as it's first ingredient despite the fact that it's known to be toxic to humans. I think it's odd that a "natural" company is owned and operated by one who doesn't seem to be concerned about the welfare of their customers. I used Tom's of Maine for years because it's what my grandmother used and I totally fell victim to their false advertising. Now I have realized that just because it says its good for us, it may still contain some stuff that can harm us. Why are we allowing large corporations to make decisions related to our health?

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The Story of Cosmetics

References

"Bioaccumulation." Definition Page. USGS, 4 Aug. 2015. Web. 01 Apr. 2016.

Dalsfoist, Kayla. "Man Felt like His Underarm Was 'on Fire' after a Shower, Finally Realizes the Cause." SFG.BUZZ. N.p., 12 Mar. 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016., Kayla. "Man Felt like His Underarm Was 'on Fire' after a Shower, Finally Realizes the Cause." SFG.BUZZ. N.p., 12 Mar. 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

Hillis, Krista. "Johnson & Johnson To Pay $72 Million Based On Cancer-Related Death." The Alternative Daily. N.p., 1 Mar. 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

"Nanoparticles Found in 10 Top Brand Cosmetics." Emerging Tech Project. Friends of Earth, 16 Dec. 2009. Web.

Patterson, Emily. "Johnson and Toxin: The REALITY of Johnson and Johnson." Johnson and Toxin: The REALITY of Johnson and Johnson. Johnson and Toxin, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

Patterson, Emily. "Sodium Laureth Sulfate Contaminated with Known Carcinogen 1,4-dioxane." Sodium Laureth Sulfate Contaminated with Known Carcinogen 1,4-dioxane. Johnson and Toxin, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

TRICLOSAN." || Skin Deep® Cosmetics Database. EWG, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.