Ingredients to Avoid in Your Beauty Products!

Ingredients to Avoid in Your Beauty Products!

In an effort to be more conscious about what I put onto my body, I am cutting out several ingredients from my cosmetics, hair, body, and skin care. Most traditional beauty products contain harmful ingredients that you should not be putting on your body.


There are countless chemicals that could be included in this list to avoid, but for today I'm going to share with you 8 ingredients to avoid in your beauty products. For the most accurate information, please do your research, the internet is your friend when it comes to finding out information, and to help you determine what you think is harmful and what is not when it comes to ingredients.


Let's get started!



Just another disclaimer. These are my interpretations of these ingredients. Do your research, read up as much as you can about these products and what effects they have on the body.





Parabens (Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben)

Parbens are the most widely known ingredients to avoid, and for good reason. They mimic estrogen inside the body, and having too much estrogen in the body can lead to serious health problems. And, some studies suggest that these parabens are also found in breast cancer tissue. 


Aluminum (Cl77000)

This powder, which is used as a colorant in many cosmetic products, is a known neurotoxin. 


Phenoxyethanol

This synthetic preservative has been known to cause skin irritations, and is a possible neurotoxin. Best to just stay away from the synthetic preservatives.


BHA

This synthetic antioxidant is known to be carcinogenic. It is linked to hormone disruptions, which cause reproductive malformations, with links to liver and breast cancer, and organ system toxicity. 


BHT

This synthetic preservative is also known to disrupt our body's hormones, which again can cause reproductive malformations, is linked to liver and breast cancer, diabetes, obesity, and organ system toxicity. 


Disodium EDTA

This neurotoxin is derived from formaldehyde. Formaldehyde can result in brain damage and hormone disruptions. Also can cause skin irritations.


Fragrance

Artificial fragrances are found to be hormone disruptors, which can result in the reduction of sperm counts, cause reproductive malformation, and has been linked to liver and breast cancer, diabetes, obesity, and organ system toxicity.


Retinyl Palmitate (Retinol Palmitate, Vitamin A Palmitate) 

This form of Vitamin A, while great for anti-aging, can result in reproductive toxicity and may damaged DNA. In studies, it's been suggested that when exposed to sunlight it can lead to the growth of skin tumors.






If you are looking for other sources on this subject, how to avoid harmful beauty products, what to look out for, I highly suggest checking out the EWG Website, you can look up the  toxicity of almost any product, the Think Dirty App, and The Organic Bunny Website. Her Instagram is also an amazing source for information!