Over the course of one year, through the application of cosmetics, the average North American woman absorbs the equivalent of 5 pounds of toxins. Everyday products such as shampoo, conditioners, hair gels, hair sprays, soaps, shower gels, body wash, face cleanser, toners, moisturizers, toothpaste, body lotions, hair removal products, deodorants, nail polish, eye liner, mascara, foundation, blush, lip balms and lipsticks all contribute to the toxic effect. Do the math: a 50 year old woman has over the course of her life absorbed approximately 200 pounds of toxins (I’m taking off 10 years, hopefully as a child she didn’t wear makeup.) The very thought of this should make everyone seriously look at what they are putting on their skin.

Just how toxic are these chemicals? Parabens found in makeup and moisturizers have developmental & reproductive toxicity and cause endocrine disruption, allergies and organ toxicity. Ethylene Oxide and 1, 4-Dioxane (found in moisturizing creams) cause organ system toxicity and are skin, eye and lung irritants. Retinol (vitamin A) found in anti-aging products causes biochemical or cellular level changes. Octinoxate, found in face powders and blush, causes endocrine disruption and allergies. The list goes on and on.

In the past decade, a crop of so called “natural” products have flooded the market. Are these any safer? Products containing the words “Natural”, “Essence of”, “Botanical” and even “Organic” do not mean that the product is safe. These are key words that marketing people use to legitimize the product. Don’t be fooled. As they say, don’t judge a book by its cover. Read the labels and research the ingredients. I know you’ve heard this sermon before and I’ve heard all the excuses why this is impossible. Well, here’s some good news. Someone else has done all the work for you – all you need to do is log in. Health Canada offers alerts on cosmetic products that contain unacceptable levels of toxic chemicals, and the Environmental Working Group in the US sponsors two excellent sites: The Compact for Safe Cosmetics and Skin Deep – a data base that rates hundreds of products for safety. Another great resource is a book called No More Dirty Looks by Siobhan O’Connor and Alexandra Spunt. Kudos to those two girls for really digging deep to expose nasty chemicals in personal care products.

These resources have reached thousands of women and helped them make healthy safe choices, but there are millions more who don’t know they are literally poisoning themselves. Become an advocate and spread the word. If every woman who reads this article tells 10 women, and they tell 10 women… maybe we can save our sisters.