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Where Can I Find All-Natural Ingredients?

I Don't Want Carcinogens in My Cosmetics

I am always looking for an effective skin care that is natural, without all the cancer causing ingredients etc.

No SLS, propylene glycol.

Could you tell me what to look for?

Such as effective, maybe even name brands to look at?

Shirley

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Are Natural Ingredients Necessarily Better or Safer?

How do you define “natural”? Many natural ingredients are allergenic to a significant number of people.

It is accepted in scientific and legal circles that a certain portion of the population of the world will be allergic to just about any substance from "natural foods" (for example, peanuts, wheat, diary products and sea food) to chemical compounds to drugs to cosmetics.

Some natural ingredients have estrogenic effects - like soy extract.

Don't forget that tobacco, asbestos, lead and mercury are 100% natural products - yet are capable of causing serious diseases and even death.

The same is true of for snake and insect venoms.

Nature is not as benign as many people would believe.

Some brands which make all-natural claims contain lab-developed compounds like parabens as preservatives.

Incidentally, lab-synthesized compounds were often developed specifically to perform the tasks of previously-used natural ingredients that had troublesome side effects.

If you have concerns about or allergies to specific ingredients, you really need to check ingredient labels.

Before you decide to boycott an ingredient because you’ve heard it is a carcinogen, check with reputable sources like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

You may find cause for concern or you may discover, as I have (read on), that many of the carcinogenic claims were originally made by start-up companies trying to scare consumers away from reputable cosmetic lines.

What a sleazy way to win new customers.

I prefer to stick with brand names I trust like Fusion Beauty, Neutrogena, Olay or Avon.

As for what are the most effective antiaging ingredients, read my articles on Effective Skin Care Ingredients.

Propylene Glycol

The only concern I am aware of regarding glycols in skin or hair products is allergic reaction exhibited as itching, scaling and/or dry skin. Where this occurs, the patient is advised to find alternative treatment products that do not contain propylene glycol.

Some enviornmental groups list propylene glycol a 0.7 (moderate) risk on its scale of 1 to 10. The only concerns expressed are the irritation factor mentioned above and inhalation is large amounts.

Neither the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), nor the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), nor the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified propylene glycol as a carcinogen. No animal studies have shown propylene glycol to be carcinogenic.

The FDA has classified propylene glycol as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe), which means that it is acceptable for use in flavorings, drugs, and cosmetics, and as a direct food additive.

Sodium Laurel Sulfate

There seems to be some concern regarding the use of sodium sulfates in hair and skin products floating around the Internet.

As best I can tell, the entire controversy was started by a chain letter, perhaps authored and most certainly perpetuated by manufacturers or distributors of competing “all natural, chemical-free” products.

Environmental groups classify sodium sulfates as an ingredient of low concern in any application from food to cosmetics.

Specifically, with respect to their use in cosmetics, sodium sulfates are classified as safe as long as they are rinsed off (not applied and allowed to soak in).

They do not appear on any list of known or suspected carcinogens – one of the claims in the chain letter and various websites linked to competing products.

Read more about SLS and propylene glycol here.

Check out the current offers promotions at SkinStore.com!

This article is for information only. It does not purport to offer medical advice.  

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