Did you know that the vast majority of cosmetic products (including skin care products) contain dangerous, toxic ingredients – ingredients that are linked to birth defects, developmental and reproductive issues and cancer? This is something that I have known for years (and is the reason I ensure that every single ingredient that goes into my products is 100% safe), but I am glad the world is finally taking notice.
You may be thinking “is this something I should really be concerned about – isn’t everything linked to cancer these days?” Unfortunately yes, here’s why:
most cosmetic products contain toxic ingredients in very small, trace amounts, which is why previously it was thought that there was no risk of serious damage to our systems. Well, the issue is that the average woman uses 12 different cosmetic products a day, sometimes multiple times a day, meaning that over time these toxins are seeping into our system, in notable and traceable levels.
Scary, right? I recommend you take a moment to watch this 5-minute video called “The Story of Cosmetics” to learn more. The video is by Annie Leonard, the filmmaker who brought you The Story of Stuff and The Story of Bottled Water; she has a knack for explaining issues in a simple and entertaining manner.
So, what can you do to be safe?
- First, check your cosmetic products’ safety on Skin Deep’s cosmetics database. This will show you the toxicity level of the cosmetic products you are currently using on a scale of 0 to 10 (0 being completely safe and 10 being extremely toxic). Get ready for a shock. For example, popular products like Clearasil’s acne face wash, Clarin’s anti-aging firming cream and Murad’s facial kit are all 10 out of 10 on the toxic scale. There is a reason why most drug store cosmetics are cheap…
- Switch to natural or organic products. Your skin is alive and extremely porous- and what you put onto your body you also put into it. So be sure to look at the ingredients of products before you buy them. Chances are if you see a laundry list of 20 ingredients with chemicals you can’t pronounce, the product is toxic. For body care, go to your natural health store (i.e. Henry’s, Trader Joes and Whole Foods) to shop for safe products (I personally like Avalon Organics). For skin care, I of course recommend Vasseur Skincare products, which are completely safe, toxin free and effective.
Get the word out about toxic cosmetics; share this story with your friends!
Brittany Vasseur 
Wow – this is really interesting and scary. I really like the video. I am going to pay more attention to what products I use
Great video1!
I love that you have all natural sunscreen. I have read that many of the chemicals in sunscreen alter biological function in addition to harming our water sources.
I never knew about skin deep web sight before. I am so shacked that skin care could be bad for you. I have always watched what i eat so why not watch what products I choose to put on my face.
Thank you for simply stating a long ignored issue. I hope your video can help pressure the FDA to ban some of the commonly used ingredients and packaging that are poisoning us and the environment.
we would not have to struggle with beauty products. But, unfortunately many factors take away the skin you were blessed with. Some factors are aging, pollution, ad health, improper diet and use of improper skin damaging products.