Detoxing isn’t just cleaning out toxins in your body, it involves replacing the bad with the good. That brings us to your beauty bag. While detoxing your products might be a long time coming and with endless options, why not start by changing out everyday necessities one by one. As you use up your products, try replacing them with cleaner options. Need a little motivation? Let’s break it down…

There are more than 80,000 chemicals that are going into our cosmetic products, most are not regulated by the FDA nor have safety data. One in eight of those chemicals used in personal care products are industrial chemicals, including carcinogens, pesticides, reproductive toxins, and hormone disruptors. Many products include plasticizers (chemicals that keep concrete soft), degreasers (used to get the grime off auto parts), and surfactants (they reduce surface tension in water, like in paint and inks). It makes you wonder how good that actually is for your skin and the environment.

With all that said, how much do those chemicals really hurt us? Right now, researchers and scientists are still uncertain about how these chemicals react in our bodies once they are absorbed. These chemicals left on there own have been shown to harm our reproductive systems, cause cancer, and disrupt our endocrine system (to name a few). Bottom line – the more these chemicals build up in our bodies, the more of a toll they will take.

As consumers, it’s important to remember that almost anything could be inside our face creams and foundations. So be proactive and find out what ingredients are in your favorite products. The goal is to avoid putting any unnecessary chemicals on, or in, your body. We are exposed to enough; why give our bodies more to handle?

PRO TIP: Check out EWG to check the score of your favorite products and to see which products score well for being clean and non-toxic.

Ingredients in question

Parabens – preservatives for cosmetics. They can cause allergies, skin issues, biochemical changes in the body, developmental and reproductive disorders, endocrine disruption, organ toxicity, and cancer.
BHA and BHT – synthetic antioxidants commonly found in lipstick and moisturizers. They can contribute/interfere with hormone function, thyroid and kidney problems, and reproductive disorders.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate – makes products bubble and lather. It is a human carcinogen that can cause damage to the nervous system, interfere with human development, and cause skin irritation.
Dibutyl Phthalate – used as a solvent in nail polish and hair color. It has been shown to cause developmental defects, kidney and liver damage, disrupt hormone function, and damage the nervous system.

For more information on chemicals to look out for, check out The Dirty Dozen and The Toxic Twelve Chemicals and Contaminants in Cosmetics.

The good news is there are clean products out there without any of these harmful, damaging chemicals! The personal-care industry is starting to clean up their products and become more transparent about what is and what is not in them. You can now find clean-approved products at stores like Sephora, Target, Walmart, and Whole Foods. But just to be safe, always read the ingredients!