What’s in your personal care product ?
When it comes to our personal care products (PCP), we want something that works well. Studies have shown that each day American women use an average of 12 personal care products that contain over 168 different chemicals. While men use an average of 6 personal care products with 85 chemicals. Most products are applied onto the skin, which is the largest organ of the body; from there, these ingredients are absorbed directly into the bloodstream. Determining which chemicals are dangerous is a daunting task because the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has limited control on regulating the ingredients in personal care products. The European Union (EU), have banned over 1,600 chemicals while the FDA has banned only 9. So the question remains are these popular products worth using?
On the FDA website, there is no indication of a proper definition for PCP; however they are best described as toiletries that are used for hygiene, grooming and to enhance beauty. PCPs can be described as lotions, body washes, deodorant, and makeup.
Some chemicals in PCP ingredients such as parabens and phthalates can pose risks, at even low dosage, that can affect hormones, allergic reactions, or even cancer.
PCP companies don’t have to register with FDA, provide the FDA with ingredients, report adverse effects, or provide safety records. The FDA does not have the ability to suspend registration or mandate recalls when products pose a risk to health or death.
Over 80 other countries have stricter safety laws then the United States. States such as California and Maryland have made the recently banned 24 of the worse chemical ingredients such formaldehyde and some parabens.
The best alternative when choosing PCPs is finding products made with less ingredients or using ingredient that are locally sourced.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1253722/
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/harmful-chemicals-in-personal-care-products/
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/personal-care-products-health-risks/
https://www.ewg.org/the-toxic-twelve-chemicals-and-contaminants-in-cosmetics
