Lotions and potions, deodorant, perfumes, soaps, exfoliants, shower gels and make up: many of us probably use some or most of these personal care products every day and may not give a second thought to the impact they might be having on the health or us or our environment.
In this post I’ll share why you need to be savvy when choosing which personal care products you use and why beauty products may not actually be that great for both you and the environment.
What’s Wrong with Conventional Personal Care Products?
Most of us have grown up accustomed to the slogan “you are what you eat”, but I don’t think this paints the real picture. I strongly believe that you are what you eat, breathe, wear and what you apply to your skin, hair and even nails.
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Our skin is our largest organ and readily absorbs products that are applied. In fact, adult humans are reported to absorb 60% of what is applied to our skins and children are reported to absorb 40-50% more again.
Unlike foods we digest, products absorbed through our skin can directly enter our bloodstream as they bypass the liver.
Given that we can be applying hundreds of chemicals to our bodies every day, this is of great concern.
According to an Environmental Working Group study in 2015, American women apply on average 168 different chemicals to the bodies from personal care products every day. Men use fewer products, but still put 85 chemicals on their bodies.
Of most concern is that only a tiny percentage of these chemicals have been tested for safety. Of the chemicals that have been tested, they’ve typically been tested in isolation. The impact of applying combinations of chemicals to the body is at best, unknown.
Plus, so much of what we use in the bathroom gets flushed down our drains – so there’s a double-whammy where these products can impact both on your health and the environment. The impact of microbeads from personal care products alone has contributed to worldwide ocean plastic contamination. And of course, there’s also the environmental impact of the packaging these products come in too.
So, what’s wrong with conventional personal care products?
Plenty.
Let’s just take a look at the products you need to be most careful about and which ingredients are the worst offenders…..
Which Personal Care Products Should I Avoid?
Products applied to armpits and genitalia are more readily absorbed than what is applied to skin on other parts of the body. For this reason, it pays to think twice about what menstrual products, deodorants and personal lubricants you choose and be mindful of the nappy creams and ointments you apply to your children.
Products applied to the lips can both be absorbed through the fine skin of the lips and ingested. Many commercial lipsticks contain heavy metals such as lead, and arsenic, and out of date lipsticks and glosses are breeding grounds for bacteria. So yes, your lipstick could indeed be making you sick.
Perfumes contain many synthetic chemicals, most notably fragrance. Most of the thousands of chemicals used in fragrances have not been tested for toxicity, alone or in combination. Many of these unlisted ingredients are irritants and can trigger allergies, migraines, and asthma symptoms. Laboratory experiments have also linked some individual fragrance ingredients with cancer and neurotoxicity.
What Ingredients Should I Avoid in Personal Care Products?
While some of the chemicals in personal care products are harmless, others are known endocrine disruptors, carcinogens and neurotoxins. There is also growing concern that the combined chemical burden from these products may be directly related to increased rates of reproductive issues and cancer among women.
Here’s a few particular ingredients that I go out of my way to avoid:
Fragrance (Parfum)
You could be forgiven for thinking that the term fragrance or parfum in an ingredient list represents just one ingredient, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The term usually represents a complex mixture of dozens of chemicals. Indeed, some 3,000 chemicals are used as fragrances!!!
So essentially, when you purchase a perfume or personal care products containing fragrance, there’s no way knowing exactly what you’re applying to your body, even if the ingredients are listed on the bottle, because if fragrance/parfum is listed there could be tens or even hundreds more chemical ingredients included than what’s listed.
This loophole in labelling regulations doesn’t just apply to perfumes for cosmetic use, it impacts all products that contain fragrance such as deodorants, perfumes and most cosmetic products.
Phthalates
Phthalates are commonly found in body products like perfume, nail polish, hair spray and body lotion. They’re known endocrine-disrupting chemicals and have also been linked to liver, kidney, reproductive, developmental, immune and neurotoxicity impacts. Phthalates are also commonly used to render plastics soft and flexible.
Parabens
A common ingredient in commercial shampoos, conditioners, liquid hand soap and toothpaste, parabens have been linked to endocrine disruption, skin irritation and contact dermatitis.
Propylene Glycol
Found in many body products and cosmetics including body wash, mouthwash, shampoos and conditioners, deodorants and even baby wipes, propylene glycol has been linked to skin irritation and allergic reactions in those sensitive to the chemical.
Triclosan
Triclosan is an antibacterial and antifungal chemical that can be found in cleaning products and personal items such as antibacterial soaps, detergents, toothpastes, deodorants, facial cleansers, exfoliants, mouthwash and cleaning supplies. The chemical has been reported to affect the body’s hormone systems, such as thyroid hormones, and consequently, may disrupt normal breast development.
Due to public pressure many major brands have quietly begun reformulating their products without triclosan, however there are still many products out there that contain this chemical.
What Are Some Natural, Toxin-free Alternatives to Commercial Personal Care Products
Despite what mainstream marketing will lead you to believe, when it comes to applying cosmetics and personal care products to your body, less is best.
Choose products with a shorter ingredient list and learn how to read labels so you know exactly what’s in these products. Opt for certified organic products wherever possible.
Alternatively, simplify your beauty regime and re-purpose some foods from your kitchen into powerhouse personal care products.
Here’s some of my favourites:
- Coconut oil is a fabulous makeup remover, moisturizer, nappy rash ointment, even personal lubricant!
- Natural Shampoo and Conditioner – it might sound crazy but you can wash your hair with bi carb soda and rinse with apple cider vinegar. It’s called the “no poo” method and it works brilliantly.
- Toxin Free Facial and Body scrubs – almond meal, coffee ground, even sea salt. There’s plenty of food items that are effective natural exfoliants.
- Intense Moisturizing Treatment – for a big hit of moisture, mash up a soft avocado and apply to your face and hair. Leave it to sit for 5-10 minutes and rinse off.
- Natural Perfume – ditch the toxic perfume entirely or opt for a certified organic essential oil blend.
By ditching commercial personal care products for natural, toxin-free alternatives you’ll be doing yourself and the environment a favour!
What are your favourite eco beauty tips? Please share in the comments below Tuesday 31 October 2017 for a chance to win a FREE spot on my Home Detox Boot Camp!!
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Laura Trotta is one of Australia’s leading home sustainability experts. She has a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering, a Masters of Science (in Environmental Chemistry) and spent 11 years working as an environmental professional before creating her first online eco business, Sustainababy, in 2009. She has won numerous regional and national awards for her fresh and inspiring take on living an ‘ecoceptional’ life (including most recently winning the Brand South Australia Flinders University Education Award (2015) for the north-west region in SA and silver in the Eco-friendly category of the 2015 Ausmumpreneur Awards). With a regular segment on ABC Radio and with her work featured in publications like Nurture Parenting and My Child Magazine, Laura is an eco thought leader who’s not afraid to challenge the status quo. A passionate believer in addressing the small things to achieve big change, and protecting the planet in practical ways, Laura lives with her husband and two sons in outback South Australia. 
For my oral hygiene I do oil pulling with coconut oil (swishing it between my teeth) for 20 mins, then I clean my teeth with either green clay powder or a powder I make containing ground pink Himalayan salt, bicarb & essential oils like peppermint/clove, then I take a pinch of pink salt (from a separate jar I keep in the bathroom), dab it on my tongue, scoop a small handful of water into my mouth & do a saltwater rinse.
Thanks for sharing Ceilli – salt is an amazing natural cleaner!
After suffering from bowel cancer I have radically changed the way I live and toxins in my house/beauty regime. My most loved change is I now use witch hazel as a toner every day. I love how it has improved my skin. I have also so far changed my toothpaste, foundation, shampoo/conditioner. Next is to make my own lip balm 🙂
Thanks for sharing Renee! Witch Hazel has many useful applications and that’s great you’re loving it’s use as a toner. I wish you all the best as you recover from bowel cancer and continue to reduce the toxins in your environment. xx
I use just plain coconut oil on my lips-might be worth a try x
Homemade eczema cream for my son, 45g Fractionated Coconut oil, 90g coconut oil, 20g evening primrose oil, 15g beeswax, 30g shea butter and your choice of essential oils, I used 8 drops each of lavender, tea tree and geranium, bets the store bought full of chemical crap anyday. I got the idea from Krissy @ The Inspired Little Pot
Sounds amazing Jodie and even better that it works 🙂
I got rid of all my “old” toxic beauty products, which left only natural and organic items in the cupboard. If I haven’t got something I need, I make it myself using hints, tips and recipes from sites like Laura Trotta!
Thank you for sharing such helpful information so we can make better choices x
That’s so great you’ve done the big beauty purge Kate! I bet your skin and overall health and loving you for the change!
This sounds divine Michelle!
I now make all of my household cleaners, laundry soap and only use wool dryer balls with a drop of essential oil, dish soap, and room sprays. All of our hand soaps, hand sanitizers, lotion, face soap and toner, toothpaste, and mouth wash are made by myself. So many more products that I make for my household as well. We love it and have seen such a huge difference in the way we feel and look.
Wow Angela – keep up the great work!
These sound great – really keen to try some of these amazing ideas and ditch the chemicals.
Let us know how you go Julie!
Holy guacamole!! This is a bit overwhelming. I’ve been grumbling to my husband that there are too many nasty chemicals and plastics in our life but hadn’t gotten much further than that. Adding a baby to the family sort of paused everything. But now I have a feeling that it should really accelerate everything, so the first change I’m making is to switch to using coconut oil for nappy rash.
It’s not really an eco beauty tip but I did by a natural, organic deodorant paste at a local farmers market last weekend to give it a try. It’s working well and smells fab (lemon myrtle).
Thanks for the opportunity and knowledge sharing, Laura.
Having a baby definitely throws a new perspective on things Karoline! Well done for trying out the local, organic deodorant paste.
Congrats Karoline – you’ve won yourself a spot in Home Detox Boot Camp. Please contact me via my website contact form to arrange delivery of your prize xx
For some years now i have made my own bodycare products – from creams and lotions, to lipbalms and lipsticks – all with natural ingredients. But the more i get into it, the more i realize, that i am again copying conventional products. Honestly, who needs a lip scrub! So, since a while i am simplifying my routine more and more. Now i just wash my face with water, then refresh with a hydrosol-spray, follow with a dab of aloe-vera-gel and some drops of grapeseedoil. Done! And it works just great!
I am now inspired to detoxify my home as well – all chemical cleaning products must go – seriously! And last but not least – thanks for all your inspiration!!!
You’re dead right Margareta – simplification is the key here. My body care routine is so simple and easy these days – as is my cleaning (when I do clean, ha ha!)
My favourite eco beauty tip is to use Norwex Body Cloths instead of cleansers. I just use these with water, in the shower, to clean my face. I’ve been doing this for a good few years now and it’s cheap and it’s so so easy, even makeup comes off without a problem.
Body cloths are fabulous aren’t they!
I am still in the infancy stages of ridding our home and our diets of toxins. Thanks for all the tips & tricks! It makes things a bit easier knowing someone has forged this path already!
Thanks Michelle! Yes, it’s always easier when someone has paved the way. 😉
I use essential oils for nearly everything. They smell great. I just have to convince my husband – he goes for ease and quick fixes. 🙁
Essential oils can be so effective and easy in so many applications…. I especially love to clean with them!
I started out 7-8 years ago by making my own deodorant and haven’t looked back. Since then I’ve made and tried almost every DIY out there. I’ve also tried different clean brands. I love your message. Thank you for all you do!
Thanks Carina and that’s so great you haven’t looked back since you first made the switch!
I have ditched the deodorant and although it was not great to start my ecosystem seems to have sorted itself out now and I rarely have a problem! I also love using coconut oil as a lip salve, it works just great.
It can take a little while for the body to adjust after making the switch, but once it does most people never look back!
Whilst I still have room for improvement in green cleaning, I visit the Soap Shop regularly at South Melbourne market to buy natural soaps or fill up my reusable containers with chemical free cleaning and washing products. I’m going to give coconut oil a go. Thanks for the tips!
Oooh I’ll have to check them out next time I’m in Melbourne. We LOVE the Sth Melb Market 🙂