Ingredients to Avoid in Baby Skin Care Products

Here are some things you should avoid when selecting baby skin care.

• If you can’t pronounce or understand the ingredients, keep looking.
  If the manufacturer doesn’t bother to put it in (simple terms) it is likely something included to benefit their bottom line, not your baby’s bottom.

  In most cases, these mystery ingredients preserve the shelf life and make the product look and smell more appealing so you’ll want to buy it.

• Mineral oil/Petrolatum/paraffin are byproducts of crude oil, and they are cheap to use.
  Baby oil is 100% mineral oil. It holds in moisture, but prevents your body from releasing unwanted toxins. Mineral oil can also block the body’s absorption of essential vitamins and nutrients.
• Parabens (methyl, propyl, butyl and ethyl).
  These preservatives and antibacterials are used in shampoos, creams and baby lotions to extend product shelf life. They are petroleum-based and can cause dermatitis and other allergic reactions.

  Parabens are thought to alter estrogen levels and the Environmental Protection Agency issued a report expressing concern about parabens showing up in our sewage systems (from humans) and posing a risk to aquatic life.

• Talc powder.
  The Cancer Coalition states that talc is a toxic carcinogen that can cause ovarian and lung cancer with repeated exposure. It is also used in soaps, deodorants and in food processing.
• Phthalates
  These have been in the news lately. They are found in fragrances in shampoos, lotions and powders, but their true intention is to make plastic soft. They can leach out of plastics so why would anyone want them on their skin?

  According to TIME.com, studies have been done on phthalates in urine from babies’ diapers. They are toxic, carcinogenic and have been linked to infertility.

  Note that companies are not required to list the ingredients of fragrances, so the product could have them and they not show up on the label.

• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Ammonium Lauryl Suflfate are foaming agents found in many shampoos and hair conditioners.
  They can be disguised in labels as “comes from coconut” You can find these in other garage floor cleaners and engine de-greasers. They have been linked to eye injury as well as cell membrane and immune system damage.
• Isopropyl alcohol SD 40.
  It is not only drying, but it strips the skin of natural acids, making the skin more vulnerable to bacteria, molds and viruses. SD 40 comes from propylene and may promote brown spots and premature aging of skin.
• Glycol is used as a humectant.
  It comes in several forms and is carcinogenic and mutagenic.
• FD&C Color Pigments are synthetic colors made from coal tar.
  They contain heavy metal salts that deposit toxins in the skin. Animal studies have shown them to be carcinogenic (causes cancer).
• Here are some more ingredients to avoid.
  Aerosol propellants
  Aluminum by-products
  Benzoates
  Diethanolamine (DEA, TEA)
  DMDM hydantoin or MDM (a form of formaldehyde)
  Flouride
  Nitrates, nitrosamins and sulfur compounds
  Quaternium 15 (also a form of formaldehyde)
  Toluene
  Triclosan
  1, 4-Dioxane (a known carcinogen)

In closing, I will tell you that you can find information justifying the use of each of these chemical ingredients in baby skin care products.

However, why take the chance when there are more natural organic skin care products available for you and your baby?

Certified Organic Skin Care Tips

When you are choosing skin care, personal care and cosmetic products, you should become a label detective. This is the only way to ensure you purchase honest and truly natural and organic skin care products.

# 1: Learn To Read Product Labels
Be aware of the Rule of Thirds:

The top third of the ingredients label generally lists the ingredients that comprise around 90-98% of the product. Most of this is usually water. Read on to find out why this matters!The middle third generally represents approximately 5-8% of the product. The bottom third represents around 1-3%.

# 2: ‘Natural’ skin care is not always natural.

There are two definitions of the world natural. The dictionary definition: “Existing in or, formed by, nature”. The cosmetic industry definition: “Any ingredient derived from a natural substance”. Manufacturers commonly use the world ‘natural’ on labels to deceive consumers. For example, “Cocamide-DEA derived from coconut oil”. Cocamide-DEA may well be from coconut oil, but a synthetic chemical called diethanolamine is used in the extraction process. It is known to cause cancer. An ingredient is not really natural if it has been processed in this way.

# 3: Organic doesn’t mean what you think.
An organic certification on a product label is the only way to guarantee the integrity of a product. The definition of certified organic is as follows: “An independent third party guarantee of an organic claim”. Always look for a logo that guarantees the product’s integrity. Certified organic products must contain a minimum of 95% organic ingredients excluding water and salt/minerals, with a small allowance for natural, non-organic ingredients that must comply with very stringent processing criteria. There are two definitions of organic: Organic chemistry is concerned with substances that contain carbon. Carbon is present in all living things. Legally, the cosmetics industry is allowed to label any product that contains carbon as ‘organic’. So if it contains petrol, it is organic. Methylparaben is derived from petrochemicals, which are derived from crude oil, which is derived from living matter. It is a widely used preservative in organic skin care products such as body creams, body wash and deodorants. So effectively methylparaben can legally be labelled as organic. Now, it is worth noting that a recent study reported traces of methylparaben in human breast cancer tumours.
The second definition of organic is, “The sustainable system of agriculture that uses natural substances & methods to create healthy nutrient rich and fertile soils”

# 4: How much water is in the product?
In personal communication with a leading industry expert, I was told what can actually be meant when companies put ‘73% Organic’ on their labels. Basically manufacturers can place a few organic teabags in a vat of water and let them infuse into the water. Because the water constitutes 70+ percent of the overall product, the manufacturer is allowed to claim that the product is 73% organic at the top of the label (remember # 1 in this article?). If you removed the water, the actual organic content of those fancy herbal infusions would probably be less than 0.05% of the total product.

# 5: Be aware of inconsistent labelling standards
In some countries, ingredients that are not allowed in certified organic foods ARE allowed in certified organic personal care and cosmetic products. This represents a lack of continuity or consistency in labelling standards. How can food and cosmetics products have the same certified organic logo when ingredients that are allowed personal care and cosmetics are not allowed in food? Remember that if it’s on your skin, you’re drinking it!

# 6: Miracle ingredients don’t exist
Vitamin C, vitamin E, coenzyme Q10, active copper and other ingredients may be touted as miracle ingredients. The fact is that there is no miracle ingredient for the skin or hair, just as there is no magic pill for curing illness and disease. The quality of the skin is a function of feeding the body and skin high quality nutrients over time and keeping the toxin levels of the body as low as possible. When you use high quality, certified organic products, ALL the ingredients are active. They are ALL beneficial and they all feed the skin.

# 7: If it harms lab animals it will harm you!

If you read books by Dr Sherry Rogers, M.D, you will discover that in order to give a rat cancer or Parkinson’s Disease, it is injected with some of the very same chemicals that you will find in your cleverly labelled organic skin care, personal care and cosmetic products.

Just Say No to Phthalates

Phthalates, while not a household name, are abundant in a lot of skin care products. Phthalates are making their way into the news lately due to the potential dangers to the long term health of our babies. This potentially harmful man-made-chemical is often hidden in “fragrances” to help a fragrance stay on the skin longer. Skin ‘care’ for babies should be gentle, clean and kind.

But a deeper look shines the light on this sneaky use of wording!

“At this time, we do not know what the potential long-term effects might be, but there is a large body of animal studies to suggest developmental and reproductive toxicity (from phthalates) and a few human studies with changes in health outcomes as well,” Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana (from the University of Washington) told Reuters Health.

Better safe than sorry is a good rule of thumb. Get into the habit of reading every label for ingredients. When in doubt simply move on. We’ll keep you posted on new research that develops regarding potentially harmful products.

Shea Butter Benefits for Baby’s Skin

Paba, Benzophenone, Parabens, Padimate-O-No!

So what exactly do you need to avoid when choosing a sunscreen? Here are some unsavory, even toxic, ingredients you will want to stay away from if you can:

PABA: This is not widely used anymore, but just in case. Many people are very sensitive to this ingredient and can end up with red, itchy skin.

Benzophenone (benzophenone-3), homosalate, and octy-methoxycinnamate (octinoxate): These chemicals are bad news because they have shown estrogenic activity in lab tests. Oxybenzone is aderivative of benzophenone and it is linked to allergies, hormone disruption, and cell damage. According to the CDC 97% of Americans are contaminated with this widely-used sunscreen ingredient.

Parabens (butyl-, ethyl-, methyl-, and propyl-): Parabens are common in sunscreens so avoiding them may prove difficult. They are preservatives that have estrogenic qualities. They have produced abnormal hormonal effects following on laboratory rodents, particularly male, resulting in decreased testosterone levels and other abnormalities. They have also been found to accumulate in the breast tissue of women with breast cancer.

Padimate-O and Parsol 1789 (Avobenzone): While on the surface of the skin these chemicals appear to prevent UV damage but when absorbed into the skin they can actually damage DNA. There is evidence that the sun’s light may cause these chemicals to become reactive and cause free-radical damage when they’re absorbed. I find it alarming that pediatricians often recommend these very ingredients.

In general if you want to know which sunscreens are usually loaded with the bad stuff….oh just the easy to find ones like Coppertone, Banana Boat, Avon, Nivea, Neutrogena, The Body Shop, etc. Also even some of the ones that appear to be more natural like Kiss My Face or Aveeno have some pretty dirty sunscreens.