The Pediatrician approved formula is recommended for infants age 3 months and older, and features no added preservatives, making it perfect for customers with sensitive skin. When used as recommended, the skin smoothing body butter will provide hours of moisturization thanks to the community trade shea butter and aloe.

With more moms getting picky about what they apply to baby’s skin, you’ll be pleased to know there are no parabens of any kind in the Buriti Collection. The range is exclusively available from consultants with The Body Shop at Home through Holiday, 2008. Five products comprise the body care collection with four additional accessories to augment the value of the regime.

Chocked full of essential fatty acids (EFA’s), the Buriti Baby body wash, shampoo and body lotion provide lasting and gentle protection for baby’s tender skin. For extra moisturization, the Buriti Baby body butter is a skin smoothing treat. If mom wants to spend some quality bonding time with baby, the no-mess, near-dripless massage gel is perfect for applying while holding your bundle of joy in a close “back rub” position. You can even pour it one-handed!

With The Body Shop touting “Nature’s Way to Beautiful” as their new mantra for a greener way of living, you’d expect the company to be screaming from the rooftops about this new powerhouse product collection. Instead, they’ve opted to test market the products exclusively through their “At Home” sales channel in an effort to generate grass roots momentum for the holiday season. But whatever their approach, products like The new Buriti Baby collection are a powerful entry into the more conscious baby care market. Featuring “natural ingredients, bursting with effectiveness” sourced with a commitment to social and ecological responsibility. It’s no wonder The Body Shop has been the number one “green” cosmetics brand for decades.

Children today face increasing obstacles to healthy development, including rising incidence of premature birth; male genital defects; learning, attention and emotional disturbances; early puberty; obesity; and low sperm quality.

A recent report, “Growing Up Toxic” by the Environment California Research and Policy Center, confirmed findings that chemical exposures are the primary cause for increased disabilities and disease. The only good news is that YOU can protect your child from many of these chemicals, armed with knowledge and the commitment to buy smart.

Headlines are screaming about bisphenol A (BPA), a noxious chemical used in many plastic containers including baby bottles, water bottles, sippy cups and other containers used for food and beverages. Much of the recent clamor occurred after publication of a recent study, Baby’s Toxic Bottle: Bisphenol A Leaching from Popular Brands of Baby Bottles.

The study, commissioned by Environmental Health groups in the U.S. and Canada, has resulted in calls for bans on BPA, an environmental estrogen, since it is known to leach out of the plastics and has been implicated in development and reproductive health risks.

Dr. David Carpenter, a professor of environmental health sciences at the State University of New York at Albany School of Public Health, said that BPA taken into the body before birth or in early years of life can alter the ratio of sex hormones and affect development.

“It’s absolutely obscene to use a substance that can make little boys less masculine and opens the chance that little girls will go on to develop breast cancer,” he said at the teleconference.

The BPA studies call for a ban on the use of BPA following action by the State of California to ban the use of phthalates and other known cancer causing ingredients in products designed for children. Phthalates (pronounced thah-lates) are used to make plastic ‘soft’ and is found in toys, teething rings, some bottles and other play things that children often handle or put into their mouths. The California legislation is leading other states to begin regulation on known carcinogens, hormone disruptors, neurotoxins, but the road to success is rocky and very long.

Early 2008, another study found elevated levels of phthalates found in the urine of babies who’d been recently shampooed, powdered or lotioned with commonly used, commercial baby products. These reports, along with a myriad of other recent studies, are contributing to real concern and outrage on the part of parents across the nation.

When the very products that are designed to encourage good parenting become a threat to good health, it creates worry and distress. It also points to the need for parents to become vigilant consumers who learn to read labels, follow new studies as they are published and begin to demand safe, clean products for their children.

One of the first and most controllable items that a parent can focus on are the skin and body care products they expose their child to each day. And, no, I’m not talking just about the baby care products. I am including all the items adults use to bathe or shower, brush their teeth, plus deodorant, lotion, makeup, nail polish and products that clean / freshen the home. READ the labels on your product containers and remember that the average American comes into contact with over 200 toxic chemicals just getting ready for work in the morning! If you put it on your own body and then pick up your child to quiet their sobs, it’s safe to assume your child is getting exposed to the same 200 chemicals that you just slathered over your own body.

So, how do you get started?

Just take one step at a time. READ labels and try to limit the number of toxins in each product. I’ve listed the most worrisome below – clip the list and take it with you when you are shopping. Remember that if a product has 5 or 6 ingredients that are on the list – or only 1 ingredient on the list, that should be reason enough to look for a safer product.

Red Flag Ingredients (toxic synthetic chemicals) to Avoid:

· Alcohol, Isopropyl (SD-40)

· Benzoyl Peroxide

· DEA (Diethanolamine), MEA (Monoethanolamine), & TEA (Triethanolamine) · Dioxin

· DMDM Hydantoin & Urea (Imidazolidinyl)

· FD&C Color Pigments

· Fragrances

· Parabens

· PEG (Polyethylene glycol)

· Phthalates

· Propylene Glycol (PG) and Butylene Glycol

· Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)

· Triclosan

· Sunscreen ingredients like benzophenone, avebenzone, methyoxycinnamates, paba, etc.

I recommend that you take the time to find the best natural, certified organic and/or wild crafted formulations. Look for certifications like: Certified ToxicFree® Product Seal, the EcoCert Seal or the USDA Certified Organic Seal.

These seals are indications that a third party has examined the formulations and judged them according to their safety standards. I believe that you have a ‘Right to Know’ that what is in products will not harm you or your baby! Feeling assured that the products you purchase are free from xeno-estrogens, carcinogens and other known toxic ingredients is important when you are buying for you and your baby.

From head to toe, the skin is our body’s largest organ and it is extremely sensitive to whatever it comes in contact with. We tend to think of our skin only as a barrier, our body’s first line of defense. Yet it is to realize that our skin is also very “thirsty.” Whatever touches the skin is absorbed to some degree directly into our body. Think about how medicines are now commonly given through the use of a patch applied directly to the skin. This simple external exposure allows the medicine to be taken in and produce its affect on our entire body. This example dramatically illustrates that what we put on our body inevitably ends up in our body!

What factors increase toxicity and how can parents protect children from harm? Our children’s skin is delicate and sensitive. One ingredient to avoid in skin care products is DEA or diethanolamine. DEA is currently being used in hundreds of home and personal care products including bubble baths, soaps, cosmetics, lotions, shampoos, conditioners and dishwashing and laundry detergents. DEA belongs to a class of chemicals known as alkanolamines and has been linked with kidney, liver, and other organ damage according to several government-funded research studies. DEA has been proven to cause cancer in rats when applied to the skin. Research has found that DEA has low acute toxicity but significant cumulative toxicity. It cannot be easily excreted from the body but instead builds up in the fatty tissues of the liver, brain, kidneys, and spleen with repeated dermal exposure. The topical application of DEA collects in the tissues in rodents, which resulted in anemia, kidney degeneration, and nerve damage to the brain and spinal cord. Even more disturbing was that several animals died before the study ended.

What Parents Can Do DEA is but one of many ingredients used in personal skin care products suspected of causing or contributing to cancer. So what can parents do? Start by investigating and educating yourself about the ingredients in the products that you use. ONLY purchase baby skin care products for your babies, children, as well as yourself that are “chemical free.” Choose not to wait for the FDA to provide you with scientific, conclusive proof that can only be obtained through lengthy studies. Do you want to risk your baby’s or your health waiting for the conclusions of studies? Take self-responsibility! Be an active, aware and educated consumer that shops for products with SAFE ingredients in personal skin care products. Buy from green companies that are interested in people and the planet’s welfare.

Here’s to your family’s good health!

Unfortunately, as green living becomes more of a part of daily life, so do the businesses that want to jump on the bandwagon of the budding industry. These companies package and sell products to green consumers without truly being green. New consumers to the movement who are uninformed buy these products thinking they are healthy, when in reality they are no different than the harmful ones that have been on the market for years. Speaking with one storeowner regarding a natural and organic line of baby products, I was disappointed to learn that sales of the product were less than stellar.

Upon reading the label, I noticed the products contained parabens and fragrance. To the informed green consumer, these ingredients are both allergens and potentially harmful. The stor eowner admittedly purchased the products based on the wholesale price and not the ingredient list. Rightfully so, parents are becoming increasingly more concerned when it comes to protecting their children from these harmful chemicals. During the first years of a child’s life, it is extremely important to lower a baby’s exposure to chemicals and products that may include harmful insecticides, pesticides and herbicides that are not only harmful in the long run, but unnecessary ingredients. By using organic baby products, parents can help lower their child’s exposure to these hazards.

Green consumers may often be touted as overly conscientious but the negative health effects these unnecessary chemicals have are very real. The proof is in the science. In a recent article published by the Pediatrics – Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (PEDIATRICS Vol. 121 No. 2 February 2008, pp. e260-e268) the authors concluded “that reported use of infant lotion, infant powder, and infant shampoo were associated with increased infant urine concentrations of MEP, MMP, and MiBP (monoethyl phthalate, monomethyl phthalate, and monoisobutyl phthalate) and this association is strongest in younger infants. These findings suggest that dermal exposures may contribute significantly to phthalate body burden in this population. Young infants are more vulnerable to the potential adverse effects of phthalates given their increased dosage per unit body surface area, metabolic capabilities, and developing endocrine and reproductive systems.”

Many consumers do not realize that it can take up to 200 different chemicals to formulate what is listed in the ingredients as a fragrance. The FDA does not require companies to list each of those individual chemicals on their labels. If a child has an allergic reaction to a product, it is most likely in response to one of those chemicals.

In contrast, many natural and organic personal care products carry “The Truth in Labeling” logo. With this label consumers are assured there are no hidden ingredients. What you read is what you get. Essential oils replace synthetic and chemically infused fragrances. These green products are often more expensive than the alternative simply because it costs more to produce natural ingredients than to mass-produce synthetic ones. It’s true that green consumers are spending billions each year to ensure their little ones are protected from a bombardment of chemicals–from organic cotton diapers and clothing to organic baby food and personal care products. Green parents realize the bigger picture in all of this is sustainability. Not only are we protecting our children, but we are protecting their future and planet as well.

A simple first step is to start reading the ingredients labels on your bath and body products and cosmetics. This will help you become more aware of what these products contain and how to recognize natural and organic ingredients. Products containing parabens – chemicals used by the cosmetic industry as preservatives – should be avoided. Look for ingredients with recognizable names – fruits, herbs, and other plants, for example.

A great resource for evaluating the hazards of chemicals in common beauty products is the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety database at http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com from the Environmental Working Group. It is easy to use – just enter the brand name of a product and it will display the product along with a hazard score, as long as the product is in their database. The scores are assigned based on the toxicity of the chemicals found in the ingredients. This is a tool that can be used to evaluate the products you are currently using and find safer alternatives.

The next important step to switching to natural body products is to search for those with safe, natural, and organic ingredients to replace those currently in your beauty routine and make a habit of buying only those products. These items may be difficult to find in box stores, so try natural foods stores in your area or the organic section of supermarkets. There are also many products available online if you do a search for natural body products or organic products. Homemade natural body products are a great alternative as well. You can make your own or find home businesses that specialize in body products. Etsy is a great place to search for home businesses that make natural and organic beauty products. You do not have to replace every item in your beauty routine at the same time. Take baby steps, find alternative products you are happy with, and over time you will have a much healthier supply of bath and beauty products in your home.