Chemicals and toxins are everywhere and often we don’t realise it. Until I suffered from mercury poisoning causedby my dental amalgam fillings I had no idea the second most toxic substance on the planet was inside my mouth!

That shocking revelation led me to investigate further why my son has autism and I am convinced it is due to the toxic preservatives used in childhood vaccines. What insanity allows people to knowingly inject thimerosal (a mercury derivative), aluminium and formaldehyde (both toxic substances) into seemingly healthy young children when their immune system is only just developing?

Both of us have improved tremendously since SAFELY chelating for heavy metals but have been left questioning if the products we are offered every day are actually as beneficial as we are led to believe.

Inevitably our health is linked life style choices and some areas we can control but I find it amazing that over 85,000 synthetic chemicals have been approved by the Environment Protection Agency but not tested for long-term health effects either individually or in combination. Many of them are found in your bathroom.

I used to be a sun worshipper but now understand the healthiest tan is no tan at all. My skin now reveals numerous areas of sun related damage.

Skin cancer is caused by excessive exposure to intense sunlight and the sun’s A,B and C rays. You can protect yourself from sun damage by limiting exposure, staying covered as much as possible and using a high quality NON-TOXIC lotion that blocks out the full spectrum of solar rays. However, many over the counter sun block creams and lotions contain known carcinogens and toxic chemicals which build up over time and predispose sun bathers to melanoma.

Health and beauty do not always go hand in glove.

The skin is the largest eliminatory organ in the body. It is a two-way membrane. Toxins are eliminated through the skin via perspiration and absorbed into the body, through hair follicles and sebaceous glands. In one square inch of skin you have 65 hairs and 100 sebaceous glands which means anything you put on your skin is likely to be absorbed. That would be good news if you only received the beneficial ingredients but unfortunately the skin isn’t that selective.

You see there is very little regulation over the ingredients used by Cosmetic manufacturers. Infact, according to the FDA

“Cosmetics and their ingredients are not required to undergo approval before they are sold. Manufacturers can use any ingredient, except for 10 prohibited substances,without government review”.

That’s a bit worrying as there are 10,500 ingredients contained in health and beauty products available in stores today. Only 11% of them have been assessed by the industry’s own safety review panel which means 89% have never been tested.

Many manufacturers will argue these ingredients are used in such small quantities they can do no harm. However, it is the toxic build up over time and the chemicals created when ingredients react together that has the potential to cause health damage to you and your family.

According to The Environmental Working Group

More than one-third of all personal care products contain at least one ingredient linked to cancer

57% contain penetration enhancer chemicals that can drive other ingredients faster and deeper into the skin to the blood vessels below

70% of all products contain ingredients that may contain harmful impurities such as known carcinogens (according to FDA or industry reviews)

The bottom line is the more products you use on your skin, the more chemicals you absorb.

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Despite the known dangers associated with many of the ingredients in cosmetics, skin care and personal care products, some manufacturers continue to use them. This is because they are inexpensive and can be used to produce items that can be marketed successfully at huge profits. Health doesn’t appear to be an issue.

You can of course check the safety data of products as Federal regulations require ingredients to be listed on labels in descending order by quantity. Usually if you break the list into thirds, the top third will be 90 – 95% of the product, the middle will be 5 – 8% and the bottom will be 1 -3%.

You can check the safety data sheets on all ingredients but problems occur when the manufacturers do not list the recognised INCI (International Names of Cosmetic Ingredients). Instead they use either made up names or complex chemical trade names making it very difficult for the average consumer to look up.

The list of potentially harmful ingredients is long. The best advice is to read the labels on your toothpaste, shampoo, moisturizer, deodorant and cosmetics. If you can’t pronounce them – don’t use them!

Of course the safest course of action is to seek out natural and organic products but even here you have to beware. Some unscrupulous manufacturers mislead their customers with false labels. The industry’s definitions (whilst legal) are not the same as those in the dictionary and which the majority of consumers would expect.

For instance the chemical definition of “organic” is ‘a compound that contains a carbon atom’. Since carbon is found in anything that has ever lived, certain cosmetic companies use synthetic chemicals derived from petroleum products and describe them as “organic preservatives”.

Also you will find descriptions of “derived from (some sort of natural ingredient)” which lulls you into a false sense of security. You see it means a chemical process has taken place and it is no longer “natural”.

The only way to ensure you get 100% synthetic chemical and toxic free products is to look for the recognized Certified Organic logos.

In order to be Certified Organic, products must contain at least 95% organically produced agricultural ingredients (excluding water and salt). The remaining 5% can be non agricultural substances or non organically produced agricultural ingredients with strict processing criteria, e.g. NO GMO’s and absolutely NO SYNTHETIC
CHEMICALS.

Organic products only have to contain at least 70% organically produced agricultural ingredients (excluding water and salt) but again the remaining 30% have to follow the same strict processing criteria, e.g. NO GMO’s and absolutely NO SYNTHETIC CHEMICALS.

However, currently, body care products are not required to comply with the stringent organic food standards maintained by International certification bodies such as the BFA and NASAA in Australia and the USDA in America. As a result many so called “organic” body care products are on the market. Since water is the primary ingredient in many cosmetics, some manufacturers claim to use organic hydrosols, or floral water, to green wash their products. They then make organic label claims whilst still using synthetic toxic ingredients that would NEVER be allowed in organic food products.

Fortunately one company produces an entire range of skin, personal and body care products which are entirely genuinely “organic”. Most of their items are Certified Organic to Food Standards which means you could even eat them and they wouldn’t do you any harm although this is not a recommendation.

They are the only company on the planet to have submitted their products for third party independent certification so their integrity is assured. Also you can actually pronounce all the beneficial active ingredients listed.

If you care for your health I recommend you read the labels.

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It is becoming more and more well known that some skin care products and cosmetics contain dangerous ingredients. Some at least are “known to cause cancer” and others are suspect, and there is no requirement for the FDA to test cosmetics and skin care and anti aging products for either their safety, or how well they work.

And the fact that so many of them don’t work is a minor issue next to the issue of product safety.

There is a way to tell if the brand name skin care and anti aging products, or cosmetics, are manufactured by a company that is committed to producing safe products or not.

It’s called the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics.

The Campaign For Safe Cosmetics is a consumer campaign that began in 2002 following the release of a report entitled “Not Too Pretty: Phthalates, Beauty Products and the FDA.” It reported that, to paraphrase, around 5% of the 20 – 4- year old women tested by the CDC are getting too many “Pthalates” than was previously thought, (up to 45 times more) and that “Pthalates” are dangerous.

That overexposure to “Pthalates” can, according to animal studies, “damage the liver, the kidneys, the lungs and the reproductive system, especially the developing testes”.

How did the women get exposed to these “Pthalates”?

From their cosmetics and personal care products and beauty products. And from some other sources too. And as only a tiny percentage of these products were tested it’s not known how many personal care and cosmetics and anti aging skin care products are suspect. Three quarters of the personal care products contained this ingredient and didn’t say so on the label.

Hence the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics was formed, to push for safe cosmetics and personal care products.

How can the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics help you establish that your skin care products are safe for your use? By means of a pledge that they have. Companies that are committed to selling safe cosmetics and safe skin care products can sign the pledge.

Signing the pledge pledges that company to “not use chemicals that are known or strongly suspected of causing cancer, mutation or birth defects in their products and to implement substitution plans that replace hazardous materials with safer alternatives in every market they serve”.

So if the products that you use are made by a company that has signed the pledge you can tell that their skin care products are safe. If you are using skincare products made by a company that hasn’t signed the pledge then you have no idea if these products are safe or not.

And, as I mentioned previously, many of those don’t work either.

There are some excellent natural skin care products available made from organic ingredients by companies that have signed the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics pledge. They work very well, unlike many of the mainstream products, and you can use them on yourself with confidence.

However the big brand name companies don’t make them. The best of them is a small niche skin care company that I’ll bet you’ve never even heard of before.

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Bharatbook.com is glad to announce a new report titled “Cosmetics and Personal Care Market in Brazil”.

Brazil has placed itself as one of the fastest growing and emerging markets on cosmetics and personal care industry landscape. Being the largest market in Latin America and one of the top five cosmetics & personal care markets in the world, Brazil offers immense investment opportunities for companies around the world. With rising cosmetic consumption, coupled with increasing income level, demand of cosmetics & personal care products will further shoot in Brazil.

Brazil offers low cost manufacturing facilities and has well developed infrastructure with government support that is making the country an idle destination to establishing cosmetic and toiletries production base and target export market. Also, as the country has a large consumer base, manufacturers can easily tap the domestic market.

“Cosmetics and Personal Care Market in Brazil” provides an in-depth analysis of the present and future prospects of the Brazilian cosmetic and toiletries industry. It looks into the industry in detail with focus on major players, distribution network, driving forces, and opportunities critical to the success of the industry at micro level. 

Key Findings

Per capita consumption of cosmetics and personal care products in Brazil is expected to increase at a CAGR of 15.49% during 2008-2011.
Skin care market, one of the major segments in the cosmetics & personal care industry, is projected to clock in a CAGR growth of 22% during 2008-2011.
Sales growth of hair care products is anticipated to attain a CAGR of 19% during 2008-2011.
Color cosmetics sale in Brazil is likely to move up at a CAGR of 18% from 2008 to 2011.
Rising cosmetic consumption in Brazil will stimulate the demand for chemicals in the cosmetics & personal care industry to US$ 12.83 Billion by 2011.
Pharmacy sales of male cosmetics in Brazil are expected to rise to 20% by 2010.
Hair care products accounted for more than 25% (expected) of the total cosmetics & personal care market in 2007.

For further information kindly visit: http://www.bharatbook.com/detail.asp?id=71774

OR Contact us at
 
Bharat Book Bureau
207, Hermes Atrium, Sector 11, PO Box.54, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai – 400 614, India.
Phone: +91 22 2757 8668 / 2757 9438
Fax: +91 22 2757 9131
E-mail: info@bharatbook.com
Website: www.bharatbook.com

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