Offending substances

THE STAR Tuesday April 6, 2010

Offending substances

INGREDIENTS in personal care products which you should be concerned about:

Oxbenzone: Used as a “penetration enhancer”, this chemical is found in sunscreens, lip balms, lipsticks, moisturisers, conditioners, anti-ageing creams and fragrances.

It has been linked to allergies, hormone disruptions and cell damage.

Parabens: Common preservatives in cosmetics and toiletries, including shampoos, moisturisers, shaving gels, toothpastes, lubricants and tanning sprays.

They are endocrine disruptors, and can affect reproductive systems. Check for methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, butyl- and isobutylparaben.

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS): Used to produce the lather in soaps, shampoos, toothpaste, hair colouring, tooth-whitening products, body washes and cleansers, SLS is an irritant and drying agent that builds up in heart, liver, lung and brain tissue.

Paraphenylenediamine (p-phenylenediamine or PPD): A chemical found in hair dyes, it can cause irritation and damage to the nervous system and lungs. Some researches have linked it with cancer.

Coal tar: Possible carcinogen, found in dandruff shampoos and anti-itch creams.

Phthalates: Often used in fragrances to help hold scent. They might affect body hormones, causing reproductive and developmental harm, and have been linked with feminisation of male babies.

DEA (diethanolamine): Used in shampoos to increase lather, it can affect hormones, and cell functioning and development.

Formaldehyde: Used as a preservative and found in such products as baby bath soap, nail polish and hair dyes as a contaminant or break-down product of diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, bronopol and quaternium compounds.

Formaldehyde is a probable human carcinogen and can have other toxic effects.

Lead and mercury: Lead, a neurotoxin, can show up in lipstick and in products that have hydrated silica, such as in toothpaste. Mercury, found in the preservative thimerosal, is in some mascaras.

Petroleum distillates: Check for the terms “petroleum” and “liquid paraffin” in such products as mascara and foot-odour powder.

The European Union restricts or prohibits petroleum distillates as possible human carcinogens.

Hydroquinone: Can be found in skin creams and under-eye treatments. Limited evidence links it to cancer in laboratory animals.

Antibacterials: Overuse might contribute to increasingly resistant bacteria, and they contaminate the environment. Triclosan, an agent used in many soaps, can affect the thyroid.

Related article:
Beauty secrets (Beauty Health Risk)

Beauty secrets (Beauty Health Risk)

My dad has been nagging me about the dangers of using many cosmetic/perfume and beauty products. As he could not really elaborate why, all his words has fallen on deaf ears as i nod silently to what he says. Until one day he shows me this article(to prove his point) did i realize that my beauty products can cause me lots of harm! And that the organic product that i bought and which are supposedly safe and preservative free - is not safe at all! In this article it shows a very important website call http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ which state the product or ingredient which are hazardous. I realize that most of my perfume and my loves ones are all rank at least level 8 hazard over 10!! I swear that i will never buy perfume again - not that i can finish my present ones~! Below taken from Star Newspaper from Malaysia.

THE STAR Tuesday April 6, 2010
Beauty secrets
By TAN CHENG LI

How safe are the creams, lotions and colours that we apply on ourselves? The Skin Deep website will tell you.

I’VE been poisoning myself. I’ve just discovered that the Parisian fragrance which I dutifully spray over myself every morning has a “hazardous to health” ranking of “high”. And the gel that I’ve been smoothing around my eyes in the hope of reducing unsightly eyebags, is “moderately hazardous”, as is my shampoo. And they all contain ingredients linked to cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity, allergies and immunotoxicity.

Looks like in my endeavour to look drop-dead gorgeous, I might well just, drop dead. We all turn to personal care products to look our best but sometimes all that lathering, slathering, powdering and painting can do more harm than good. Some of these products contain substances that are not only irritants, but are toxic to the body – and the environment – in the long term.
Dangers from grooming: We clean and primp using all kinds of products. There is now a website that tells us which product is safe, and which is not.

I learnt about the chemicals which I’ve been feeding myself with when I logged in to Skin Deep (www.cosmeticsdatabase.com), an online cosmetics and toiletries safety database created by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). It’s a great resource for finding out the toxicity of products you are using and to find products that are safe.

Sure, we’ve all been told countless times to always read product labels to determine what’s good and what’s not but often, the ingredient lists of bodycare products look like gobbledygook. Fortunately for us, EWG has navigated through the ingredients minefield, assessing them for hazardous contents, then listing down the information in the Skin Deep website.

Skin Deep has safety reports on more than 54,000 cosmetics and personal care products. They are ranked on a scale of one (safest) to 10 (most hazardous). The toxic effects of some 9,000 ingredients are also explained. It also lists down the top 20 brands and companies of concern. With such information, consumers can make informed decisions about what to buy and what to avoid.

We all think that the ingredients in personal care products have been safety tested before they are sold. But it is not so. According to EWG, the United States Food and Drug Administration does not test cosmetics for their health safety (with the exception of colour additives) before they go on the market. In the United States, a group called the Cosmetic Ingredient Review evaluates the safety of products but critics point out that it is industry-funded.

Product manufacturers often insist that levels of lead, parabens and phthalates found in cosmetics are so low they wouldn’t pose a risk, but activists worry about the cumulative effect of using multiple products.

“As people apply an average of 126 unique ingredients on their skin daily, these chemicals, whether they seep through the skin, rinsed down the drain or flushed down the toilet, are causing concerns for human health, and for the impacts they may have to wildlife, rivers and streams,” says EWG.

So the final advice from EWG is this: choose personal care products containing fewer ingredients and choose fewer products overall.

Related article:
Offending substances

ALLANO Hand & Body Lotion Review

ALLANO Hand & Body Lotion

Its has a foamy texture.

Its a moisturizer. To use just shake and spray on hand. The spray function makes the design quiet unique and fun actually!

Ingredients. Its not very clear due to the design of the bottel. But not to worry I will just restate the ingredient: Water, PPG-5-Ceteth-20, Isobutane, Isopropyl, Palmitate, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Acetate, Cetearyl Acohol, Triethanolamine, PEG-40, Sorbitan Peroleate, Polysorbate 60, Propylene Glycol, Fragrance, Glyceryl Stearate, Diazolidinyl Urea, Carbomer, Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol, Allantoin, Phenyl Trimethicone, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Stearamidoethyl Diethylamine

The back

The review:
This lotion has many function and its very fun to use. Other than treating it as a moisturizer, it can also be use as a mosquito repellent and for injuries! Yes you heard it right! If your area has lots of mosquito, just use the lotion as per normal and you will have worry free night sleep. Some people also use it when there is minor cuts/bleeding/minor burn. But i never tried it on myself when i am injured. Due to certain ingredients stated I do not think that i will use it on the wound. The design makes the lotion rather fun to use, you need to spray it out and its very foamy. Just swipe the foam around your body and its non sticky. The smell is also rather relaxing.

However the bad side is that the ingredient does raise a few eyebrows.
Parabens (a kind of preservative)-endocrine disruptors and can affect reproductive syste
PEG-40:Not safe for use on injured or damaged skin
Fragrance (usually all perfume has Fragrance which is hazardous for health - only found out recently).
Diazolidinyl Urea and Isobutane - Additive

For more info on the rest of the ingredients: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

Related topics:
Shopping spree with amway products
ARTISTRY: Replenishing Eye Creme Review
ARTISTRY Pore Mask. The difference between the old and the new mask
ARTISTRY Pure White Masque Review
ARTISTRY Pore Cleansing Masque Review

ARTISTRY Pore Mask. The difference between the old and the new mask

ARTISTRY essentials Pore Cleansing Masque (New)

ARTISTRY essentials Pore Cleansing Masque description

Comparing the ingredients of both old pore mask and the new pore mask (essential), it looks like both of the mask are the same! They are the same from their exact wording of their packaging rite down to the smell of the mask. Left side is the new mask/right side is the old mask.

The back part of both mask

Good thing that i didnt throw my old box away~!! And looks like I dont have to be sad that the old mask is "no longer in production"! Since the old mask equal the new mask. But if you buy the new mask thinking that its a new formula and you are still using the old ones...well...looks like you can just save your money and wait till the old bottle finish!

EC Italy Sealed Ends

Another hair product that i love is this hair product that i bought from the Danga Bay shops. Unfortunately I could not find any info about this hair product in the net. I am also not sure whether the brand is ESC Italy or EC Italy. I bought this hair product for RM25 for 160ml. It does not say where its made from but it says that its distributed by Siltex Sdn Bhd from Malaysia. After using finish the 1st tube, I went back and bought 2 tubes!

I wanted to find a hair product to solve my spilt end issue. I have rebonded my hair a few times. My hair will look pretty and straight but eventually they will look disperse due to split end. I have use this hair product for 2 years. I have rebonded and cut my hair about half a year ago. Amazingly I do not see visible white doted split end on my hair. Other than solve my split end issue it also repair and moisturize my hair so that it look silkier and softer.

The sad thing is that when i went looking for the shop, I could not find it anymore. I think the shop is no longer there. So I am not sure how to restock after i have finish the tube! I wish that Siltex Sdn Bhd will have an online website selling the product!

The ingredient. I feel that the product is best use on damp hair.

The description

ELIANTO Organic Olive shampoo/conditioner/essence Review 2

I feel my hair is really silky. I have overcome the non bubble issue by pressing 3 times on my palm and rub them between my palm before scrubbing on my hair. When i first use the whole set i feel my face itch. Now the itching has stop. I also like to pin my hair for many hours to prevent my hair from covering my forehead. I notice that when i remove the pin there will be little or no pin marks on my hair! When i use Asience shampoo, the bad thing is that when i pin my hair there will be an ugly mark left on my hair. So I am really happy with this product~

Shopping spree with amway products

Finally my order has arrive! So excited with the things that i bought~ its been a while since i spend so much on amway. went a little overboard cos the supply a bit hard to get! Spend about RM420 on the whole purchase. Shopping really make me forget my worries and make me feel better. Some items i really want to get for a long time liao~

AMWAY SA8 Prewash Laundry Spray (350g), ALLANO Hand & Body Lotion (250g), ARTISTRY essentials Pore Cleansing Masque (100ml),ARTISTRY essentials Moisture Intense Masque (100ml), ARTISTRY Pure White Masque (75ml), ARTISTRY Cosmetic Brush 6-pc Set and NUTRILITE Protein Drink Mix Green Tea Flavour (450g)

I bought the new Green Tea flavour protein and the shaker. First time buying their protein! When i first saw the new product I immediately wanted it as it reminds me of my favourite Green Tea Ice Cream at Jusco Tebrau City and also the Starbucks Green Tea ice blended~ Will write the Green Tea review in my cooking blog~ The SA8 is a prewash. Spray the prewash on the stain when the cloths is dry, soak or machine wash and the stain will come out itself. The moisturizer is a spray/foam type and added advantage is that it can actually act as a mosquito repellent at the same time (while smelling nice)!

The Artistry new line of Pore and Moisturizing Mask! Left side is Moisture and right side is Pore mask. They look very similar though. Only the wording's are different! Will start using them when my old tube has finish.

I got all 3 of their mask. Shows wat a mask freak i am~!! lol~!!

Their 6 pcs cosmetic set which i wanted for a reaaally long time. They look so cute!!

The cosmetic brush set inside. There is total of 6 pcs.

Overall am satisfied with what i bought. Feeling totally happy and totally broke right now! Must "save money" and eat porridge for the rest of the coming months!!

Related topics:
ALLANO Hand & Body Lotion Review
ARTISTRY: Replenishing Eye Creme Review
ARTISTRY Pore Mask. The difference between the old and the new mask
ARTISTRY Pure White Masque Review
ARTISTRY Pore Cleansing Masque Review