CHEMICALS in your Personal Care Products

Hello Everyone,

This is a topic that should be on the top of your priority list. Please read the labels of ALL of the products that you purchase to put on, or in your body. In Europe and Australia there has been a ban on over 3,000 chemicals that cause harm to our bodies. Sadly, in the USA we have only banned about 10 (last count) of those same chemicals. I know one thing for sure that if men (the majority of these lawmakers) used lipstick you could be sure that there would NOT be any harmful agents such as LEAD in a single lipstick product in this country. So, thankfully, with this new Administration, we not only have more people in power who are more ecologically minded, but who are more conscious of "people safety" and who also grant much more humane approaches to our beloved farm animals. In short, with more Women now in positions of power, we are most assuredly set to see some changes in these horrible laws that leave our own Cosmetic Industry the least regulated in the western world. This is a major flaw with laws governing the FDA (Federal Drug Administration)

Ask your Government Why do we have all of these chemicals in our Personal Health and Wellness Products? Who is benefiting? Not the Consumers, that is for certain.

Please take a few minutes to listen to our very own Congresswoman, Jackie Speier (Scroll down to PBWCSA08-120) (does not work with Firefox Browser) at the Luncheon address to the PBWC (Professional Business Women of California) Conference in Sacramento, last November. She speaks openly about this subject and how we need to make serious changes. Lead in your lipstick? Think again.

BEWARE of the following CHEMICALS:- ARBONNE does not use any of these ingredients. If you read anywhere that we do, I would be happy to direct you to our Product Data Sheets that are all freely available to all Arbonne Consultants. We are Vegan Action certified, Friends of the Environment and FSC.org Certified

Parabens - Methy, Ethyl, Propyl and Butylparaben
These are Petroleum based preservatives that earned a very bad reputation as being disruptive to the reproductive system and causing allergic response in sensitive individuals. In fact, it was mainly due to the large quantities of these preservatives that were the cause for much concern. In very low amounts these preservatives did not appear to be an issue. But, as ever with many Companies wanting extremely long shelf lifes for their products, they used in many cases ten times the amount of preservative that more cautious Companies.

Mineral Oil
An occlusive Petroleum derived oil, used as a main ingredient in many face and body preparations. I liken using anything with Mineral Oil to placing a sheet of plastic film over your face and then expecting great skin as a result. For purely demonstrative purposes imagine the skin : It breathes and as the body's largest organ its' job is to protect the internal organs of the body and the pores take in nutrients or medicines straight through the dermis ans the skin is also a body temperature regulator via perspiration as well as an organ of elimination, debris is also eliminated through the pores. So if you put something on the skin that blocks the pores, as is the case with any Mineral Oil, then you are hindering the body. Hence some of the reason people get blackheads; the mineral oil acts as a sheet of plastic over the skin blocking the skin from breathing and releasing debris. Mineral Oil also acts in a Hygroscopic (drawing water out of), thus depleting the skin of its' much needed natural moisture.

Diethanolamine
Beware of this chemical and avoid it at all times. It is a Carcinogen and has absolutely no place in any cosmetic or other personal products. It is not the Dethanolamine itself per se that is the major issue, it is what happens to that chemical as a result of it meeting other chemicals or ingredients, which allow for the formation of See Cancer Prevention for a detailed assessment of this chemical www.preventcancer.com

PABA (para aminobenzoic acid)
A Sunscreen that was widely used for many years before it was discovered that PABA actually increases your risk of Skin Cancer because it increases the formation of a certain DNA defect in Humans. There are many alternatives available that
contain much safer sunscreens.

Petrolatum aka. Petroleum Jelly
Yes, a good old gasoline derivative FULL of carcinogenic impurities. The links to Breast Cancer are immense and with 1 in 8 American girls born today, likely to get Breast Cancer in her lifetime, this is one chemical that should be outlawed for use in Personal Health Care products.
PAHs, or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are common contaminants in petrolatum, also called petroleum jelly and sold under many well-known brand names, of course I cannot directly name names here. Petrolatum is found in one of every 14 products on the market, including 15 percent of all lipstick and 40 percent of all baby lotions and oils. FDA restricts petrolatum in food to no more than 10 parts per million, and requires petrolatum used in food packaging or drugs to meet impurity restrictions for PAHs (21 CFR 178, 21 CFR 172.880).

But the agency allows any amount of petrolatum of any purity in personal care products, many of which are applied directly to the lips and swallowed. Read your labels please!

Manufacturers would find no legal impediments to using the same unregulated petrolatum in personal care products as can be used in shoe polish.

A recent study by the University of Columbia concluded that women with Breast Cancer were 2.6 times more likely to have elevated levels of PAH's bound to their DNA than women without Breast Cancer. Europe and Australia have banned the use of Petrolatum from all Personal Health and Wellness products. We so far have not!

Phthalates
Studies by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) show that most people in the United States carry in their bodies concentrations of a family of synthetic chemicals known as phthalates. Phthalates are commonly found in plastics, pesticides, and personal care products like shampoos, soaps, and makeup. Now, for the first time, there is a human study linking mothers exposed to phthalates to genital birth defects in male infants. The research is in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. The author is Dr. Shana Swan of the University of Rochester Medical School

Propylene Glycol
Liquid preservative, solvent and antifreeze, this toxic petroleum derivative is known to cause allergy and irritation. A common ingredient in Moisturizers, Medicines, Cosmetics, Food, Toothpaste, Mouth Wash, Deodorants, Hand Sanitizers and Tobacco. It is also used as a less toxic Motor Engine Coolant and it is the stuff that makes the smoke, in smoke machines. It is a Hygroscopic Compound (water drawing), therefore, even if this Chemical were safe for humans, it is counter-intuitive to use it in a moisturizer, because it draws moisture away from the skin. Perhaps a ploy to require that you use much more of this product to keep up the moisture levels in your skin. Just a thought.

Paraffin
a waxy crystalline flammable substance obtained especially from distillates of wood, coal, petroleum, or shale oil that is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons. Paraffin wax, classified as a chemical preservative, is widely used on fruits, vegetables, and candy to make them shiny and pretty as well as to retard moisture loss and spoilage. Waxes are made from vegetable oils, palm oil derivatives, and synthetic resins, as well as other materials. Some people, notably those who are allergic to aspirin, may be sensitive to many waxes, depending on their ingredients.