I’ve recently been looking for a deodorant that is natural or organic, however, I sweat a LOT. I’ve recently tried Alba & Jason’s natural deodorants, however, i just keep sweating through them – i was just too uncomfortable. I had resolved to just exposing myself to the cancer-causing agents and enjoying dry armpits, until my cousins’ wife, Tina, came to visit last month. She had been using a natural product called “The Crystal” and swore by it. For her, it took about 6 months for her body to ‘adjust’, and she says her body has adjusted and doesn’t produce as much sweat. A few weeks later I found it at my local grocery store and gave it a try.

I’ve been using it for a few weeks now, despite it being incredibly humid here in NJ, and the middle of July. I was really, truly surprised! I convinced my hubby to try it shortly after. At the end of the day, I literally stuck my face in my hubby’s armpit and all i could smell was the dove soap he had washed with that morning. Although I asked him to try it “just once”, I can hear the clicking of the rock against the outside plastic container it comes in when he gets ready for work every morning, so he’s converted too.

For me, this product has worked just as well as the men’s hardcore sport deodorant I was using, but it lacks the chemicals and fragrance of commercial products. Although “the crystal” sells it for $6.99 on their website, it was $4.99 to purchase in my local Wegmans. Tina says it lasts her about a year.

NOTE: This is NOT a paid review. I get no compensation from this company for writing this, at all. You can read more about this product at www.thecrystal.com.

1,4 Dioxane, often referred to as just ‘dioxane’, is an accidental byproduct of the ethoxylation process in cosmetics manufacturing. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services considers 1,4-dioxane as reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.

In 1988, California passed prop 65, The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. This act requires that the Governor revise and republish at least once per year the list of chemicals known to the State to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. 1,4 Dioxane is on this list as a chemical known to cause cancer. Read the rest of this entry »

We looked at two deodorants that are often found in the natural products aisle, in order to find the safest product. The products seen here are JASON Natural Deodorant (Apricot) and Burts Bee’s Herbal Deodorant. Take a guess which is safest, according to the Cosmetics Safety Database. Answer after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Phthalates are a group of chemical compounds and are mostly used as plasticizers (substances added to plastics to improve their durability, flexibility, transparency and longevity). Studies performed on rodents have proven that high doses of phthalates cause damage in liver, kidneys, lungs and developing testes. These chemicals can be inhaled as fumes and absorbed through the skin.Phthalates are commonly used in personal care products, nail polishes, cosmetics, soaps, carpet tiles, artificial leather and numerous other products.

The US Centers for Disease control conducted a study of the levels in humans, it was concluded that women of childbearing age had the highest levels, presumably because of their use of cosmetics. Also, in a study that was published by Environmental Health Perspectives in May 2005, it was founded that women that only had common amounts of phthalates in their system, might have produced boys that had smaller genitals and incomplete testicular descent.

Since phthalates are absorbed through the skin and used in personal skin care products, we can conclude that phthalates will absorb into your skin when you use beauty products that contain this chemical. The evidence of the dangers of phthalates needs to be taken seriously and women and men both should avoid using any products that contain this chemical.

Parabens, or para-hydroxybenzoic acids, are used as a preservative in many popular cosmetics and personal products. Their purpose is to inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungus, such as mold. This makes the product last longer on the shelf both in the department store and at home. The labels of these products must list the parabens as an ingredient, but their use is not monitored by the FDA.

Research has shown that the parabens in products used over the long term may result in serious health problems. Studies have found evidence that parabens may be connected to premature aging of the skin and may be a factor in the development of breast cancer.

Scientists have proven that parabens do leach into the tissues of the body. One study found that this accumulation of chemicals affect the body in a manner similar to oestrogen, a female hormone. Though studies have not yet conclusively proven that parabens is a cause of cancer, the link between oestrogen and the growth of cancerous tumors in the breast is quite strong.

Because the maximum concentration of these toxins has yet to be established in humans, scanning cosmetic labels for the presence of parabens is probably a really good idea. Although the prefix of the ingredient may be varied, such as methyl-, propyl-, or benzyl-, the root of this dangerous chemical always contains paraben. It can be hidden in foundations, lipsticks, nail products, and sunscreens. It also may appear in bronzers, cleansers, deodorants,and toothpastes.

Mixing various parabens has been known to cause an allergic reaction, causing a red, itchy rash at the points of contact with the skin. Some people also have paraben allergic hypersensitivity and react in a more severe way to the substances containing them.

Because of all of these problems, avoiding parabens is probably in your best interest. Most of the products can be found in organic forms which work just as well as the products filled with chemicals. By reading labels and substituting these natural cosmetics, shampoos, and creams for the ones containing parabens, you can ensure that you and your family are not using questionable products.

Propylene Glycol, Polyethylene Glycol, Isopropyl Alcohol, Mineral Oil- Sound familiar? It’s because most commonly used skin and hair care products use these ingredients. What you may not know is, these are all byproducts or indirect byproducts of petroleum. What else you may not know is, most of these ingredients are unregulated in many areas and can contain impurities that can cause cancer and other health problems.

The bottom line? Your skin care and beauty products could be dangerous to your health. Petroleum byproducts are anything but natural and are unsafe for use by humans either orally or topically.

Mineral oil is a common ingredient in many make-up removers, skin moisturizers, even conditioners and baby care products. But mineral oil actually clogs the pores by coating skin- this inhibits the skin’s ability to “breathe.” Because skin is the largest organ in the body and is our natural method of protection from germs, helps us to release toxins etc- this can cause major problems with cells and skin function.

Isopropyl alcohol is an extremely common ingredient in many acne lotions, washes, etc. It dries the skin and causes you to be more at risk of illness from bacterias and viruses. This is because the natural layers of the skin are stripped by isopropyl alcohol. This is definitely a dangerous petroleum byproduct.

Polyethylene glycol and propylene glycol are both highly toxic petroleum byproducts- they can cause skin, eye and throat irritation- with polyethylene glycol being a carcinogen, and propylene glycol can cause brain, liver and kidney damage that is irreversible, potentially even death.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, or SLS, is an ingredient often found in garage floor & carpet cleaners, engine de-greasers, car-wash soaps, pet and household cleaners. This is the same ingredient used in common brands of shampoo, toothpaste, body wash, makeups, and mascaras.

In its final report on the safety of sodium lauryl sulfate, the Journal of the American College of Toxicology notes that this ingredient has a “degenerative effect on the cell membranes because of its protein denaturing properties.” What’s more, the journal adds, “high levels of skin penetration may occur at even low use concentration.”

Sodium lauryl sulfate is not a recognized carcinogen. However, the chemical is frequently combined with TEA (triethanolamine), DEA (diethanolamine), or MEA (monnoethanolamine), which can cause the formation of the carcinogenic substances nitrosames.

Because sodium lauryl sulfate is corrosive by nature, it can dry out skin by stripping the protective lipids from the surface of the skin, weakening the body’s natural moisture regulation mechanisms. If it eats away at the follicle, hair loss may also be induced.

Further Reading: 
.gov list of products with SLS
Cosmetic Safety Database on SLS

To be “organic,” a skin care product has to be certified “organic.” No such certification exists for a product to be “natural” or even “all-natural”; in fact, there is no legal definition for what defines the word “Natural”. While we would like to think that something called “all natural’ is just as safe as “Organic”, we would be unfortunately mistaken.

Organic

The U.S.D.A. has strict requirements for certification of a skin care ingredient to be labeled “100% organic” or “organic”.  Read more about organic certifications here.

Natural

Any product can be called ‘natural’. While Americans become more and more concious of the food we eat and the products we use in our home, large companies are taking advantage of this trend by simply calling their products ‘natural’, hoping that we will confuse  this term with the harder to achieve status of “organic”.

In one example, Clorox’s “Green Works” Cleaners, Clorox’s tag line is ” Powelful cleaning. Naturally.”  They even go as far as calling their wipes “Feel-Good Wipes”.  What  does natural mean to Clorox? From Clorox’s website;

When we created Green Works™ natural cleaners, we defined natural using three core principles. The ingredients must come from renewable resources, be biodegradable and free of petrochemicals.

When they say “Free of petrochemicals” (petrochemicals are chermicals made of petrolium), they actually mean “99% free”. TheBigMoney.com notes:

Several of these products, however, contain corn-based ethanol, which the environmental community has targeted for being neither cost effective nor eco-friendly. A quarter of the items in the Green Works line also include sodium lauryl sulfate—which the company describes as a “coconut-based cleaning agent.” That may be true, but, coconut or not, SLS has long been criticized by the scientific community for its not-so-natural effects; the American College of Toxicology described SLS as a known skin irritant in a report published more than 20 years ago.

Lastly, while Clorox doesn’t specifically test Green Works Products on animals, Clorox is notorius for testing other products and ingredients used in other products on animals.

Overall, Clorox’s “Green Works” line of products look more like Green Washing to me.

In the United States, The USDA is responsible for organic certifications. Products made entirely with certified organic ingredients and methods can be labeled “100% organic”.  “100% organic” is a bit of a misnomer, as most skincare products contain water, and water can not be certified as organic. Water and salt are not counted when determining if a product contains 100% organic ingredients.

To be labeled “Organic”, a product must contain only 95% organic ingredients.  The end product may contain up to 5% of non-organically produced agricultural ingredients which are not commercially available in organic form; and/or some non-synthedic products allowed by the government (found here).

According to Wikipedia,

Products with at least 95% organic ingredients can use the word “organic”. Both of these categories may also display the USDA organic seal.

A third category, containing a minimum of 70% organic ingredients, can be labeled “made with organic ingredients”. In addition, products may also display the logo of the certification body that approved them.

Products made with less than 70% organic ingredients can not advertise this information to consumers and can only mention this fact in the product’s ingredient statement. Similar percentages and labels apply in the EU.

Arm & Hammer (Church & Dwight), P.O. Box 1625, Horsham, PA 19044
Clairol (Aussie, Daily Defense, Herbal Essences, Infusium 23, Procter & Gamble), 1 Blachley Rd., Stamford, CT 06922
Colgate-Palmolive Co. (Mennen, SoftSoap, Speed Stick), 300 Park Ave., New York, NY 10022
Dial Corporation (Dry Idea, Right Guard, Soft & Dri), 15101 N. Scottsdale Rd., Ste. 5028, Scottsdale, AZ 85254
Johnson & Johnson (Aveeno, Clean & Clear, Listerine, Lubriderm, Neutrogena, Rembrandt, ROC), 1 Johnson & Johnson Plz., New Brunswick, NJ 08933
L’Oréal (Biotherm, Cacharel, Garnier, Giorgio Armani, Helena Rubinstein, Lancôme, Matrix Essentials, Maybelline, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Redken, Soft Sheen, Vichy), 575 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10017
Max Factor (Procter & Gamble), 1 Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202
New Dana Perfumes, 470 Oakhill Rd., Crestwood Industrial Park, Mountaintop, PA 18707
Olay (Procter & Gamble), P.O. Box 599, Cincinnati, OH 45201
Pantene (Procter & Gamble), 1 Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202
Physique (Procter & Gamble), 1 Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202
Playtex Products (Banana Boat), 300 Nyala Farms Rd., Westport, CT 06880
Ponds (Unilever), 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
Procter & Gamble Co. (Clairol, Cover Girl, Crest, Gillette, Giorgio,Max Factor, Physique), 1 Procter & Suave , 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632

*The company is currently observing a moratorium on animal testing.

While many companies say they do not perform animal testing, they often buy materials from companies that test on animals. If you are concerned about the welfare of animals, show your support by spending your money with companies who promise not to test on animals OR buy from companies who test on animals. See Leapingbunny.org for more information.