Toxic Skin Products - What To Swap To!


Who has heard of the term “You are what you eat” … well I like to take it one step further to say “You are what you absorb” - and did you know there are a lot more things in our everyday life OTHER than food that we are absorbing. 


You also “feed” your body in other ways other than eating: 

  • Through your skin 

  • Through your lungs 

  • Even through your eyes and ears 

What you are feeding yourself in these regards make a huge difference in how you feel, how you look, how your body overcomes disease, how your body prevents disease and of course - longevity. 

The amazing news is that you can actively choose to stop feeding your body certain things that may cause harm and work to replace them with things that support health and healing. Some of these swaps can be done quickly while others may take time to change. 


As you read through, you will notice that most of these are “low hanging fruit” - meaning they are things you can pluck off the branch quickly and change easily. These small changes can have a huge, fast and positive influence on your health. So let us have a closer look. 


A Quick Word on Chemicals in Cosmetics

When we talk about cosmetics and personal care products, “chemical” is not a bad word. Chemicals are nothing to avoid or have fear around. 

Hear me out. 

You are made of chemicals. Water is a chemical. Everything you can taste, smell or hold is made up of chemicals. 

There is no such thing as chemical-free cosmetics - and if you see that on a label you know for sure it’s greenwashing! 

Let’s keep going…. 

What you want to avoid in cosmetics and personal care products is harmful chemicals. That is, chemicals that have known harmful effects on the body. 





First up: Stop Feeding your Skin Toxins
Remember that whatever you put on your skin actually gets absorbed into your body! 

Many popular big brand skin creams and serums contain a cocktail full of chemicals that haven’t been tested for safety or have actually been found to cause harm.
Did you know that the listed “fragrance” ingredient in skin care is not regulated and can be applied to more than 3000 harmful chemicals. 

Instead, choose Certified organic products - these are the ones that usually contain only safe, pure ingredients for your skin.

I am always suss on pretty much every kind of skincare and always on the look out for “greenwashing.” which is essentially when a product uses buzz words like “natural”, “pure”, “100% no toxins” etc etc. These kinds of terms are not regulated and any skin care brand can put it on the label and in marketing even if it’s not true. 

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My top ingredients in skin care to avoid like the plague & why (references at the end of this page):

  • Phthalates
    Phthalates group of chemicals used to soften and increase the flexibility of plastics in cosmetics. This helps products stick to our skin for longer. They can be serious endocrine disruptors, cause early miscarriage and even cause birth defects.
     

  • Alpha & Beta Hydroxy Acids (Lactic Acid + Glycolic Acid):
    This exfoliates the outer layer of the skin which increases the sensitivity to the sun and can accelerate skin ageing - not prevent it.

  • Hydroquinone:
    Popular in skin lightening and brightening products. Has been shown to cause reduced skin thickness and also epidermis disruption, along with respiratory tract irritations.

  • Oxybenzone and octinoxate:
    These are chemicals found mainly in sunscreens (but also in cosmetics, hair colours and shampoo). They both have hormone mimicking effects which has been shown to contribute to low sperm count, thyroid problems and can harm to the environment, in particular the reefs. Hawaii has banned sunscreens with these two ingredients in them due to this very reason.

  • Parabens:
    Parabens are used in many cosmetics and skin care as preservatives. They are very well known to be huge endocrine disruptors with endless amounts of research articles proving so. Endocrine disruptors include oestrogen mimicking which can affect many other hormones systemically.

  • Polyethylene Glycol (PEGs):
    Common in facial cleansers and moisturisers. PEGs contain carcinogenic petroleum ingredient that reduces the skin’s natural moisture.
    The most important thing you need to know about PEGs is that they have a penetration enhancing effect, the magnitude of which is dependent upon a variety of variables. These include: both the structure and molecular weight of the PEG, other chemical constituents in the formula, and, most importantly, the overall health of the skin. Eg. If you have damaged or very thin, weak skin - then it would be 100% best to avoid anything with this ingredient. 

  • Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate

    SLS/SLES are foaming agents that are used in a big range of personal care products like shampoo and toothpastes. They are surfactants that can cause skin irritation and allergies. Additionally, 90% of these SLS are believed to be carcinogenic. 



Ignorance is bliss right….

So what do I do now that I can’t ignore all of the above !!  


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My Naturopath approved list of personal care products

Here are a list of some of my favourite brands of personal care products that I find to be super clean from harmful chemicals: 

P.s. I am constantly updating the list below for the most up to date information - products and brands change all the time so I do my best to keep it up to scratch!



Makeup: 

Inika 

Eye of Horus 

Zuii 

Ere Perez 



Shampoo + Conditioner: 

Shampoo with a Purpose 

Akin & Alchemy 



Facial Cleansers, moisturisers, toners: 

Edible Beauty 

Mukti 

Saya

Ethique



Fake tans: 

Eco Tan 

Three warriors 



Deodorants (that actually work):

Noosa Basics

Schmidt’s

Black Chicken

No Pong



Toothpaste:

Grants

Red Seal (some of the flavours still have SLS so check first)


Sunscreen:

Eco Tan

Wot Not

Please remember these products above may change ingredients so always do your own research first


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