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Understanding Personal Care & Cosmetic products
Did you know there are potentially harmful ingredients in over 90%
of the personal care products on the market, products you and your
family likely use? You can find these in toothpaste, shampoos,
conditioners, moisturizers, sunscreens, deodorants, and the list goes
on. Some especially potentially harmful ingredients you should check
your labels for are parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth
sulfate and propylene glycol.
Are Your Personal and Skin Care Products Safe? Your skin is the largest
organ of your body and it absorbs what you put on it. The personal and
skin care products you use every day may actually have harmful petroleum
derivatives, vinyl's, and plastics that can have effects greater than
just damaging the skin and making it older and less healthy...they can
actually cause illness.
Most off-the-shelf personal care products contain harmful ingredients
that strip, coat, suffocate, and leave your skin vulnerable. Do you
suffer from headaches, dizziness, rashes, skin irritation, allergies,
premature aging? Did you ever consider that your personal and skin care
products may be causing your problems? Even the most expensive and even
most "All-Natural" products use potentially harmful
ingredients. With so many of us paying good money for premium products
and doing our best to live ecologically and healthfully-recycling,
buying organic produce, reading the labels on our food and using only
products advertised as "100% natural," we may feel safe from
potential health hazards. Cosmetics called "natural" or
"certified organic" can still contain additives,
preservatives, synthetic coloring agents and many other things that are
probably very unnatural.
As a whole, many natural cosmetics appear to be purely an advertising
gimmick. As consumers, you must take charge; arm yourselves with some
basic knowledge on personal care and cosmetic products to make a good
and informed purchasing decision.
1. DOES IT MAKE SENSE - "70% CERTIFIED ORGANIC"
California is the only state in the US which has issued organic
standards for toiletries and cosmetic in January 2003; allowing products
containing at least 70% certified organic ingredients to carry a
state-approved organic seal. The California Organic Standards Act of
2003 stipulates a mandatory 70 percent minimum weight of
non-water/non-salt agricultural organic content in a product for a
"Made with Organic" label claim to be made on the front panel,
and expressly forbids synthetic ingredients not allowed under the
federal National Organic Program.
Some company violates the Californian labeling laws; one of which is the
illegal counting of tap water from steam as an "organic"
constituent. There are also complaints on the use of synthetic petroleum
derived ingredients in such "organic certified" personal care
products. Scientifically speaking, no personal care products can
possibly be termed as organic. How can water, one of the major
ingredients in the personal care products be considered as organic? How
could claim on the product label say "70% certified organic
content" suffice to assure consumers that the product is safe for
use? What happen to the remaining 30% which may contain some harmful
ingredients or synthetic petroleum derived ingredients? I-Green uses
pure and natural ingredients to manufacture its products. The primary
concern of personal care products is that if harmful chemicals are used.
Organic certified label does not serve any purpose unless all
ingredients used in the product are 100% certified organic and there is
no harmful chemical used.
2. THE QUESTION ON pH BALANCE "
pH balanced" is a meaningless phrase; it is purely a marketing
gimmick. pH is a measure of acidity and alkalinity of a substance. The
pH of water is 7.0 - perfectly neutral, and the skin's pH ranges from
4.0 to 6.75. Our skin is naturally slightly acidic, even if substances
are applied to it that change its pH, this is only temporary as the
skin's secretions will soon turn it back to acidic. The pH of natural
personal care products should be in the range of 4.5 to 9.0. So, why
manipulate it with chemicals? As acidic medium promotes bacteria growth,
it is highly likely that greater amount of preservative is needed to
maintain reasonable product shelf life. Artificial preservative such as
Parabens is known to cause breast cancer. A product's pH is not a danger
to the body, but the synthetic chemicals used in cosmetics - often to
alter the pH to please the ones who fall for the "pH balanced"
story - are Green personal care products are pure and natural with pH in
the range of 7.0-8.5.
3. PRODUCT CLAIM - HOW NATURAL IS CONSIDERED AS
"NATURAL"
Only products made of 100% natural ingredients can be meaningfully
claimed to be natural; as any harmful chemicals found in the personal
care products can be potentially harmful, no matter how small the amount
is. With marketing, many companies have successfully given the
impression that their products are made mostly from natural ingredients.
In fact, they make wide use of non-renewable petrochemicals, synthetic
colors, fragrances and preservatives. For marketing purposes, they use
only small amounts of botanical-based ingredients. I-Green products are
100% pure and natural. The ingredients used are plants extracts and
oils.
4. WHY USE ARTIFICIAL FRAGRANCE IF HARMFUL
Almost all personal care and cosmetic products contain fragrances to
either cover the unpleasant odor of the ingredients used, to make the
product more appealing or to support product claims. Fragrance of a
product is one of the key considerations when a consumer purchasing or
using a product. Mask the base odor Many ingredients contain in the
personal care products have an inherent odor which may be unpleasant and
so render the product unappealing. Fragrances are added in to mask these
base odors to make the product much more pleasing to use.
The uses of higher grade of purity in base ingredients reduce odor
intensity in the product. Products manufactured with lower grade raw
materials generally require more and stronger fragrance to mask
unpleasant odors, and are likely to be more sensitizing. Support Product
Claims Fragrance helps to support perceived claims of products, as the
olfactory senses play a significant role in the perception of
well-being.
Lower levels of a soft floral blend in a skin cream for example, will
enhance the perception of a greater smoothing and moisturizing
properties. Primarily, artificial fragrances are synthesized from
organic compounds (petroleum-based) and normally labeled as fragrance,
perfume or parfum (no one knows what they are). According to the
scientific research done in the US, fragrances have been classified as
the primary cause to skin irritation and sensitization. It could be
potentially carcinogenic.
"Fragrance on a label can indicate the presence of up to 4,000
separate ingredients. Most or all of them are synthetic. Symptoms
reported to the FDA have included headaches, dizziness, rashes, skin
discoloration, violent coughing and vomiting, and allergic skin
irritation. Clinical observation by medical doctors has shown that
exposure to fragrances can affect the central nervous system, causing
depression, hyperactivity, irritability, inability to cope, and other
behavioral changes," Home Safe Home.
Fragrance is increasingly cited as a trigger in health conditions such
as asthma, allergies and migraine headaches. In addition, some fragrance
materials have been found to accumulate in adipose tissue and are
present in breast milk. Other materials are suspected of being hormone
disrupters. The implications are not fully known, as there has been
little evaluation of systemic effects. There are environmental concerns
as well, as fragrances are volatile compounds, which add to both indoor
and outdoor air pollution. Synthetic musk compounds are persistent in
the environment and contaminate waterways and aquatic wildlife. The
scent of I-Green's product is from the plant extracts and essential oils
used. We have carefully selected mild essential oils (lavender,
geranium, tea tree, ylang ylang, etc.) with therapeutic, antiseptic, and
restorative properties.
5. THE WORLD OF COLORS MAY NOT BE SO COLORFUL AFTERALL - ARTIFICIAL
DYES / COLORANTS
Color is part of everyday life. It affects all senses - sight, touch,
taste and even hearing. Color can affect emotions. Color can influence
on how we perceive things to be. As such, color plays a very important
role in the world of marketing. Most synthetic dyes or colorants are
petroleum based. Some of them are toxic in nature while others could
cause skin irritation. In many instances, products made of harmful
chemicals do not look very appealing to consumers. Therefore, dyes are
used to hide impurities in the products and at the same enhance their
appearance. The common pigments or dyes used are listed on the label as
D&C or FD&C Colors, which are often carcinogenic or possible
carcinogenic.
To avoid them, select product that uses only natural color or no color
at all. I-Green products do not use colorant. The color of the product
you see is originated from the natural color of the plant extracts used.
The color in I-Green product varies in shades and intensity from one
batch to another produced; as it takes whatever colors derived from the
natural ingredients used. The uniqueness about Nature is that no one
thing of the same specie can be completely identical in all aspects of
its properties. Only artificial colorant / pigment can assure the
product appearance to be consistently uniform at all times. In I-Green,
we do not use any artificial colorant or pigment.
6. WHY USE PRESERVATIVES?
All cosmetic formulations have preservative components. Contaminations
in the personal care and cosmetic products can be caused by
microorganisms. Contamination of formulations can lead to the separation
of emulsions, product discoloration, the formation of gasses and odors,
as well as the infection of the skin of the user. Customer usage and
storage of cosmetics and skin care is often lax, care is not taken in
replacing lids and fingers are often used to remove the cream or
foundation from the container.
A variety of infections including yeasts, fungi and bacteria, including
pseudomonas, staphylococci and streptococcus have been identified in
cosmetic preparations. In addition many problems with preservative
failure in cosmetics have been related to expiry of usable shelf life
and extreme temperature variation during storage. The presence of
preservatives in cosmetic products is obviously necessary; however, many
preservatives have the potential to cause allergic reactions on
sensitive skins, and most importantly, some have high possible linkage
with cancer - Paraben. Beware of Paraben Preservatives in Body Care
Products Preservative chemicals found in samples of breast tumours
probably came from underarm deodorants, UK scientists have
claimed.
The new research was led by molecular biologist Philippa Darbre, a
senior lecturer in oncology at the University of Reading. She has been
studying breast cancer for 20 years and has long been interested in
parabens but could not get funding for this study. The U.S. Food and
Drug Administration has called parabens the most widely used
preservatives in the United States, common in shampoos, foundations,
facial masks, hair-grooming aids, nail creams, and permanent wave
products. Different animal and laboratory studies have previously shown
that parabens can mimic the actions of the hormone estrogen. That has
raised red flags because estrogen is known to fuel breast cancer.
"We have always been assured that parabens could not get into the
body . . . This study shows that it does. To my knowledge, no one else
has done that," says Philippa D. Darbre, the lead author of the
study, which appears in the January/February issue of the Journal of
Applied Toxicology. A 1984 study estimated parabens were used in 13,200
different formulations. Of particular concern are underarm products,
such as deodorants and antiperspirants, which are applied topically and
absorbed through the skin. Their analysis of 20 breast tumours found
high concentrations of para-hydroxybenzoic acids (parabens) in 18
samples.
Parabens can mimic the hormone estrogen, which is known to play a role
in the development of breast cancers. The preservatives are used in many
cosmetics and some foods to increase their shelf-life. Parabens are
commonly labeled as methylparaben, butylparaben, and propylparaben. They
are found in almost every lotion, body/face wash, and shaving cream,
among other cosmetics and personal care. Fomaldehyde is Prohibited in
Sweden and Japan Formaldehyde is a inexpensive and effective
preservative that is widely used in cosmetics as a disinfectant,
germicide, fungicide and de-foamer. It has been estimated that between
4-8 % of the general population may be sensitized to this popular
preservative. It is commonly found in shower gels, deodorizers,
disinfectants, germicides, and adhesives. It is an extremely potent
carcinogen and respiratory irritant.
More recently, serious questions about the safety of this substance have
been raised, to the point that it is prohibited in cosmetics in both
Japan and Sweden. Individuals who are allergic to formaldehyde may also
have adversity with Imadazolidinyl urea and diazolidinyl urea, as these
substances can also release formaldehyde. Persons allergic to
formaldehyde may also have problems with 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1-3
(more commonly known by the brand Bronopol) or DMDM hydratoin,
5-bromo-5-nitro-1,3 dioxane (also known as Bromidox), and tris (hydromethyl)
nitromethane. Products containing this chemical should be considered
unacceptable. There are many plant extracts and oils that have found to
exhibit potent antibacterial and antioxidant properties.
In I-Green, our products have been carefully formulated to utilize the
natural antibacterial and oxidation properties of the plant extracts to
preserve our products. Thus, I-Green product generally will have a shelf
life of two years. Artificial preservatives will extend the shelf life
of a product to 4 - 5 years.
7. PENETRATION ENHANCING SUBSTANCES - SURFACTANT AND EMOLLIENT
Many cosmetic formulations that contain substances designed to penetrate
the skin more rapidly than natural ingredients (such as water) are also
potential sensitizers. They are generally part of the emollient or
surfactant portion of the formulation. Penetration enhancing substances
have the ability to significantly alter the lipid barrier function of
the stratum corneum, and should be considered a potential source of
irritation. The use penetration enhancing substances to assist in the
delivery of drugs in to the skin is accepted in prescription
medications, as the contact time of the product is strictly
controlled.
In the case of cosmetic formulations, the uncontrolled and prolonged use
of products containing these substances may lead to allergic reactions
on individuals with susceptible skins. In the American study, over 10%
of the allergic reactions studied where due to penetration enhanced
emollients. Although penetration enhancing substances help the delivery
of active ingredients into the skin, other irritating ingredients in the
formulation such as fragrances, surfactants and preservatives are also
absorbed more readily.
Paradoxically, nature designed the lipid barrier of the stratum corneum
to repel the potential aggression of such chemicals. Below are some of
the chemical agents reported to enhance the penetration of specific
chemicals in to the stratum corneum. Anionic
surfactantsDimrthylformamide N-methyl-2-pyrrolidoneTetrahydrofurfuryl
alcoholn-Pentanol Nonionic
surfactantsDimethylacetamideN,N-diethyl-m-toluamide1-Dodecylazacycloheptan-2-one
n-Hexanol Dimethylsulfoxide Propylene Glycol2-Pyrrolidonen-ButanolThymol
No artificial surfactants / emollients are used in I-Green
products.
8. ARE MINERAL OIL AND SILICON FLUID REALLY EMOLLIENTS
Most personal care and cosmetic products contain emollients to keep skin
moisturized and conditioned. The emollients most commonly used are
mineral oil and silicon fluid, which act as a barrier on your skin to
prevent water loss and to make your skin feel silky and smooth. This
however makes your skin unable to perform normal duties such as
breathing and sweating, which is one important way of detoxification.
Most baby oil sold in the market is 100% mineral oil.
Used in many skin care products, this ingredient actually coats the skin
just like plastic wrap, disrupting the skin's natural immune barrier and
inhibiting its ability to breathe and absorb the Natural Moisture Factor
(moisture and nutrition). As the body's largest organ of elimination, it
is vital that the skin be free to release toxins. But mineral oil
impedes this process, allowing toxins to accumulate, which can promote
acne and other disorders. It also slows down skin function and normal
cell development, resulting in premature aging of the skin. Therefore,
try to avoid products with mineral oil and silicon fluid.
There are many plant extract and oils from the nature that are excellent
emollients and skin conditioners. By combining pure and natural plant
extracts and oils, I-Green presents to you a range of products with good
moisturizing properties that will keep your skin moisturized and
healthy.
9. HOW HARSH THE CLEANSERS / FOAMING AGENTS CAN BE
Foaming agents or Cleansers are the main ingredient in shower gels,
facial cleansers, hair shampoos and etc. The function of the foaming
agent or cleanser is to reduce surface tension of the water in order to
facilitate the removal of soil, oil, and dirt from our skin.
The popular foaming agents in the market are Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)
and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), Diethanolamine (DEA), Triethanolamine
(TEA), TEA-lauryl Sulfate and Cocamidopropyl Betaine. SLS and SLES, both
are also commonly found in car wash cleanser, garage floor cleanser and
engine degreaser. Japanese studies have found SLS to be a mutagen.
According to toxicologists, any chemical capable of causing mutations is
likely to increase the risk of cancer.
Also, SLS and SLES are reportedly the only known cleansing agents in
shampoos and cleanser to enter the blood system. Mark Fearer, in an
article "Dangerous Beauty", shares that "In tests,
animals that were exposed to SLS experienced eye damage, along with
depression, labored breathing, diarrhea, severe skin irritation and
corrosion and even death ... according to the American College of
Toxicology. " Children's eyes are also at risk: "Studies
indicate SLS kept young eyes from developing properly by possibly
denaturing (dissolving) the proteins and not allowing for proper
structural formation. This damage was permanent." Still other
research has indicated SLS may be damaging to the immune system,
especially within the skin. "Skin layers may separate and inflame
due to its protein denaturing properties."
One of the most dangerous of all ingredients in personal care products,
research has shown that "SLS when combined with other chemicals can
be transformed into nitrosamines, a potent class of carcinogens, which
causes the body to absorb nitrates at higher levels than eating
nitrate-contaminated food." According to the American College of
Toxicity report, "SLS stays in the body for up to five days ...
Other studies have indicated that SLS easily penetrates through the skin
and enters and maintains residual levels in the heart, liver, lungs and
the brain." "This poses questions of it being a serious
potential health threat through its use in shampoos, cleansers and
toothpaste." DEA and TEA are used as foaming agent and also as a
neutralizing agent in personal care products. Slow to biodegrade, they
react with nitrates (from preservatives or from the raw materials used)
to form nitrosamines, a carcinogen.
The natural soap that made from plant oils has long been used by people
for cleansing and still the safest cleansing agent around. Our cleansers
are made of plant oils such as sweet almond oil, wheat germ oil, olive
oil, palm oil, coconut oil, which combine with plant extracts and
essential oils to keep your skin clean, healthy and hydrated.
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All rights reserved. I-Green (M) Sdn Bhd. 2003. I-Green and the I-Green logo are trademarks of I-Green (M) Sdn Bhd.
Any use of resource(s) without authorized permission is strictly prohibited.
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I-Green
is against the use of harmful ingredients because we care!
At I-Green, we focus on
providing pure and natural
products!
There
are NO harmful chemicals in every I-Green product!