Personal Care Products
I reviewed the following products:
- Avalon Organics nourishing lavender shampoo
- Shea Moisture raw shea butter body lotion
I was somewhat surprised that my shampoo had some chemicals in it that had developmental and reproductive toxicity and also a moderate amount that affected allergies and immunotoxicity. But what I did not expect was to see ingredients that I thought were healthy, listed as concerns. For example aloe barbadensis leaf juice, also known as aloe vera gel, had developmental and reproductivity, and cancer concerns. I clicked on the link and found that it had these potential effects only if it was non-decolorized. As I was not exactly sure what that meant, I looked at a few other sites and found that it was considered safe. Also, in the body lotion there was an ingredient called "essential oil blend" that I never would have thought would be of concern, but the site gave it a moderate hazard score.
The two products reviewed both seem relatively safe but it is good to be aware of some "natural ingredients" that are disguised. Knowing about these websites where you can check products is really helpful. I have already downloaded the app and will be using it for reference. I think it is important for consumers to know what they are buying and the risks some ingredients pose. But it is not always easy because business is about profit, so keeping consumers in the dark about product quality allows companies to continue to make products with chemicals that may be cheaper than other ingredients. With more awareness though, consumer demand is changing the availability of better and healthier products.
Review of Ken Cook talk:
I now have a better idea of the reason why there are so many chemicals in products. The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, has led to little oversight of these hazards. Drugs must go through multiple rounds of testing, yet products with chemicals that can cause things like cancer and other health problems do not have to be vetted. The statistic that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men will get cancer is also very disturbing. It emphasizes the need to address this issue from the time a baby is born. Hopefully, they will be able to gain more traction on the bill.
Hi Stacey,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you about companies labeling things as "natural" or "organic" to make you think that there are no harmful chemicals in there products. I had a very similar experience when I looked up my products in the website. It seems it is very hard to find any products that are not dangerous to us. A friend of mine makes all her own soaps and lotions and I wonder how much better her products are us than the products we buy in the stores.
Stacey!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea there was an app that you could download. This would definitely be more user friendly especially when you're actually in the store making decisions on what to purchase. The video with Ken Cook raised my suspicion about humans and their chemical imbalance due to all the toxins we unknowingly consume and put on our bodies. Don't you think it is possible that we can link all of the crazy things going on in the world to chemical imbalances? This may be a stretch, but for example, couldn't you link mass shootings to chemical imbalance? I mean, if one is driven to do that sort of thing, then they definitely have some sort of mental issue. Thank you for your post.
"aloe vera gel, had developmental and reproductivity, and cancer concern.." What? The more I learn, scarier it gets. I am glad you were able to find out that it was safe. With the emerging burgeoning genetically modified products in the world today, its hard to trust safety and authenticity of the anything. Additionally, I was also thinking about these products and referencing it with some of the stuff that Rachel Carson mentioned in the book - just mind blowing
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