Vitamin Trader - Healthy Discounts on Quality Vitamins

The composition of many personal care products includes toxic, carcinogenic and endocrine- disrupting materials. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies cosmetics into 13 categories, but it does not regulate them. According to the FDA, "A cosmetic manufacturer may use any ingredient or raw material and market the final product without government approval." Seven toxins are banned, but many more known toxins and carcinogens are allowed in cosmetic formulations. Less than one percent of the FDA's budget is for skin care. Some body care products, like antiperspirants and deodorants, are actually classified as overthe- counter drugs, not cosmetics, because they affect the function of the body. The health implications of body care products are numerous but, "The cosmetics industry is self regulated," says Gay Timmons, an organic inspector and broker. "As long as you don't kill anybody, you can formulate and produce a product."

The approximately six pounds of skin each human carries around is a porous membrane one-twentieth of an inch thick, through which numerous environmental toxins enter the body. Skin is a "more significant gateway for toxins into your body than what you eat," says organic personal care product manufacturer Diana Kaye of TerrEssentials. Traces of 700 different chemicals can be found in the body. Positive Health cites a study showing 500 chemicals present in a single fat cell of a healthy 30-year-old British female.

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that 884 chemicals used in personal care products and cosmetics are known to be toxic. A Canadian study in Pediatric Drugs cites cosmetic and personal care products as the most common cause of unintentional poisonings of kids under six. In July, three consumer protection groups released independent test results showing 52 of 72 consumer products like hair spray, perfume, nail polish, food wrap and medical supplies contained a dangerous class of endocrine-disrupting industrial solvents, called phthalates.

Pthalates are a softener mostly found in products like fragrances and nail polish and not in organic personal care products. But the media attention to phthalates prompted worried consumers to look for something safer. Other toxic chemicals are being used in organic personal care. One of the most common and notorious cosmetic toxins is sodium laurel sulfate. It has not been reviewed for organic processing yet may be in organically labeled body care products.

Another toxin used in organic personal care is methyl paraben. The majority of skin lotions and creams use methyl paraben as a preservative. In the past, worries over methyl paraben have centered on its low systemic toxicity, which can cause allergic reactions. Now methyl-, ethyl-, propyl- and butylparaben have been found to be weakly estrogenic. The European Union has asked the European industry trade group about the implications for breast cancer. While parabens are not potent estrogens, continuous topical exposure may pose a danger. In fact, because the liver metabolizes most ingested paraben, an article by Dr. Elizabeth Smith suggests you'd be better off drinking the stuff than regularly slathering it on your skin.

From the website organicconsumers.org - Personal Care Products Do Not Yet Comply with the National Organic Program by Lacey Phillabaum Reprinted with permission from In Good Tilth, a publication of Oregon Tilth www.tilth.org