We ladies are taught from a really young age that beauty products will make us look better, feel more confident and attractive. Girls start wearing makeup and spraying perfumes at a really young age, and many women feel that they can’t get out of the house without it. That’s how significant the role of beauty products are in our lives.
But do you know what you’re applying on your skin on a daily basis? Are you aware of the harmful ingredients? What I’m about to tell you might scare you, but knowledge is power and with this information, you can make better choices.
The Ugly Lies of the Beauty Industry
The beauty industry is extremely unregulated as there are no requirements for companies to disclose all of the ingredients on labels or to test for harmful chemicals. Some of those ingredients were found to be linked to cancers, hormone imbalances, birth defects, and infertility.
Yes, that’s right. Perfumes, skincare and makeup products contain chemicals that are absorbed through your skin into your bloodstream. So we’re only not talking about local effects, because once those chemicals get into your bloodstream, all of your organs are potentially in danger.
It’s more common than you think. Beauty products sound so glamorous, as if it’s got nothing to do with chemicals and labs, but actually over 85,000 chemicals are being used in commerce since WWII. Did you know that only 10-20% of those chemicals were tested for safety? Moreover, 1,400 chemicals that are banned in the EU, are commonly used in the U.S!
What’s even more alarming is the fact that these chemicals aren’t labeled. Companies use the words “fragrance” or “scent” on their labels to hide the real ingredients. And they’re allowed to.
Beauty Products and Hormone Imbalances
Some of those chemicals, like phthalates, parabens, and phenols, confuse our bodies because they imitate our natural hormones, eventually causing hormone imbalances. Even if you think that you don’t apply that much of those products, the small amounts tend to confuse your body even more.
There’s a link between chemicals that are commonly found in beauty, skin care or personal care products, and chronic health issues or even cancer. It is found in research that more than 96% of Americans have endocrine disports in their systems!
What Can You Do
The first step in making better choices to protect yourself is knowing how harmful these ingredients can be. Now, the second step is using products that contain 100% safe ingredients.
That’s why I want to introduce you to Beautycounter. The women who founded Beautycounter are passionate about making a significant difference in the beauty industry, as their main goal is to get safer products into the hands of everyone.
Not all natural ingredients are safe, and not all synthetic ingredients are harmful. Beautycounter is trying to combine the best of both worlds and use a combination of safe natural and safe synthetic ingredients.
Their ingredient selection process is extremely rigorous to ensure they are only using ingredients that are known to be safe for human health. They have banned over 1,500 ingredients from their products. As far as I know, they also have the strictest testing of any company in the industry, and they also test all of their color cosmetics 3 times for heavy metal contamination to ensure that they are safe.
Remember I told you about the beauty industry is unregulated? The other amazing thing about Beautycounter is that they always disclose all of their ingredients and they are actively working with the government to try and get better laws for the industry as a whole. Beautycounter is also one of only 2000 companies in the world that is a certified B Corp, meaning they have very strict standards for not only their products but also the people they employ and work with and the planet.
I personally recommend Beautycounter and I truly believe it is the beginning of a much-needed change. Please buy more wisely, and remember that it is your right to know what the ingredients you’re applying are. If the label is not clear enough, it only means that they have something to hide.
Check out beautycounter here and let me know if you want to talk about any of these products:
