I used to be a victim to media and the fashion industry - chasing unattainable standards of beauty: it can be a blessing, but also a curse. What M3 Life is interested in, aside from the high monetary cost, is could we be sacrificing something so much greater than our wallets?
The original article was written By Organics and can be found here: Organics.
Reports show that the very same products that promise us the fountain of youth are actually damaging our health and causing us to age even faster.
When I learned about research by Bionsen, a deodorant maker that an average woman puts on about 515 different synthetic chemicals on her body per day - I was astounded!
It's a staggering amount, but when you consider all of our beauty habits, it’s not hard to imagine why it’s real. An average woman uses moisturizers, deodorants, shampoos, conditioners, lipstick, foundation, and many other beauty products which leave them unknowingly exposed to hundreds of chemicals.
The Real Cost of Beauty
Moisturizer alone can contain up to 30 different chemicals, while perfume can have as many as 400! The most horrifying part? FDA doesn’t even require any pre-market testing or approval before these products hit the shelves.
Banned in Europe
In fact, many of the ingredients used in beauty products in the U.S. are actually banned in Europe and other countries as scientific studies have suggested that they may be linked to reproductive harm, cancer, and cause neurotoxicity.
However, there’s a huge disconnect in how people view what goes on their skin and how that may affect them. People don’t realize that what touches their skin or is even sprayed nearby may be absorbed by your body. The fact that the beauty industry brings in over $60 billion dollars each year is not much help either. They cannot afford to lose that money because of various regulations.
Two Chemicals You Should Always Avoid
If there are two chemicals that you should avoid whenever possible in cosmetics, it’s this:
Parabens – anything that ends with paraben (for example methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben), as many of these have been banned in Europe and linked to cancer.
Petroleum derivatives – (for example petrolatum, petroleum, mineral oil), as these are actually crude oil which dries out its skin and does the opposite of what beauty products are supposed to do.
What You Can Do Right Now
Learn more about how each of your cosmetics may be affecting your health. There are many databases like EWG which can help shed some light of potential effects that your cosmetics may have on your health and their potential dangers. Try to limit the number of cosmetics that you use, and replace as many of them as possible with healthier options. For example, you can remove your makeup with simple stuff that’s right inside your kitchen – olive oil and coconut oil. You can use many things that we consider foods as skin care products.
M3 Life uses all natural and organic ingredients that are gluten free, not tested on animals and almost all of our ingredients are Vegan. Check out our store.
Profits over people and planet.
This is the kind of information that makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs; "Hello! Why are big businesses still putting profits over people and the planet?" Hey people, there are healthy alternatives now available. ;-)
We as businesses need to stop this short-term thinking and look at sustainable healthy businesses that serve people, respect the planet AND put profits to good and conscious use.
Posted and updated by Kate Rolston.