Each day most people unknowingly place an enormous chemical burden on their bodies without ever truly realizing they are doing so.
Like most people we would expect the products on our shelves to be safe, but unfortunately the cosmetics industry is self-regulating so much so that the very people who determine if a product is in fact safe are the very people who manufacture the products that we use.
The chemicals that are being so widely used are included in our everyday products, products such as toothpaste, deodorant, hand sanitizer, mouth wash, hand and body wash and lotion, shampoo, conditioner, baby products and the list goes on… Who would expect that the chemicals are allowed to be used and included in cosmetics on the basis that they are safe until such time as they are proven otherwise.
Unfortunately, there are now over 88,000+ chemicals used in society, 60,000 of which were “grandfathered in” (allowed without any testing whatsoever) and of the remaining 28,000+ chemicals very few have ever been tested for safety in cosmetics. Those that have, have been tested in isolation and anyone who knows anything about chemistry understands that testing chemicals in isolation can produce vastly different results than when testing in chemicals in combination with other chemicals.
The skin absorbs between 65-70% of what we put on it and it is said that the skin will absorb chemicals up to ten times faster than by way of ingestion. This is because the skin doesn’t have the digestive enzymes that the digestive system has available to it to break down the chemicals so whilst it is important to eat only certified organic, chemical-free food, it is also extremely, if not more important to only put certified organic products on the skin.
Why is it so important not to put chemicals in or on the body? Unfortunately so many of the chemicals being used today are either endocrine disrupting (they mimic our hormones), or Obesogens (they cause our fat cells to multiply and cause us to put on and retain weight), are petroleum derived and also genetically modified (the body can’t recognize genetically modified food, additives or ingredients) plus they are what we call absorption enhancers (they cause the chemicals to be absorbed more rapidly by the body). If knowing all of the aforementioned isn’t enough to have you switch to safer certified organic alternatives (and only certified organic is your safest option as certified organic requires full tractability and does not allow for the use of TEA’S, DEA’S, GLYCOLS, PARABENS, SULPHATES, FORMALDEHYDE, FORMALDEHYDE DERIVATIVES, ETHOXYLATES, PHTHALTES, SYNTHETIC AND ARTIFICAL INGREDIENTS, GMO INGREDIENTS, OBESOGENS, PESTICIDES, INSECTICIDES AND ORGANOPHOSPHATES) then maybe the findings from the World Health Organization’s latest report at www.who.int/ceh/publications/endocrine/en/index.html
will have you want to look a little deeper to see what it is you are really putting on and in your body everyday, may provide you with enough information to have you switch to the safer options.
The endocrine system is vitally important to our health. I would go as far as to say it is the “tuning fork” of the body as it sends messages out to just about every cell in the human body, it regulates, hormones, metabolism and controls hormone development. Research is showing our endocrine system is being severely impacted by even the smallest amount of chemicals, especially by what is known as Phthalates (synthetic zeno estrogens).
So here is what the World Health Organization report details.
The World Health Organization commissioned scientists and researchers from around the world to review the current level of endocrine disrupting chemicals and their impacts on human health. The report shares the concerns of the scientists and researchers and in summary concludes:
- We are on the tip of the iceberg in relation to the endocrine disrupting disorders that we as a society are experiencing.Endocrine disrupting disorders are endometriosis, fibroids, PCOS, Infertility, breast, ovarian, testicular cancer, early onset puberty (which in itself makes young women more prone to breast cancer), early onset menopause, decreased semen quality, male genital malformation in baby boys.
- Male genital malformation in baby boys has increased by 400%
- Male semen quality has dropped by 40%
And these are merely a few of the findings.
It is important to note that the answer is quite simple. If you do not want endocrine disorders simply don’t put endocrine disrupting chemicals (mainly organophosphates, pesticides, insecticides) in your body and don’t put endocrine disrupting chemicals on and ultimately in your body as most will be absorbed. The simplest thing you can do is switch to safer alternatives and as stated only certified organic is a consumers guarantee of purity and to be certified organic the product needs to contain a certification logo. Unfortunately any company almost all over the world can claim something is “organic” if it contains one natural or “organic” ingredient, but it may contain thousands of chemicals. It is important to note that if a product contains the word “fragrance” it alone is what we call a “cluster” ingredient where the ingredients of that one item listed on the label are not required to be disclosed and that one ingredient as listed can literally contain thousands of chemicals.
All fragrances tested by the Environmental Working Group contained Phtahlates and phthalates are considered the number one endocrine disrupting chemical of all.
For further information go to www.divinebytheresekerr.com and it is here you can also purchase the highest quality, certified organic personal care products.
I look forward to receiving your feedback and thoughts on the above article.
Much love, grace and gratitude
Therese Kerr
