women, increases risks of ovarian cancer.
A group of widely used preservatives, such as quaternium- 15 and
bronopol, widely used in baby products, though not carcinogenic
themselves, break down to release formaldehyde, a potent irritant
and recognized carcinogen.
Commonly used cosmetic detergents and foaming agents, such as
polysorbates and PEG, are usually contaminated with the volatile
carcinogen dioxane.
DEA, another widely used chemical detergent, will combine with
nitrite preservatives or contaminants in cosmetic products to form a
highly carcinogenic nitrosamine. Furthermore, recent government
studies showed that DEA itself is also carcinogenic following
application to mouse skin.
I don’t expect you to know the chemistry of all this stuff. Just to get a
grasp of the scale of the problem. These are a few examples from the
world of cosmetics: stuff we put onto our precious skin everyday and
absorb. Remember our skin is almost porous—why do you think
hormone patches work?
But then you add cleaners, solvents, paint substances, dry cleaning
fluids, plastics, PVC, aerosols and air “fresheners” (what a con),
toothpaste (almost all of it contains FD & C Blue Dyes 1 & 2 and
sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), a toxic degreaser, notorious for
damaging skin).
Here is a list of common ingredients found in beauty and skincare
products that I highly recommend you avoid!