Keep Your Skin Healthy

Are you an avid label reader when it comes to food labels? You might read the nutrition or ingredient label to make sure what you’re eating is healthy for you and your family, but how about skin care products? Take a closer look at your lotions, deodorants and cosmetics to find out if what you're putting on your body is as healthy as what you’re putting in it.

It might seem like the products we use on our skin will wash off when we bathe, but the skin, our largest organ, is porous and absorbs a large portion of what we put on it. That means that these ingredients can make their way into our blood and lymphatic system. Become a savvy ingredient reader for your beauty products -- just like you do at the grocery store.

The United States has not passed a major federal law to regulate the safety of ingredients used in personal care products since 1938. The European Union, however, has placed regulations on over 1,300 chemicals for personal care products in the last twenty years. The Food and Drug Administration is a U.S. agency responsible for regulating what goes in our food and cosmetics. They allow companies to use their discretion when adding chemicals that are known to be harmful in the products that we spray on, bathe with and lather on our skin. This leaves the detective work up to the consumer. Keep in mind that just because it’s on the shelf doesn’t mean that it’s free of toxins.

So, what can you do? Be an informed consumer and familiarize yourself with the chemicals, preservatives, fragrances and colors that are known to be irritants, allergens and carcinogens. Look for certified organic and natural skin care products. Preservatives, dyes, petroleum derivatives and synthetic fragrances go by many different names. A good rule of thumb is if you can’t pronounce the ingredient, avoid it. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), Isobutyl Paraben (and all parabens), Phthalatates, Triclosan and Triclocarban are just a few examples. Down to Earth and Beauty Counter are two companies that stay up to date on ingredients that don’t belong in our skin care and body care products. They make a point to offer products that you can use with confidence.

You can find an extensive list of ingredients to avoid here and here.

Written by: Stephanie Coburn, Wellness Workdays Dietetic Intern

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