Top Toxic Ingredients to Avoid in Personal Care Products

As we become aware of toxins in our home environment, we also seek cleaner products to use as we become more aware of what we're putting on our bodies.

Toxic chemicals are commonly found in common toiletries and may affect your hormones. Studies found that people who avoided products with common chemicals such as parabens, triclosan, and fragrances were twice as likely to be in the group with the lowest chemicals in the body.

These chemicals are added to create foam, preserve the product, and make it smell nice. While the bath products we choose are designed to clean our bodies, that doesn’t necessarily mean the products themselves are “clean.”

Any product that is deemed "clean" or “toxin free” is free of 15 ingredient classes: parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate, cyclic silicones, polyethylene or polypropylene (microbeads), aluminum salts, formaldehyde, hydroquinone, PEGs, triclosan, talc, mineral oil, petrolatum, formaldehyde, and toluene.

This article lists some of these chemicals based on their widespread usage. It is difficult to narrow this list down to just several toxic personal care ingredients — unfortunately even products that claim to be “paraben-free,” “clean,” or “all-natural” often hide toxins in their ingredients list. Use this list as a guide to help you decipher if what you are buying is truly toxin-free.

What “clean” really means

Something I learnt from “detoxing” people’s homes, is that so many of us use “cleaning” products that are actually highly toxic.

There is no regulation on what is "natural" or “organic” in toiletries. Certifications such as COSMOS Natural or Ecocert by European organizations still allow up to five percent synthetics.

“Non-toxic” is likely a better choice than claiming “natural” or “organic” as the term promises products that perform without compromising safety. They are free from undesirable ingredients listed by the Environmental Working Group."

Reducing toxin exposure in our toiletries during bathtime raises our awareness of what we think about being “clean”.

It is an opportunity for us to really think about our relationship with cleanliness and what we are doing when we say we want to “get clean”.

Clean products are free of chemicals that are endocrine disruptors, which can do harm.

Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that are widely used in personal care products as well as household products. They disrupt the body’s hormones and lead to health problems like reproductive disorders, thyroid disease, asthma, and cancers.

What we think about cleanliness is reflected on how we choose and use our products, and, in turn, affects how we treat our body.

Rather than buying products that promises to scrub us “clean”, we shift to appreciating ingredients that help support our body.

Reduce your “body burden”

Your skin is an organ that absorbs a high percentage of what you put on it.

Research on endocrine disruptors in products we use daily has been available for quite some time. A study conducted by the Silent Spring Institute confirmed that consumers who avoid products containing specific endocrine disruptors had significantly lower levels of the chemicals in their bodies.

When the researchers compared participants with each other, they found that people who avoided products with parabens, triclosan, and fragrances were twice as likely to be in the group with the lowest “body burden” for all chemicals combined.

“Body burden” is a term often used to refer to the amount of chemicals a person may be exposed to or the levels of certain chemicals in the body.

Such studies confirm the real and immediate changes in the human body that can occur when you take safe and simple steps to prevent exposure to endocrine disruptors.

“You can see immediate levels of endocrine disruptors in days. Then there are medium and long-term effects.”

— Dr. Leonardo Trasande, a professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine at NYU Langone Health

Chemicals to avoid

Fragrance

Companies do not have to disclose the actual components of each fragrance, under the guise that their fragrances are trade secrets.

Phthalates

Phthalates are often found in Fragrances and perfumes. Often listed as “fragrance” on a variety of products, phthalates are a group of chemicals that will have the word “phthalate” in them. Phthalates are plasticizing chemicals. Some appear on product ingredient labels, but many may remain undisclosed, hiding under the term “fragrance.” They can be found in nail polish, hair sprays, aftershave lotions, soaps, shampoos, perfumes, and other toiletry items.

Here are some of the top health issues linked with phthalates:

• Autism

• ADHD

• Neurological disorders

• Cancers and breast cancer

• Developmental and reproductive toxicity

• Sperm damage

• Altered genital development in boys

• Infertility

• Testicular dysgenesis

• Obesity

• Asthma and allergies

• Fibroids (these can occur in the uterus)

• Reproductive system disruption

• Endocrine system disruption

Anything ending in “paraben”

Parabens are one of the most popular preservatives used in cosmetics pharmaceutical products. They’re also easily absorbed into the human body. Parabens have been linked to hormone disruption. Out of caution, avoid all Parabens, including Butylparaben, Isopropylparaben, Methylparaben.

The FDA lists propylparaben, butylparabenand methylparaben as the most common forms of this chemical, but any ingredient with the clause ‘paraben’ attached to it, as well as the name parahydroxybenzoate, are parabens.

According to a 2019 study published in Dermatitis, parabens are associated with endocrine activity, carcinogens, infertility, spermatogenesis, and psychological and ecological disruptions.

Propylene Gylcol

Propylene Glycol is an odorless, colorless liquid used as an e-cigarette additive and skin moisturizer. It is the primary ingredient in antifreeze. Yep, antifreeze.

It is also a penetration enhancer, meaning it’s a carrier for other chemicals, bringing them into your skin and your bloodstream.

Most soaps on the market today contain SLS and this is one of the main reasons why they leave even mildly sensitive skin damaged and irritated.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS)

 Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a common surfactant. SLS is also found in almost all off-the-shelf toothpaste brands and a range of other hygiene and cosmetics products

It bonds with other common soap ingredients, resulting in carcinogenic nitrosamines—chemicals that feature in California’s Proposition 65 list of known human carcinogens and endocrine disruptors

Triclosan

Triclosan is an antimicrobial agent. We are most exposed to triclosan through use of personal care products, such as toothpastes, deodorants, and soaps.

A 2014 report presented at the American Chemical Society found some disturbing evidence in the pregnant women studied. The researchers found triclosan in all of the pregnant women’s urine samples and in half of the babies’ umbilical cord blood.

It was clear triclosan passes from mom to unborn baby. This can lead to serious problems since there’s growing evidence triclosan can lead to development and reproductive issues.

For example, human exposure studies find that serum concentrations were as much as twofold higher in Australia than in Sweden, where consumer use of triclosan is discouraged.

The compound's widespread use in consumer products and its detection in breast milk, urine, and serum have raised possible health concerns.

They’re persistent in the environment and may be associated with hormone disruption.

It’s easily absorbed into the skin. It is an endocrine disruptor that impacts the body’s normal hormones, including those in charge of your baby’s growth.

Children exposed to harsh antibacterial compounds such as triclosan at an early age have been found to have a significantly increased chance of developing skin problems such as eczema as well as asthmas.

Aside from products like soap, deodorants, cosmetics, mouthwashes, and toothpaste, it is also found in clothing, kitchenware, furniture, and even toys.

In 2016, FDA banned the marketing of over-the-counter consumer antiseptic wash products containing triclosan to consumers. A year after, FDA deemed triclosan as not generally recognized as safe and effective for antiseptic products intended for use in health care settings. and in 2017 banned its use in certain products, including hand sanitizer and certain soaps.

However, triclosan is still found in everything from body wash and toothpaste, to clothing and toys.

It is still used in countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, etc.

“Clean” body, “clean” beauty

Knowing what we put on our bodies can add to our body burden, or contribute to our overall well-being.

Bathtime rituals are especially important for what I pass on to my children. Every time we take a bath, I try to pass on the function of each ingredient and explain which products we use or do not use. (More on ingredients vs products.)

Choosing beauty products and toiletries that are clean means they are formulated without carcinogenic, toxic, hormone- or endocrine-disrupting ingredients.

They typically seek to use only the safest ingredients possible, banning over 2700 known toxic ingredients and uses organic and fair-trade ingredients whenever possible.

More and more brands brand are choosing to be serious about the way it sources its ingredients, using a strict methodologies to determine and confirm that its products contain no synthetic ingredients.

It takes a bit of effort, but once you have sorted this out, your toiletries and bath times can become truly nourishing rituals.

Resources

More about Triclosan https://www.beyondpesticides.org/resources/antibacterials/triclosan/environmental-effects