Is Your Skin Lotion Killing You Softly?

If you really want to know, go grab your bottle of lotion and let’s find out just how much “bad stuff” you may be inadvertently putting on your skin that may cause long term health problems.  Are you ready? So, take a look at the back of your product’s label and see if you discover any of these Top 5 troubling ingredients commonly found in lotions.

1. Aluminum – This nice little metallic element is commonly found in most deodorants and quite a few lotions. In deodorant, it’s intent is to block the pores of the skin, which ultimately prevents toxins from escaping your body through the form of healthy sweat. When toxins become trapped, they meander to the nearest fat cells and store until you undergo a personal detox. You’ll never see aluminum listed on an organic lotion or hygiene products, as true organics producers are against it.

2. Alkylomides – These thickening agents, emulsifiers, and emollients are extremely common in lotions. Created by using fatty acids as a base mineral, alkylomides considered toxic themselves, but they can harbor contaminated nitrosamines. These are recognized as cancer contributors, which is why you won’t find these in a natural lotion. The most common alkylomides are:

• MEA – monoethanolamides
• DEA – diethanoloamide
• TEA – triethanolamides
• MIPA – monoisopropanolamides
• PEG – ethoxylated alkyloamides

3. Petroleum – Your parents might have rubbed petroleum jelly on your chapped nose or lips when you were young. It’s likely they didn’t know that this fine substance is a byproduct of the distillation process of gasoline sourcing from crude oil. It’s a no-brainer that you don’t want to put that on your skin. To boot, it clogs pores to prevent toxin release, and it prohibits skin cell regeneration causing premature aging and can cause some skin conditions.

4. Parabens – These are commonly used in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries as a preservative. Several recognized studies cite parabens as likely human carcinogens. One EPA report “Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the Environment: Agents of Subtle Change?” showed that parabens caused estrogenic activity. As you may know, estrogen is linked breast cancer. When anything is absorbed through the dermis, the concentration of the substance may be 10 times more than an oral administration of the same chemical. The most common parabens might be labeled as:

• Methylparaben
• Ilsoparaben
• Butylparaben
• Propylparaben

5. Phthalates – Extremely toxic to our bodies, phthalates may be labeled as dibutyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, or butyl ester. Many lotions contain this substance to cause your “skin softener” to absorb much quicker. Both the EPA and Department of Health Services has established that these substances are “probable” human carcinogens….[Click Here To Continue Reading]