HOW IS THE BEAUTY & PERSONAL CARE INDUSTRY REGULATED?

It might come as a surprise to you, but the beauty and personal care industry in America is unregulated. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not conduct reviews to assess possible health risks of chemical ingredients that go into your beauty and personal care products. In fact, cosmetic manufacturers are allowed to use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without prior FDA approval. So, how are these ingredients deemed safe for your use? 

The US beauty and personal care industry is authorized to ‘self-police’ ingredient safety by reviewing the Cosmetic Ingredient Review’s (CIR) panel. The CIR assesses the safety of ingredients in cosmetics and then publishes the results in peer-reviewed scientific literature, hoping that formulators and brands won’t use any ingredient deemed potentially dangerous but without any active enforcement. To understand how ineffective this process is in keeping toxins out of your life, consider this. The European Union has already banned over 1300 carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic chemicals from beauty and personal care products, while the CIR has deemed just eleven of 12,000+ ingredients used in cosmetics as unsafe in the US since inception.

Making the matter even worse, cosmetic manufacturers currently have no legal obligation to report health complaints and issues caused by their products to the FDA – not even in the worst-case scenario of death! Instead, consumers and doctors are asked to report health complications to the FDA, which then, based on the amount and severity of complaints received, decides whether an investigation is initiated. The reliance on self-reporting has created significant underreporting on these ingredients, making it difficult to determine whether a certain ingredient is causing harm, even if numerous complaints are coming in. In one specific case, the FDA only started to investigate the brand WEN, by Chaz Dean Cleansing Conditioners, after the product had already received 127 consumer complaints related to hair loss, hair breakage, balding, itching, and rashes – at the same point, the company had received over 21,000 direct complaints, which ironically are not required to be reported to the FDA. Current regulation states the FDA cannot order a recall of cosmetics, as long as companies comply with the current laws in place, leaving many toxic and dangerous products on the market long after the risks and potentially dangerous side-effects have been identified by users.

 

WHY ARE THESE CHEMICALS SO HARMFUL?

Unfortunately, the beauty and personal care industry’s behavior is perfectly legal and the lax system in place has exposed every American to innumerable toxic chemicals, while leaving the door open for even more unregulated and potentially dangerous chemicals to be included in future products. The fact that under 0.1% of all ingredients used have been deemed unsafe, tells the story in itself. Research suggests that numerous chemicals commonly used in beauty and personal care products raise cancer risks, lower IQ, cause allergies and asthma, interfere with your endocrine and hormonal system and contribute to various other health concerns.  Here’s a list of potentially dangerous ingredients ViTA formulas will NEVER include and that you should steer way clear of:

 

• PARABENS. Commonly used preservatives that increase shelf life, but are also potent endocrine disruptors. Can mimic the hormone estrogen and drive the growth of human breast tumors, decrease sperm count and lead to hormonal imbalances and reproductive issues.

 

• PHTHALATES. Plasticizing chemicals which help lotions and makeup penetrate and soften the skin. Linked to birth defects, lower sperm-motility, testicular atrophy, cancer, ADHD, obesity, type II diabetes and asthma, among other issues.

 

• SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE (SLS), SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE (SLES), AMMONIUM LAURYL SULFATE (ALS). SLS is usually used to create a foamy lather and is present in most body washes, shampoos and soaps. As penetration enhancers, SLS and SLES are also known to help other chemicals get into the body. All are linked to irritation of the skin and eyes, organ toxicity, neurotoxicity, allergies, reproductive toxicity, endocrine disruption, cellular or biochemical changes, mutations and cancer.

 

• BUTYLATED HYDROXYANISOLE (BHA), BUTYLATED HYDROXYTOLUENE (BHT). Synthetic preservatives that increase shelf life and are known carcinogens, linked to skin irritation, hormone disruption and liver damage.

 

• LEAD. A neurotoxin present in many lipsticks and glosses that is destructive to nerve tissue. Lead exposure has been linked to learning disabilities, behavior issues, infertility and menstrual irregularities.

 

• OXYBENZONE (BENZOPHENONE-3). A compound used in sunscreens because of its ability to absorb UVB and UVA rays. Studies have shown that this ingredient may cause cell damage and lead to skin cancer, hormone disruption and allergies.

 

 

WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED TO CONSIDER? 

With so many dangerous chemicals on the market, many of which are untested and used on a daily basis, exposure to potential human carcinogens and endocrine disruptors is widespread. While some chemicals may have been found to be safe in low doses, there are additional points to take into account when using cosmetics and personal care products full of toxins.

 

• TOXINS ARE OFTEN THE PRIMARY INGREDIENT. You might think that these dangerous chemicals only make up a small part of your product, resulting in minimal or no health risks. However, if you aren’t buying safe natural products certified by reputable organizations like EWG, they are often substantial components of the product and usually one of the primary ingredients.

 

• TOXINS DO NOT REMAIN ON THE SURFACE OF THE SKIN. Most chemicals used in beauty and personal care products are designed to penetrate the skin. Remember that the skin is your largest organ and what you put on it gets absorbed into your bloodstream. Cosmetic ingredients have been found in human tissues, including phthalates in urine, parabens in breast tumor tissue and synthetic fragrance components in human fat, which is why a growing number of studies are raising red flags on the health risks linked to these chemicals.

 

 

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PROTECT YOUR HEALTH? 

A study from the University of California, Berkeley, found that ditching personal care products in favor of alternatives free of phthalates, parabens, triclosan and oxybenzone – all chemicals known to be potential hormone disruptors – can significantly lower the body’s levels of these substances, even after short periods of time. The results showed that the levels of these substances in the teenagers dropped 25-45% after only three days from stoppage! Although you may not be able to live completely toxin-free, reducing your toxic load can help you improve your overall health in the short and long terms. Fortunately, ViTA makes it easier for you than ever to ditch the toxins and experience high-quality, effective, safe and healthy personal care formulas powered by nature. ViTA’s mission is to make your health a top-priority by creating safe plant-science based formulations, free of ALL EWG’s ingredients of concern, while delivering you incredible results. Click here to explore ViTA’s natural ingredients and their benefits for your skin and hair.

 

A less toxic and better future starts today with ViTA…Future Better, Better Future!