Health & Wellness

Boomer Edition | 10th Annual | 2014

Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/244291

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 70 of 147

A small crowd of women gathers around Heather Baruch at the Denver farmers' market as she demonstrates her skincare line, which is free of synthetic ingredients, preservatives and chemicals. "A lot of people are skeptical of natural products and don't believe they will work," says Baruch, R.N., and co-owner of Taspen's Organics, "but you can feel the difference." Baruch began paying closer attention to product labels after a simple dietary change dramatically improved her health. "I started questioning things," she says. "It became important to me to have really clean products for myself and my family." She began concocting personal care products at home and soon felt the need to share her creations and newfound awareness with others. "Our skin is our biggest organ and much of what we put onto it can get into our bloodstream. It's important to become more aware of the chemicals that are in most cosmetics," Baruch says. Beauty products and treatments are alluring and comforting. Sleek packaging, fresh scents, and seductive promises are easy to fall for. Not only important for hygiene, cleansing and pampering feel good. Many of us remain attached to our preferred personal care routines yet know little about the hard-to-pronounce ingredients they contain and expose us to. When you take a quick scan around the bathroom and count up how many products you regularly use, the amount of different ingredients that amounts to putting on your skin each day can be mind-boggling. Current cosmetics laws have not been updated since 1938 and the majority of the more than 10,000 ingredients used in personal care products have not been tested for potential health impacts, making them some of the least regulated items you can buy. "People think cosmetic products have to be proven safe before they are put on the market, but that's just not the case," says Margie Kelly, media manager for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the Breast Cancer Fund. "Neither cosmetic products nor cosmetic ingredients are reviewed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration before they are sold to the public and the FDA cannot require companies to do safety testing of their cosmetic products before marketing them," Kelly says. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is a national nonprofit coalition with a mission to protect the health of consumers and workers by eliminating "Neither cosmetic products nor cosmetic ingredients are reviewed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration before they are sold to the public." dangerous chemicals from cosmetics. The Safe Cosmetics Act, which if passed would give the FDA the authority to ensure that harmful ingredients are kept out of personal care products, was recently reintroduced to the Senate. And awareness for the cause is growing. Even Wal-Mart recently committed to banning up to 10 toxic chemicals from personal care and cleaning products sold in its stores. "Our main hope is that we get a bill that can gain bipartisan support and pass. It's time to bring the beauty industry into the 21st century," Kelly says. Until the laws change and more conclusive evidence is drawn, consumers will have to evaluate the products they purchase and decide for themselves. And reading labels isn't a guarantee. Claims such as natural, organic, hypoallergenic, etc. have no legal definitions and can be slapped onto any old bottle. "And there are a lot of synthetic preservatives in skin care products too," says Baruch. The terms 'parfum' and 'fragrance' listed on an ingredient label can represent several undisclosed ingredients— many of which are synthetic chemicals. "There are a lot of things we don't know enough about yet," says Dr. Adrienne Stewart, dermatologist and principal at Aesthetic Surgery and Dermatology of Cherry Creek. "We need more science behind it so that we can learn more." And while not all chemicals in cosmetic and personal care products are dangerous, some of the ingredients found in them have been linked to cancer, reproductive harm and other health issues. "We do know that formaldehyde is a carcinogen and is used in some nail polish products and hair smoothing treatments," Stewart says. Health and Wellness Magazine • 69

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Health & Wellness - Boomer Edition | 10th Annual | 2014