Let's talk TOXICITY...

One of the most important things I started to pay more and more attention to in the recent years is how TOXIC our lives are. And by toxic, I could talk about relationships, work, environment or habits, and behaviour... All super important but that is not what I want to explore today. I am talking solely about the toxins we are putting into our bodies in the form of COSMETICS and BEAUTY PRODUCTS.

Many people worry about the toxicity of food and try their hardest to avoid ultra processed food full of different types of chemical additives. And rightly so (and I will talk about the food we eat in one of the next blog articles). But when it comes to cosmetics, their focus is not as strong. Almost as if they don’t digest it, perhaps it doesn’t harm them as much.

IT COULN'T BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH!

Our SKIN is our largest organ. Most things we put on the skin get directly inside our bodies and probably even quicker and more effectively as it bypasses the digestive system and goes directly into the blood stream. That’s why some hormone therapies are in the form of skin patches (these therapies will be lipids  - or fat - based meaning they don’t need any hormone receptors - unlike protein based - and therefore can be easily absorbed by the skin).

Consider -  from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep – how many products do you put on your skin/hair/nails/inside your mouth?

You wake up, brush your teeth with a toothpaste (and even though you spit the toothpaste out, the lining of your mouth will be absorbing it for the 2 minutes of brushing), then you possibly rinse with a mouthwash. Clean your face with a toner or cleanser, apply some serum and a face cream, then put on your make-up – your foundation, powder, bronzer, eyeshadows, mascara, lip stick…, you might use a nail polish, hand cream, soap (several times a day), SPF sun cream, antiperspirant, perfume….and then in the evening you use a make-up remover, skin cleanser, bodywash, shampoo and conditioner, possibly a different face serum and a night cream. That would be UP TO 25 DIFFERENT PRODUCTS you use on your skin, hair, mouth, nails – EVERY DAY! Up to 25 products that may potentially harm you in more ways than one realises.

So how would different toxins in your cosmetics be HARMFUL? They can be allergens, irritants, endocrine disruptors (that’s a big one!!) as well as carcinogenic (!) and they can also be reprotoxic due to its effect on reproduction. WHAT??!? Not many people realise that their body cream or make-up can be so harmful that it can increase the risk of an allergic reaction, have negative effect on their hormonal system and even increase the risk of cancer! If you have a super healthy liver, you might get away with it. But in today’s world, toxins are literally everywhere – be it food, water, environment or the cosmetics. The more toxins there are in the body, the harder work for the liver to be done.

Talking about the LIVER, detoxification is one of its primary tasks, however, it has other super important roles in the body - it maintains normal blood glucose levels, it metabolizes fats and protein, it stores nutrients like vitamins A, B12, D, E and K as well as the minerals iron and copper, it activates vitamin D and last but not least, it produces bile. It is a BUSY ORGAN and if it is overloaded with toxins, it will suffer. Toxins can cause or increase inflammation in the body and can even lead to autoimmune issues. Basically, you really DON’T WANT THEM in your body.

The amounts in cosmetics are often small and some might say negligible. However, the problem is that these toxins ACCUMULATE. So if you use a toxic face cream for a week, you might be OK. If you have been using it for 5, 10 or 15 years, that can be a very different story.

So how do you know what is toxic and what is safe? There is so much information about our cosmetics and beauty products that it is really overwhelming and confusing. It feels like one has to either be a scientist or have a huge amount of time to do the research….

I will tell you MY SECRET that changed my life – it helped me so incredibly much (as previously I would be doing my own research which is hard work and so time consuming) – BUT KEEP THIS FOR YOURSELF!!

 YUKA – an amazing app that will help you to make an informed decision. Now, before I go on about this app (I truly love it!) I must declare that I DO NOT work for them or get any type of commission (I bloody should as I keep recommending it to everyone 😊).

THIS APP IS INCREDIBLE (and those who personally know me will confirm how much I love Yuka :)! You get it for free (it’s the app with a big orange carrot) and you can keep using it for free – just scan the barcode on your cosmetics at home (or in shop) to see how safe they are (or most likely aren’t). It uses the traffic light system, RED – hazardous, Amber – moderate risk, Yellow – low risk and Green – risk free. This scoring is used for the ingrediencies and it will then determine if the product overall is RED (avoid), AMBER (weight your risks) or GREEN (good or excellent depending on how many points out of 100 the product scores).

It is very transparent, you just find the product, it will list the ingrediencies and each one will be scored depending on how dangerous or safe it is. You can click on each ingredient to see in detail what it is, what it does in human body and some additional information (like for example which countries it has been banned from use). They also include links to credible sources.

And as I said, it is not just for your cosmetics but also for FOOD!

Basically, I wouldn’t buy a product now unless I run it through YUKA first. My kids now know that when we go shopping and they want something, it has to be “green” for me to even consider it 😊(it saves A LOT of arguments, trust me).

Now, who are the people behind YUKA and are they credible – is it just someone who wants me to buy their products instead?!? That was my question as I always question people’s or companies’ intentions. So I researched and I was SO PLEASED with what I found. They are 100% independent! There is no influence from brands, there are no ads, their finances are totally transparent and available to view. It is basically a bunch of people who are enthusiastic and passionate about what we eat and put on and in our bodies.

They also have a paid version (which ensures their financial independence) – which is totally fair! The additional features you have on the paid version is an offline mode, search option (you can search for a brand/product without having to physically have the product with the barcode in your hand) and access to your scan history.  The pricing is completely open (you pay what you feel is right or what you can afford) and commitment-free.

Once I find products that I like and are non-toxic, I just keep using them, no more time wasted. Although with YUKA, you can easily check and change products if you want as it really made it much easier to do so.

The up to 25 toxic products a day can change into 25 safe – or great for you – products. What a feeling! 😊Hopefully, the more people pay attention to the toxicity in their products and choose not to buy them, the less toxic products there are going to be on the market.

Feel free to ask me for a scan check of your favourite product by typing it in the comments under this article and I will find it for you. WARNING: as a result of using this app, you might end up getting rid of half of your bathroom! 😊

FINALLY, below is a list (and YUKA profiles) of some of my favourite products that I use on regular basis. Some of them can be very surprising - meaning, you ABSOLUTELY CAN find clean products in your usual shop for very little money : 

Black Spruce deodorant (Humble) £5.99 TKMaxx; Oat Milk and Probiotic Body Superfood (Garnier) Boots about £6 in special offer; Superwhite toothpaste with hydroxyapatite (Biomed) Amazon £3.99; Self Love Rush nail polish (Essie) Superdrug around £5; Retinol Booster (Me+) Superdrug under £10; Bilka Homeopathy ginger lime or chios mastiha toothpaste Amazon around £6; Liquid foundation with hyaluronic Acid (Inika organic) Inika web £33; Healthy mix radiant foundation (Bourjois) Superdrug around £10; Kind and free mascara (Rimmel) Superdrug under £10; Color stay Day to Night Eyeshadows (Revlon) Boots under £10; Grapefruit and orange conditioner (Faith in Nature) Holland and Barrett £6.99; I didn't include any face moisturisers as I mainly use 100% raw organic shea butter or cocoa butter that I buy online for very little and they last me ages :)