Toxic Beauty
WRITTEN BY Nancy Palermo Lietz , MD
Putting on makeup shouldn ’ t be like playing with matches .
The average woman may place 15 – 20 beauty products on herself , exposing her body to up to 170 different ingredients daily . Recent studies suggest we may acquire more toxins through skin absorption and inhalation than through the food we eat . This raises new interest in many beauty care products known to contain potential toxic and carcinogenic chemicals .
There is growing interest among consumers to eat organic foods free of processing and pesticides , yet they appear to be ignoring the impact of their personal care products on their health and well-being . The skin is the body ’ s largest organ , so there is more surface area to absorb synthetic , toxic chemicals . Incidentally , many beauty care products are designed to penetrate the skin ’ s exterior barrier more readily getting the toxins into the bloodstream within minutes !
Most consumers assume that if a product contains a potentially dangerous chemical , a manufacturer would avoid using it , or at the very least would notify the public of potential concerns .