Raising Clean

This company… Man. First thing that bothers me is that these products are given to breast cancer patients… These products contain ingredients that are LINKED TO CANCER. Yikes. So, it’s time to dig in and share what is lurking in these pretty pink products.

Just SOME of the ingredients you will find in this brand that I would not personally use or recommend are (there’s legit too many to list here):

• Fragrance ❌ this is a loophole that needs to be avoided. There are NO laws requiring the ingredients in fragrance to be disclosed to consumers and it’s always a toxic storm that compromises your health.

• Loose titanium dioxide ❌ The health concern involving use of titanium dioxide involves inhalation of the loose powder form. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) identifies inhalable titanium dioxide as possibly carcinogenic.

• Methylparaben ❌ is in the parabens family of preservatives used in food, pharmaceuticals, and beauty products. There is some evidence that parabens can accumulate in human breast tissue. Clinical studies on animals have indicated that parabens may mimic estrogen and act as a potential hormone (endocrine) system disruptor.

• PEGs ❌ While PEGs can be mild irritants, they’re less than desirable primarily because they help traffic funky chemicals across your epidermis, including a slug of impurities they’re often contaminated with. 😱According to a report in the International Journal of Toxicology by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, pollutants found in various PEG compounds include ethylene oxide (used to manufacture mustard gas), 1,4-dioxane, polycyclic aromatic compounds, and heavy metals (lead, iron, cobalt, nickel, cadmium, arsenic).”

• Petrolatum ❌ The EU mandates that the full refining history of the petrolatum must be known and proven to be non-carcinogenic. The US however sets no requirements on refinement. Some of the ways this might appear on ingredients labels include: Mineral oil, Petrolatum, Liquid paraffin, Paraffin oil. There is strong evidence that mineral oil hydrocarbons are the greatest contaminant of the human body, amounting to approximately 1 g per person. There have been studies done on women post delivery and scientists have found these contaminants in breast milk as well! The scariest of these possible contaminants is called 1,4 dioxane, an impurity found in 22 percent of all petroleum-based cosmetics that is a known human and animal carcinogen.

• Phenoxyethanol ❌ is used as a preservative in cosmetic products to limit bacterial growth. Skin exposure to phenoxyethanol has been linked to allergic reactions ranging from eczema and hives to anaphylaxis. Infants exposed to phenoxyethanol can experience a depressed central nervous system leading to a decreased appetite, difficulty waking, skin color change, damaged DNA, and limpness of extremities.

• Talc ❌ is a mineral based ingredient Americans have been using in baby powder and cosmetics since 1894. Did you know Johnson & Johnson has paid out $17 million + in talcum-powder/ovarian cancer related lawsuits in 2016-17 alone with over 4,800 separate cases still pending? Past reports have made it clear – you should never use products containing talc on your skin.

Talcum powder has been linked to the following:

1. Ovarian Cancer

2. Lung Cancer

3. Lung Disease

4. Respiratory Conditions in Infants/Children

5. Granulomatosis

Some additional things that I recommend taking into consideration when deciding to support a brand:

– No certified organic ingredients are used  Certified organic cosmetic ingredients insure a higher level of purity and peace of mind. Many women with sensitive skin also prefer cosmetics made with as many organic ingredients as possible because the organic certification removes the risk of concentrated pesticide residue – a potential irritant that holds additional health concerns with repeat exposure. 

– Unspecified if minerals used are non-nano  Non-Nano and EcoCert are the most pure and safe options that you can look for. One of the many scary things about nanoparticles is that the materials are small enough to penetrate the skin or get inside the body through inhalation. Just to list a few common nanoparticles they are: titanium dioxide, zinc, silver, and fullerene. When these nanoparticles are absorbed into the bloodstream and carried around the body it can cause DNA and cell function damage, brain damage, liver damage, and affects on the immune system. On top of all of that, titanium dioxide specifically has shown MAJOR potential repercussions in offspring.

-Unspecified if plastics used are toxin free (majority of packaging)  Not only is plastic significantly worse for the environment, but not knowing if plastic packaging is toxin free means you risk toxins from the packaging leeching into your product. 

All of this and MORE that I didn’t list from a company that claims to be about breast cancer prevention. It really fires me up and hurts my heart all at once. I hope this post makes you feel empowered to be a conscious consumer and vote with your dollars!

If you’re ready to start detoxing your products and making the change to a more toxin free life, please head over to https://www.facebook.com/groups/raisingclean/ where you will find tons of resources and support!