Raising Clean

I’m gonna be completely honest here. This is a company that truly infuriates me. I’m not sure how they’ve accomplished their brainwashing, but they have people swearing up and down that they are safe despite the fact that every single ingredient label on their website proves otherwise. This is one of the worst greenwashing offenders I’ve ever seen and if I can help just one person realize it, than at least I’m making a difference!

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.

• Mineral Oil ❌ 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.

• 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).”

• Petroleum Bases ❌ see Mineral Oil above

• 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.

• Methylisothiazolinone ❌ The biggest concern came to light when researchers conducted two recent laboratory studies on rat brain cells, and found that MI caused damage to those cells. The researchers stated, “a brief exposure to MI is highly toxic to cultured neurons.” The scientists went on to state that these toxic effects had been reported previously, and because of their widespread use, the consequences of chronic human exposure need to be evaluated. What was most concerning about this study was that the exposure was only 10 MINUTES long. Sadly, the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association (CFTA) issued a response stating that MI is safe as it is already widely used in cosmetic formulas. In 2004 Europe limited the use of MI to 0.01 percent, or 100 parts per million (ppm), but U.S. companies still remain UNREGULATED. Additional studies have shown MI to cause dermatitis, and a 2012 study found it to be toxic during neural developmental stages to fetus, increasing the risk of seizures and visual abnormalities. The EWG also states that MI is a skin sensitizer and irritant, which means that it can cause contact allergies such as eczema. What’s crazy is a tonnnn of Mela gals were bashing a company not long ago for using this ingredient… Because the ingredient labels in this brand are so completely not transparent, most people don’t actually know what is in the products without doing some digging. Do the digging and you’ll find the exact ingredient they were educating to avoid. Crazy!

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 (all 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 this from a company that constantly preaches the importance of clean ingredients and swears up and down to be safe. This genuinely hurts my heart while also firing me up. My passion is helping others become conscious consumers who are confident in the products they are using!

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!