Please note that I’m not bashing a company. I’m simply reviewing the products. This is not personal; it is merely education. People need to know what’s in the products they put on their skin every day. I focus on promoting safe, healthy, toxin free skincare and makeup and educating on all things toxin free. My passion and purpose is helping women reduce their toxic body burden and become confident and empowered in the products they are using.
Instead of going through each product (because that would be crazy), I will outline the ingredients that the company allows in its products. Some products may be clean, but the fact that the company allows toxins in its products, makes its a no for me.
The ingredients you will find in this brand that I would not personally use or recommend are:
• Japanese Honeysuckle 🚫 sounds super natural and innocent, but it contains parahydroxy benzoic acid, which is found to behave in a similar way (with very similar molecular structure) as a paraben inside the body. “Paraben” is somewhat of a buzz word in the beauty community and is becoming very well known to be avoided in cosmetics, skincare, and body products. It is a synthetic preservative that mimics the role of estrogen in the body…wreaking havoc on your endocrine system. It has also been linked to breast cancer and reproductive toxicity.
• Retinol ❌ We all know that retinol is irritating… thats why it “works”. It irritates the skin and causes the cells of the skin to grow (divide) and die more rapidly, increasing the turnover of cells. This turnover leads to massive inflammation, and the Cosmetic Database also has it linked to a laundry list of health hazards: cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity, restrictions and warnings, cellular level changes, and organ system toxicity.
• Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) 🚫 has been at the center of preservative controversy for as long as it has been in the industry. It is marketed as a “natural preservative” however, it is commonly adulterated with synthetic preservatives such as triclosan, benzethonium chloride, and methylparaben. I have chosen not to utilize products containing GSE due to the ongoing debate.
Some additional things that I recommend taking into consideration when deciding to support a brand:
– Few 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.
In summary, ingredients in these products contain ties to cancer, hormonal disruption, developmental and reproductive toxicity, cellular level changes, and organ system toxicity. And this is why I do these reviews. Women deserve to know that they are using products linked to serious health issues. 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!
Raising Clean 