Clean Ingredients Series: Part I

Clean Ingredients Series: Part I

Generally, when we walk into beauty stores, we are used to certain separations between products: skincare versus makeup, women’s versus men’s, body care versus face, etc. But lately, there is a new category popping up: the clean products category. We want to take some time to talk about what it means, if it’s really worth the hype, and why we are part of it. Enter: the Good Good Clean Ingredients Series. The first article in our clean products series is going to focus on two specific ingredients to avoid, and why to avoid them.

‘Clean’ products are ones that are made without harshly toxic or dangerous chemicals to the body. Some of these toxic ingredients include parabens, formaldehyde, phthalates, lead, and benzenes, just to name a few. These names, of course, mean nothing to people if they don’t know what they are and what they are capable of doing to the body. This specific post will focus on parabens and phthalates. 


Parabens


Parabens are a type of man-made chemical preservatives that are used to combat the growth and formation of mold. According to the FDA, the parabens used most commonly in cosmetics are methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, and ethylparaben. The FDA has not yet made an official statement on the harmful effects of Parabens. However, agencies like the UN Environment Program and the Danish Centre of Endocrine Disruptors have released reports acknowledging that parabens have been shown to have lots of effects on hormones, acting as endocrine disruptors, and affecting reproductive systems regardless of gender. Recent studies have also associated parabens with decrease in fertility levels and birth weight. 


Phthalates: 

Phthalates are used as a plasticizer and a general softener. They help soften vinyl products and they also can be used in lubricants, and in nail polishes to lessen their brittle properties. Phthalates are not legally allowed to be in cosmetics in the European Union due to their endocrine-disrupting concerns, and the UN is also further investigating their hormonal effects on people, especially pregnant people.


We hope this article helped you begin to understand why clean products are so important, and how you can shop for products in the future with your health at the forefront of your mind. We don’t intend to scare our readers, but we believe it is of the utmost importance to make sure our customers are healthy and informed. 


Personal Fav is and always will only sell clean products, so you don’t have to worry about exposure to toxic ingredients, especially in your most intimate situations. 


Sources: 

https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2022/03/why-cancer-causing-benzene-widespread-personal-care-products


https://www.ewg.org/benzenerecall?auHash=DsWQOlDyyfzz3MuT4ReysAb5Oglqt6u_lcq0j6FelrQ


https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/potential-contaminants-cosmetics/lead-cosmetics


https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/benzene/basics/facts.asp


https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/the-big-3-why-phthalates-should-be-restricted-or-banned-from-consumer-products/

Back to blog