Companies continue to hide toxic chemicals from consumers.

According to a recent report from Women's Voice for the Earth, twenty-two companies have requested "trade secret" status in order to bypass California's new public database of toxic cosmetic chemicals, the California Safe Cosmetics Program Database.

This database is fairly new, only released this month, and it requires companies to report reproductive and carcinogenic toxins under California's Proposition 65. Proposition 65 was approved by voters in 1986 and was also known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. According to the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, which administers the program and database:

"Proposition 65 requires businesses to notify Californians about significant amounts of chemicals in the products they purchase, in their homes or workplaces, or that are released into the environment. By providing this information, Proposition 65 enables Californians to make informed decisions about protecting themselves from exposure to these chemicals. Proposition 65 also prohibits California businesses from knowingly discharging significant amounts of listed chemicals into sources of drinking water. "

Products in California that meet the requirement for reproductive and carcinogenic toxicity can also carry Prop 65 labels.

These companies, listed below, are trying to abuse the trade secret system in order to avoid these labels and public pressure to change their ingredients. It's a shame the once again, profit trumps public health. Shame of these companies! If you would like to voice your opinion on this issue, you can call the 1-800 number listed on the products, ask the manufacturers about the ingredients and demand action.

Alberto Culver

• Motions
• Nexxus
• Soft & Beautiful
• Tresemme

Alberto Culver USA, Inc.

• FDS (removed trade secret ingredient)
• St. Ives (removed trade secret ingredient)
• VO5 (removed trade secret ingredient)

Chattem, Inc.

• Balmex
• BullFrog
• Cortizone 10
• Gold Bond
• Herpecin-L
• Mudd
• Selsun Blue
• Selsun Naturals
• Selsun Salon

Colgate-Palmolive Company

• SOFTSOAP (removed trade secret ingredient or discontinued product)

Conopco, Inc.

• Suave (removed trade secret ingredient or discontinued product)

Demeter Fragrance Library, Inc.
Demeter
Farouk Systems, Inc.

• Bioglitz
• Bioglitz Color
• BioSilk
• CHI
• CHI Organics
• Chromatic (discontinued product)
• Sungliltz
• Sunglitz

Great Clips, Inc.

• Detour – Great Clips
• Solutions by Great Clips

Jan Marini Skin Research, Inc.

• Jan Marini Skin Research

Kenra Professional, LLC

• Elucence
• Kenra (r) Classic
• Kenra (r) Platinum

Lumene Oy

• Lumene

Melaleuca, Inc.

• Nicole Miller – Confidential  (removed trade secret ingredient)

Nars Cosmetics

• NARS

Regis Corporation

• Costcutters
• Mastercuts
• Regis Design Line

Robell Research

• Supersmile

rolland srl

• Insight
• Organic Way
• Una

Rowpar Pharmaceuticals, Inc

• CloSYS

Schwartzkopf & Henkel

• Got2B
• Smooth N Shine

Shiseido America, Inc.

• Basala  (discontinued product)
• NARS
• Shiseido
• Shiseido Benefiance BENEFIANCE
• Shiseido Future Solution
• Shiseido Pureness
• Shiseido The Makeup
• Shiseido The Skincare
• Shiseido White Lucen

Shiseido Co., Ltd.

• Cle de peau beaute
• Qiora
• Shiseido
• Shiseido Benefiance
• Shiseido Bio-Performance
• Shiseido Elixir
• Shiseido Hair Care
• Shiseido Men
• Shiseido Pureness
• Shiseido The Makeup
• Shiseido The Skincare
• Shiseido White Lucent

Tammy Taylor Nails, Inc.

• Tammy Taylor
• Tammy Taylor Nails

The Dial Corporation

• Coast
• Dial
• Right Guard

Thanks to Women's Voices for the Earth.

On the Hunt for Toxic Chemicals

Back on January 13th,  I gave you an abbreviated list of toxic chemicals to avoid. Now, I'll help you figure out where to find those chemicals, especially if they aren't on the label.

I like the site www.drugstore.com.You can enter almost any product and look up the ingredients.

Here's an example. Let's look at Cetaphil Daily Skin Cleanser, Normal to Oily Skin. Its ingredients are:

Water (Purified), Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Acrylates/Steareth 20 Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Glycerin, PEG 200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Butylene Glycol, PEG 7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Phenoxyethanol, Masking Fragrance (Parfum), Panthenol, PEG 60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben

I've highlighted the toxic ingredients from this previous list in red. This does NOT include all of the toxins in the product. That said, I might as well give you a list of more toxic chemicals to avoid.

More Toxic Chemicals to Avoid

• Talc: Talc belongs in the same family as asbestos and is dangerous to breathe. It has also been linked to ovarian cancer.

• PVP/VA Copolymer:  These chemicals are derived from petroleum and are used in hairsprays, and cosmetics. They are considered toxic and contribute to foreign bodies in the lungs of sensitive people. 

•  Isopropyl Alcohol: This is another petroleum-derived substance that is used in anti-freeze and shellac. Inhalation of the vapor or ingestion can lead to headaches, dizziness, mental depression, nausea, vomiting and even coma. 

• Mineral Oil: Mineral oil is another petroleum derivative. It coats the skin like plastic wrap, preventing it from breathing, absorbing nutrients and excreting toxins. This slows the skin's natural cell development, causing premature aging. Baby oil is 100% mineral oil and bad for your baby's skin. 

•  Toluene: Toluene can be found in many nail products, such as nail color. Exposure can lead to headache, dizziness, fatigue, eyes, nose & throat irritation, and reproductive and developmental harm.

•  Benzyl Acetate: This is a solvent, often hidden within the ingredient "fragrance." It is linked to pancreatic cancer and is a possible neurotoxin. 

•  Bronopol: This is a preservative, which is already restricted in Canada. It is toxic to the immune system, skin, and lungs. 

• Quaternium-15: This is another preservative that breaks down in formaldehyde. Exposure leads to allergic reactions and dermatitis. It can be found in skin and haircare products. 

The Importance of Being Your Own Health Advocate

I haven't been feeling well these past few days and I've been thinking a lot about the connection between the chemicals I'm exposed to and my health. The sad thing is, most health professionals don't or won't ask about the chemical-health connection when you go in for a visit.

I try to be as non toxic as I can when it comes to the personal care products I use. I try to eat a healthy diet and live a healthy lifestyle, but unfortunately chemical exposure is unavoidable.  There are over 80,000 chemicals in our homes and the environment, some of them persisting for over a million of year. Some medications taken by our grandmothers may even have an affect on us, like the supposed anti-miscarriage drug diethylstilbestrol or DES.

Even the products that claim to be safe may be misleading. For example, some manufacturers have replaced the estrogenic bisphenol A (BPA) with the still toxic BPS. There are also "non toxic" companies that still use fragrances and perfumes in their products.

This is why label reading is a must. Just like you read for nutritional data, we must begin to read for toxicity data. When you go to the doctor, talk to them about any chemicals that you may have been exposed to. If you work in a chemical factory, tell them and express your concerns. Take a proactive and preventative role in your own healthcare, particularly if you are pregnant or have young children.

Toxic Chemicals to Avoid

I thought I would devote a post to listing some chemicals that we need avoid that are in the products we happen to use everyday. I should add the disclaimer that as a consultant for Ava Anderson Non Toxic, I go over some of this list at parties and I do offer products that do not contain these chemicals as  they pertain to personal care products. That said, this list is still valuable information for all consumers. The truth is, these chemicals shouldn't be in any products and consumers shouldn't need a degree in order to understand the information on the back on the products they purchase. There are over 80,000 chemicals on the market, the vast majority having never been tested for safety.  For more information on this issue, please see sources below.

Many of the chemicals on the list are endocrine disruptors, meaning they disrupt the body's endocrine (hormone) system by mimicking or blocking our normal hormonal signalling pathways. Our endocrine system regulates ALL of the body's biological processes, including brain and nervous system development, blood sugar levels, metabolism, growth and function of the reproductive system, the pituitary, adrenal, and thyroid glands. According to the UN and World Health Organization, endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and are a global threat and can be a threat to the developing fetus.

Safer Chemicals Healthy Families
The Campaign for Safer Cosmetics
Women's Voices for the Earth
The Breast Cancer Fund
The Story of Cosmetics

Chemicals to Avoid

• Fragrance/Parfum/Perfume: This is a term used by industry to hide thousands of other toxic  chemicals. More than 3/4 of the time, this term is used to hide the presence of phthalates (THAL ates), which are known endocrine disruptors.  Phthalates are linked to birth defects, infertility, breast cancer, liver cancer, obesity, and diabetes.

• Triclosan: This is the active ingredient in "anti-bacterial" products. It's registered with the EPA as a pesticide and is also a known endocrine disruptor, disrupting thyroid function.

• Parabens: Parabens are preservatives linked to breast cancer, endocrine disruption, developmental defects, and reproductive toxicity.

• Oxybenzone and Octinoxate: These are chemical UV filters found in many spf products and suncreens. They are also known endocrine disruptors. 

•  DEA (Diethanolamine), MEA (Monoethanolamine), TEA (Triethanolamine): These are endocrine disrupting chemicals that have strong links to liver and kidney cancer.

• Petrolatum: This is a derivative of petroleum. It is a carcinogen and an endocrine disruptor.

•  PEGs (polyethylene glycol): These are byproducts of petrolatum. During the manufacturing process, the carcinogenic contaminant 1-4 dioxane is created.

•  Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) & Sodium Lauryth Sulfate (SLES): These chemicals are considered carcinogens. SLES can be contaminated with 1-4 dioxane, although you will never see 1-4 dioxane on the label. Manufacturers aren't required to list carcinogenic contaminants. 

• Ingredients that end in -eth:  Examples are triceteareth and ceteareth. These can also be contaminated with 1-4 dioxane. 

• Retinyl Palmitate:  This can be found in many sunscreens and moisturizers, however in the presence of sunight, it enhances skin cancer lesions by 21% (FDA, 2011).

•  Synthetic Colors: These are made from coal tar and are labeled as FD&C or D&C followed by a color and a number, for example, FD&C Red No. 6. These are carcinogenic and have been linked to behavioral problems in children.