Safe Cosmetics ~ Healthy Faces by Eve Organics

Dryer Sheets Have What?

As a member of Healthy Beauty Social, I read posts all the time from people passionate about the products they use and what they're made of.

There was a post recently about what really makes dryer sheets soften you clothes.

Here is an excerpt from the blog that posted the info:

"Beef fat is what they use to keep your clothes soft, but you won’t find it on any ingredients list on a box of dryer sheets. That’s because the conventional cleaning products industry has fought vigorously to keep their formulas government-protected trade secrets, covered by intellectual property laws that let them hide whatever they want."

Read the whole post here:  

http://www.healthybitchdaily.com/post/what-the-hell-do-i-buy-dryer-sheets

I've personally used those dryer balls with the nubbies all over them.  I bought them originally at a home and garden show about 10 years ago.  It's hard to believe that those little things actually get the job done.  But they do.  I suppose you could even make them out of dog toys!  Try them . . . let me know what your experiences are.

Moisturizer Ingredients Found to be UnSafe

Guest Blogger:  Pam Koskinen

We all know that moisturizing is so foundational for good skin care.  But, do we know exactly what is in our moisturizers? 

Spring is almost here.  With spring comes more sunshine, which is lovely. But, along with the sun comes the damaging effects the sunshine can have on your skin.

Two of the most common (bad) ingredients in moisturizers are sodium lauryl sulfate and mineral oil (a petroleum derivative). 

I found in an article I was reading recently that a study was done at the Lehman Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research using hairless mice under ultraviolet light.  After 20 weeks, the mice developed skin cancer. 

The researchers applied four types of moisturizers (which included the sodium lauryl sulfate and mineral oil) to the animals' skin for 17 more weeks.  They found that the products increased the number of tumors from ... ready? ... 24% to 95%!  Wow!

The researchers summarized by saying that the two ingredients in the moisturizers actually promoted UVB-induced tumors.   And, products without these ingredients DID NOT increase tumor growth in the mice.

We all know that the sun can be damaging; I'm not mentioning this study to scare.  It's just another proof positive that safe, clean products do make a difference.  So, please, keep moisturizing - your skin needs it.  And remember, none of Eve Organics skin care lines contain the damaging ingredients listed above.  Never have.  Never will.   

Welcome Spring with a Smile!

 

 

Good Morning America Talks Ingredients

Check out this segment from Good Morning America, which concentrates on the animal based ingredients in cosmetics and skin care.  These aren't necessarily the most dangerous ingredients, but are still pretty nasty.  Aren't you glad Eve Organics doesn't contain this stuff?

Leave us a comment.  What do you think?

The Story of Stuff - Cosmetics

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics teamed up with "The Story of Stuff" people and released a new 8 minute short on The Story of Cosmetics.  Check it out.  It definitely defines the world of cosmetics and cosmetic ingredients in a nutshell. What do you think? Leave us a comment and tell us what you think!

Response to Dr Oz's "Price of Beauty" Episode

Since the recent "Price of Beauty" episode aired where Dr. Oz basically told women to throw away their mineral makeup because of nanoparticles, we have had a flood of questions about our ingredients.  I composed a letter and sent it to Dr. Oz explaining the hysteria created by this episode and the reason why I think he should go back on air to explain that the generalization that all mineral makeup contained nanoparticles should be retracted.  Following is the letter I sent to Dr. Oz.  Please leave comments with your thoughts.  We value your input!

Dear Dr. Oz:

In response to your episode, “The Price of Beauty,” which aired last week, I would like to comment on some of the claims you made with regard to the safety of mineral makeup products.  I am the founder of Eve Organics, a Michigan based clean cosmetic company.  We offer organic skin care products, free of petrochemicals, fragrance, parabens, dyes, etc.  We feel our products are some of the cleanest and safest on the market today.  In addition to skin care, we also offer mineral makeup, formulated with NO NANOPARTICLES.   Our mineral makeup is also talc free, bismuth oxychloride free (a sensitizer), dye, carmine, filler and preservative free.

While we agree that nanoparticles are potentially dangerous to the organs of the body, we feel it is important to distinguish that not all mineral makeup is comprised of nanoparticles.  When a particle is measured in nanoparticles, it is so small (1,000 nanometers = 1 micron) that it could indeed pass directly through skin and enter the bloodstream, thereby causing the particles to circulate through the organs and potentially harm the delicate tissues of the lungs, brain, liver, etc.  However, particles measured in microns (thousands of times larger) cannot pass through the skin into the bloodstream. 

Washington Post Reports: Toxic Chemicals Kept Secret By LAW!

Although this article is general regarding the products it talks about, the issue is the same as the "fragrance" and Dirty Dozen issue for personal care products.  In the 1970s, many regulations were drafted to protect employees, where chemicals are dumped, landfill and waterway rules, etc.  However, except for a few chemicals (including asbestos, PCBs, CFCs, lead in paint and some chromium compounds) there are few restrictions protecting us from the chemicals used in creating the products themselves!

The following Washington Post article written in the past week or so outlines some of the regulations that need to be re-thought since they were put into place in the 1970s.

By Lyndsey Layton

Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 4, 2010

Of the 84,000 chemicals in commercial use in the United States -- from flame retardants in furniture to household cleaners -- nearly 20 percent are secret, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, their names and physical properties guarded from consumers and virtually all public officials under a little-known federal provision.

The policy was designed 33 years ago to protect trade secrets in a highly competitive industry. But critics -- including the Obama administration -- say the secrecy has grown out of control, making it impossible for regulators to control potential dangers or for consumers to know which toxic substances they might be exposed to.  Click Here to Read the Rest of the Article.

via www.washingtonpost.com

What are your thoughts?  Leave us a comment and let us know your point of view.

Realearning the Lesson: Not Everything Organic is Truly Green

I ran across this post on The Green Beauty Guide blog.  I just wanted to bring to your attention that everything organic is NOT truly green, as Julie says in her post. And it just reiterates that reading ingredients is the most important part of deciphering between truly safe and unsafe products. The label is not always clear, or true for that matter.

 
Nutriganics by The Body Shop: Not Everything Organic is Truly Green

October 10th, 2009 · No Comments

I was very excited to learn about the new Nutriganics line by The Body Shop. Touted as the first certified organic (at least in the UK) line of cleanser, toner, day and night moisturizers, serum, and eye cream, the line looks quite green, and the ingredients are quite decent.

Read More of this Post . . .

via thegreenbeautyguide.com

Eve Organics Makeover at Gluten Free Gateway

Do you have an intolerance to gluten?  Do you have celiac's disease or IBS?  Many consumers who have been diagnosed with any of these problems or are just living a gluten/wheat-free lifestyle have found that personal care products that are FREE of all synthetic chemicals and are also gluten-free fit their holistic outlook.

Loretta Mirabella, founder of the Gluten Free Gateway, has all of the information on a gluten-free lifestyle.  She has a great new blog and website with helpful ideas and current articles.

She recently did a makeover with Eve Organics makeup and posted it on her website.  Check it out here:  http://glutenfreegateway.com/articles/20091002_1

Thanks Loretta!  Keep up the good work. 

Heavy Metals in Halloween Face Paint

Halloween is so fun for everyone.  Dress up and become someone or something else.  It's a time for bonding and family and . . . toxins?

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has released an article showing the dangers of the ingredients found in the face paints we use for Halloween costumes.

Check it out at the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website.  Pretty sad that companies can put whatever they want in products that are geared toward children, let alone the human race in general!

Nanotechnology - NOT Cool Technology

I just received this post in a newsletter from the Organic Consumers Association.  Just a note:  Eve Organics does NOT use nanoparticle sized titanium dioxide in any of our products for this reason:

From the Organic Consumers Association Alert of the Week:

Keep Nanotechnology Out of Organic!

A major reason why consumers shop for products that are certified organic is to avoid hazardous and unlabeled Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), toxic chemicals, and now the most recent, and likely most dangerous hi-tech poison of them all - nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is now a multi-billion dollar Frankenstein monster industry churning out a vast menu of untested and unlabeled products containing tiny nanoparticles including non-organic vitamin supplements, food packaging, processed food, cosmetics, and sunscreens.

The United States Department of Agriculture's National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) has been debating an official ban on nanotechnology in organic. When it meets November 3-5, 2009 in Washington, D.C., the NOSB will consider a recommendation supported by the the OCA and the organic community that would "prohibit nanotechnology in organic production, processing, and packaging."

Nanotechnology is inherently dangerous. Mounting scientific evidence indicates that nanomaterials produce dangerous "free radicals" which can destroy or mutate DNA and can cause damage to the liver and kidneys. Nanotech particles not only injure and kill lab animals - they can kill you as well.

Every day, new evidence of the dangers of nanotechnology emerges:

• Workplace nanoparticle exposure was linked to seven cases of serious and progressive lung disease in China including two patient deaths.
• Nanoparticles present in a chemical found in sunscreens - titanium dioxide - are being examined as possibly causing Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Tell the USDA that you want the National Organic Standards Board to take a strong stand against the use of nanotechnology in organic. Please act before the October 19 deadline.

Go to the Organic Consumers Association website to read more.