nail glue, nail polish, eyelash glue, and hair gel. Yikes! Formaldehyde can be absorbed through your skin and cause irritation and an allergic reaction. High levels of exposure to formaldehyde have been linked to cancer.
Finding Formaldehyde in Your Products
It’s easy to spot the word “formaldehyde”, but it may not be as easy to spot these formaldehyde-releasing products: hydroxymethylglycinate, bronopol, quaternium 15, imidazolidinyl urea, and diazolidinyl urea.
SLS May Not Be Best.
If your favorite cleanser creates a foamy lather, there’s a good chance that SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) may be present. SLS is a cleansing agent that is commonly used in shampoo, facial and body washes, soaps, and toothpaste. Research shows that SLS is not a cancer-causing agent, but it can cause irritation and drying of the hair and skin. For this reason, many natural hair care product companies boast about not using SLS.
Finding SLS in Your Products
Several skincare product companies have removed SLS from their list of ingredients, but they didn’t tell you they listed it under an alias. Here are some of the aliases of SLS that may be in your skincare products: Sodium monolauryl, sulfate, sodium dodecyl sulfate, hydrogen sulfate, and sulfate lauryl alcohol.
Phthalates Are Not So Great.
Phthalates are a group of chemicals used in aftershaves, soaps, shampoos, and perfumes. Phthalates are known as plasticizers because they prevent products like nail polish from cracking while providing flexibility.
You may find this as a shocker, but those same phthalates are used in vinyl flooring, food packaging, and wall coverings. Some research shows that phthalates can cause issues with the endocrine system and may lead to cancer.
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Finding Phthalates in Your Products
Finding phthalates in your products may be difficult to spot, but here are the names you may see on product labels: Phthalate, dimethylphthalate (DMP), diethylphthalate (DEP), dibutylphthalate (DBP), and fragrance.
Now that you have this information, it’s time to call it quits with some of the products that you have come to love. My advice is to get to know your products before you bring them home. Reading product labels can save you from being exposed to toxic chemicals that can cause long-lasting effects on your health.