One Out of Five Cosmetics May be Contaminated With Cancer-Causing Impurity

As Valentine's Day just around the corner, loving thoughts are typically expressed with gifts, often encompassing scented perfumes, colognes or toiletries. Because loopholes in federal law allow cosmetic manufacturers to hide potentially dangerous chemicals, however, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) built theShow Us Your Secrets Web page to remind you just how unsafe most of these products really are. As EWG reported: "Although companies are required by law to list all chemicals ingredients in a product, a special loophole allows them to hide what's in the "fragrance" component[1]. And what's hidden in that simple word can include complex mixtures of up to hundreds of chemicals that studies show may be linked to a variety of health problems, including allergies, skin reactions, endocrine/hormone disruption, and possibly even birth defects." This past Valentine's Day you might have expressed your loving thoughts with gifts such as scented perfumes, colognes or toiletries. But because loopholes in federal law allow cosmetic manufacturers to hide potentially dangerous chemicals, most of these products are actually very unsafe. Protected under the umbrella of federal law, companies can hide health-harming combinations of chemicals in their cosmetics that may harm, among others, your unborn baby -- and you'd never know it, even after carefully reviewing product labels. Just a reminder, only a miniscule portion of cosmetics and toiletries have ever had all of their ingredients tested for safety, and the toothless FDA doesn't review the safety of fragrances either. And one of those primary ingredients hidden in fragrances -- phthalates -- is among the more common poisons you're exposed to every day. In experiments on rats, phthalates have demonstrably blocked the action of fetal androgens, which affects gender development in male offspring, with results including undescended testes at birth, low sperm counts, and testicular tumors later in life. On Vital Votes, Lifestyle Coach Josh Rubin from San Marcos, California says: "In my opinion, this is one of the top causes of women's hormonal imbalances, besides plastics and the pill. A great book to buy is the Consumers' Guide to Cosmetics by Ruth Winter. You can look up any ingredient and its effects on the body. "You would be amazed! "Some other alternatives I recommend to clients are other high quality organic make up (you can find them usually in your local organic health food store, [and] they can recommend other companies) and Young Living Essential Oils. These are great because they can be used as perfumes, as well as for other ailments or for just an uplifting experience."