- checking login information
Loading...Top 10 Ingredients That Don’t Belong In Your Bathroom
Take a peek in your bathroom. Cabinets and shower included. How many bottles, tubes, containers and sticks of personal care products are staring back at you? Although we’re convinced these ointments, lotions, cremes and soaps help us to look and feel our best, most contain powerful chemical cocktails that could cause a host of health issues.
I’d like to think of myself as a conscious shopper. I look at labels, avoid brands known to support environmentally dangerous practices, and limit the number of personal care products I buy at all. (I only wear make-up about 10 times a year, so that helps.) Still, there are some things that are essential for good hygiene, right? Deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, facial scrub, toothpaste. Many would argue that these are health care essentials, yet they too contain dangerous ingredients that could upset the body’s hormonal balance (leading to weight gain and other hormone-related health problems), cause problems in sexual development and adult sexual function, as well as increase the risk of breast and prostate cancer.
When you weigh the potential of having cancer versus smelling ripe on a late summer afternoon, ditching the deodorant seems like a no-brainer. Here’s the thing–we don’t have to eliminate all of our personal care products. We just have to zero in on the ingredients that are up to no good, and avoid products that contain them. To help, here’s a list of the top 10 ingredients that don’t belong in your bathroom, adapted from this article from Natural Home & Garden (well worth the read if you’ve got the time). If you’re still worried or confused after you read the list, pop over to The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics for the latest research and advice on brands that are safe.
1. Prefixes Ethyl, Methyl, Butyl or Propyl
Common Name: Parabens
Why You Should Avoid It: Endocrine disrupters that mimic estrogen; linked to weight gain and breast cancer
Found In: Lotions and shampoos
2. Fragrance, DEHP, DHP, DBP 5, Dibutyl Phthalate
Common Name: Phthalates
Why You Should Avoid It: Sperm damage, infertility
Found In: Nail polish, shampoo, deodorant, lotion
3. Dyes: Blue 1, Green 3, Yellow 5 & 6, Red 33
Common Name: Coal tar
Why You Should Avoid It: Carcinogenic
Found In: Hair color, medicated shampoos
4. Triclosan, Chloro, Phenol, Irgasan
Common Name: Triclosan
Why You Should Avoid It: Endocrine and thyroid disrupter; promotes antibiotic-resistant bacteria; bioaccumulates in the body
Found In: Antibacterial soap, shampoo, facial cleanser, toothpaste, deodorant
5. 3-(4-methylbenzylidene)-camphor (4-MBC), octyl-methoxycinnamate (OMC), octyl-dimethyl-PABA (OD-PABA), bexophenome-3 (Bp-3), homosalate (HMS)
Common Name: Sunscreen chemicals
Why You Should Avoid It: Estrogenic activity; enhances the potential for pesticides to penetrate the skin
Found In: Sunscreens
Keep Reading for 5 more ingredients that don’t belong in your bathroom…
Read more: beauty products, breast cancer, chemicals, cosmetics, hormones, personal care products, prostate cancer
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may
not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
Recent Comments from Causes
I agree with Nimue P. I have eaten ants but covered in chocolate, very crunchy & maybe lots I did…
@Mary D first off most people on here want gun safety not take your guns away so let me be clear on that.…
Thank you. I love this video.
meet our writers
89 comments
+ add your ownIt's a shocker! Big companies making big money from our vulnerabilty.
Again, I don't use any of these products. I have Twittered this though.
Really a good & helpful information, thanks..I will try to cut down whatever products that comes with the chemical ingredients that listed. Nice day.
Make sure you are aware of what constitutes ‘organic’. Palm oil (used in toothpaste and soap to name but two) is often described as organic,. However, even if this were true, the growing of the palms from which the oil is extracted is responsible for the destruction of the Indonesian rain forests and is pushing the Orangutan towards extinction.
I should also add that since many of the toiletries and cosmetics that we use contain endocrine disruptors they should not be used by pregnant women, as these chemicals pose a threat to the unborn child. The major problem for consumers is that some of the products to not list these chemicals on the ingredients label.
Scary, thanks. They're in everything basically...
Beauty should not be toxic.
don't panic, just go organic!
cut out the chemicals!
I'm already in process of reducing my product-usage, and trying to buy better products whenever possible. Not before using up the old ones though - I don't think that after over 30 years of chemicals, going cold turkey immediately will make a massive difference.
There's a lot of talk of chemicals, but it's hard to focus on what's most important, especially when budget is also a concern. Lists like this do help somewhat. (Though I wonder why e.g. aluminium, dangerous and common in deodorants, isn't mentioned..?)
I'm now going for Nivea Pure & Natural, Lumene (especially Sensitive Touch range), and Herbina products - they don't seem to include anything from this list, and they're inexpensive. However, it seems that it's easier to be health-conscious here in the EU - not sure if many of the products are even available in the US, and e.g. the Nivea US site doesn't even list the ingredients, unlike in here. Odd...
If anyone has tips on other, better, grocery store brands (especially haircare), I'd be keen to know!
What gets me about these ingredient is that most are not needed.
login to add your comment
use your care2 login
add your comment