Product Elimination

This is an update only in the sense that I've stopped using some products.  I haven't found replacements for all of them yet, but I will someday...

For now, here's what I've stopped using:
1. Banana Boat SPF chapstick.  That stuff just seems not good for me, and until I find a chapstick with SPF that's safe, I'll just go without the sunscreen aspect.

Old score:7
New score: none

2. Softlips chapstick (the cherry kind, not the pomegranate organic stuff that rocks).  I stopped using this simply because I ran out, but couldn't find just the organic stuff at the store yet.  When I do I'll just buy more of that.  Until then, I'll do with what I have...

Old score: 7
New score: none

3. Carmex in the tub.  Same story as the softlips.  I was alarmed by the score here, so I'll just make do until I find better options.

Old score: 7
New score: none

4. Bath and Body Works Midnight Pomegranate Anti-Bacterial Moisturizing Hand Soap.  I ran out.  And didn't feel like buying more, considering the score.  I've been using homemade soap instead, which I can't imagine has a score more than 1.  So that's what I'm calling it.


Old score: 8
New score: 1


So that takes us to this place: Before: 16 products, score of 87, average 5.44
Now, 13 products, score of 59, average 4.54


Woohoo!  Don't want to get too excited yet, however, since I haven't fully cataloged all of the products I use, especially my makeup.  But for now, it's good :)

Facial Equalizer

So I bought some new face products at the store.  I had run out of my old face wash, and decided to try something new.  The tricky thing is that when at the store, I don't have access to the cosmetics database, so I can't check the score of the products on sale.  They should really make an app for that.  And I should really get with the times and get a phone that can actually download apps.  But I digress.


I picked up a new face wash (read: the cheapest one I could find): Clean & Clear Foaming Facial for Sensitive Skin.  It's working out pretty nicely.  It feels simple and it definitely cleans my skin.  It foams up pretty well (a pet peeve for me with facial cleansers), which I like.  It dries out my skin a teeny bit but sometimes I like that feeling.  I don't think I'll stick with it forever, but for now I'm pretty happy (or so I thought...see below). 

Old score: 4
New score: 5 (oops)

The main culprits are Fragrance, and something called PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate which appears to be a rather bad chemical with lots of warnings about violations and ordered restrictions in cosmetic use.  Oh dear...I will be looking for a new alternative as soon as possible.

Also while at the store I picked up a new face lotion.  My skin freaks out when I use face lotions with SPF in them, so my goal was to get something without SPF and then get my SPF from my foundation (I switched to mineral makeup...more about that later though since I haven't reviewed my makeup products yet).  I picked up Alba Botanica Hawaiian Skin Care Aloe & Green tea oil-free moisturizer. It was a little pricey, but you literally only need to use the smallest drop to cover your face, it smells great, goes on pretty light, and will probably last me a year.  It has no SPF which I like.  The only thing I didn't like was that it came in a small tub.  I felt like sticking my finger in there every day was bound to encourage some bacterial growth.  To deal with this, I purchased a small upright container in the travel section of the store for 50 cents or so, and transferred half of it into that.  That way, I only touch what I'm using, and it's easier to control how much you get at a time.

Old score: 6
New score: 5

Fortunately, the main culprit, like always, is fragrance.  The next highest ingredient only has a score of 4, and there are only 2 of those.  All the rest are 3 or lower, so I'm pretty content with this. 

So you may have noticed that one score went up and one went down, so I've broken even here.  That's okay because I intend to replace that face wash with something new quite soon.

Soapy Switcheroo

After seeing that the score for my 'natural' body wash was a 5, I started to think I could do better pretty easily.  So I rummaged around in my basket of bathroom stuff, and found one of the free samples I got at the beauty product toxin discussion back in college.  It was a bar of peppermint castile soap.  When I got it I had smelled it and thought it was not very pleasant...peppermint isn't my favorite smell.  Feeling compelled at this moment, however, I went a little farther and removed the paper wrapping from the soap, to discover that all I was smelling was paper and ink, because the soap itself smells like nothing.  Feeling slightly like a moron, I gave it a test run in the shower.  It foamed up really nicely on my loofah, and was AMAZING!  It left my skin super soft, made shaving really easy, and continued to smell like nothing.  My skin is usually rather irritated after showering, and there was none of that.  The bar has appeared to stay exactly the same shape from when I started using it, and at around 3ish dollars a bar, I'm sold.  The hazard score emphasizes that fact. Oh, did I mention that it's fair-trade and cruelty-free?  To reiterate: SOLD.

1. Dr. Bronner's Magic All-One Hemp Peppermint Pure-Castile bar soap made with organic oils

HAZARD SCORE: 1

The previous score was 5.69

So, this is replacing a product with a score of 5, so we still have 16 products, with a total score of 87.

New Score: 5.44

Great changes!  I'm not going to call it a 5 just yet, though.

Chapasticka

Went to Target and picked up some new Softlips -- It was a double pack with this new lip tint stuff and a bonus pomegranate organic one. Oh Softlips, how I do love you, and cannot deny buying your amazing two-packs. Let's see how this affects my score

Previous score: 6.21

1. Softlips Pure SPF 15 shell pink sheer lip tint          

Have to enter this one in the database...The package claims it's 100% natural, so let's see what we come up with. ...a 3. Well, a 3 isn't too bad. The bulk of the ingredients are 1s and 0s, with the highest being a 4 (Flavor...what? Flavor??). Zinc Oxide is the SPF ingredient, and it's only a 2, so that's pretty promising, since so much of what I've seen is SPF ingredients that have horribly high scores. Overall, I'm pretty pleased!

HAZARD SCORE: 3

2. Softlips Pomegranate organic lip balm    

HAZARD SCORE: 1 (Score!)

As a side note, Softlips is cruelty-free, so that's good :)

These are two NEW products, so we now have 16 products, a total score of 91.

My new average score (drumroll please): 5.69

Yahoo! I'm still going to call it a 6, but it shows how a few good products can really help.

Round One: My Everyday Products

So, to determine my first average hazard score, I've decided to use my Basics -- that is, the products I use on an everyday basis. I'm not including makeup in this yet, for the simple fact that I do NOT always wear makeup. I do, however, always wear deodorant (you're welcome).

So, here's the list:

1. Banana Boat Sunscreen Lip Balm with Aloe Vera and Vitamin E, SPF 45

Turns out, right off the bat the database doesn't have this product listed (I knew this would happen eventually, but it hadn't happened to me in the past -- the site really does have an amazing database size of products), so I got a preliminary report by entering the ingredients myself. This turned out to be relatively painless, except for the strain of trying to read teeny tiny text on my little chapstick container. Unfortunately, the preliminary report doesn't appear to give me an average score, probably because there were a few ingredients not found. I found an entry for the SPF 30, with a score of 6...so I'm going to call this one a 7. I did notice that the company DOES test on animals. Therefore, once this little gem is used up, I don't think I'll be buying another.

HAZARD SCORE: 7ish



2. Softlips Cherry chapstick SPF 20

Oh delicious Softlips, in your convenient and stylish skinny little white container, what the hell?! Well, it turns out the main culprit behind our high score here is Oxybenzone, the primary sunscreen component. Hmm. Okay...

HAZARD SCORE: 7

3. Bath and Body Works Midnight Pomegranate Body Spray

Another one I had to add myself. This time it went more smoothly, except for the part where I look like a moron trying to get the teeny tiny label off the bottom of the bottle to find the ingredients. The preliminary report spat out a 10, which shocked me. I'm not exactly sure how accurate this is, considering the highest individual component score was an 8 (for fragrance). I think the fact that the data gap for fragrance is 100% skews the score a bit. Since this is completely subjective and you can't stop me, I'm going to call it an 8.

HAZARD SCORE: 8

4. Bath and Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar Body Spray

This time the preliminary report handed me a 9. What?? Whatever, I'm calling this one an 8 again.

HAZARD SCORE: 8





5. Sunsilk Summer Shampoo

Didn't know this still existed, did you? Well, I stalked my local KMart and bought 8 bottles of it when it went on sale. Pretty sure I have the last remaining bottles since it's no longer in production. This stuff is amazing. My hair loves it! Unfortunately...the score was an 8. Turns out this is mainly due to Fragrance (again), and something called DMDM Hydantoin. This compound is found in all kinds of shampoos, conditioners, and lotions. It is an antimicrobial formaldehyde releaser preservative. Um, what? Turns out, it works as an antimicrobial because it releases formaldehyde, which microbes don't much like. Ummm...I don't much like formaldehyde either... There appears to be a little disagreement in the cosmetics industry over whether it's safe or not. Well, considering that I still have 6 bottles of this stuff left, I guess I'll have to deal with it. Once I'm done, I'll look for a better option, minus the formaldehyde-releasing chemicals. AND, Sunsilk appears to test on animals, so I guess I won't be switching to a different sunsilk shampoo. Shame on them -- especially because I like their products so very much...

HAZARD SCORE: 8

6. Pantene Nature Fusion Smooth Vitality Conditioner

Please don't roll your eyes at me. I KNOW. I hate Pantene. I know they do horrible animal testing. Procter & Gamble is a stupid evil monopoly taking over every product out there and I hate supporting them. It was on CLEARANCE and I was POOR. Please don't judge me. Surprisingly, this came out with a pretty low score. I'm still hunting for a non-testing alternative, however.

HAZARD SCORE: 5

7. Pure & Natural Body Wash Almond & Cherry

I looked this product up a long time ago, and got a score of 5. It's no longer found in a database search, so I did a preliminary report to see if the scores match. And they do! Hooray! Now, I bought this stuff because it had a little label saying it's 98% natural origin, and hypo-allergenic. It works just great, and smells good, but it smells STRONG. I'm not sure what part of this is hypo-allergenic, or what defines hypo-allergenic, but I have to say I'm a little confused.

HAZARD SCORE: 5

8. Olay Foaming Face Wash Sensitive Skin

Since the last product came out the same the second time around, I'm going to trust that the previous score I had for this product is still accurate. This stuff is a great gentle cleanser, and is nice and cheap. I read somewhere that cleansers aren't really that worth spending tons of money on, since they're only on your face for point five seconds. Great news if you're cheap!

HAZARD SCORE: 4





9. St. Ives elements mineral moisturizer with SPF 15

Surprisingly, the Fragrance is what bumped this up into the 6 range, rather than the SPF.

HAZARD SCORE: 6







10. Secret pH Balanced Spring Breeze Invisible Solid Deodorant

Again with the fragrance.

HAZARD SCORE: 4





11. Crest Regular Paste

Crest kid to the core, I am I am. Apparently Sodium Fluoride is a 9 all on its own. I suppose that's why you're not supposed to swallow your toothpaste?

HAZARD SCORE: 4




12. ACT Restoring Fluoride Mouthwash Cool Splash Vanilla Mint

Again with the Sodium Fluoride. And the not swallowing part.

HAZARD SCORE: 6

13. Carmex Traditional (in the miniature tub)

Oh Carmex, and your traditional yellow package. You seem so innocuous. Little did I know. The culprits here appear to be Fragrance (do you see a pattern?), Phenol, and Salicylic Acid. Phenol appears to be used for several functions in several products. Not sure exactly why it's in Carmex (although I think it's responsible for the tingle). Salicyclic acid has antimicrobial properties. Guess these are in Carmex because it's technically for cold sores. Guess I won't be using it anymore when it's gone!

HAZARD SCORE: 7

14. Bath and Body Works Midnight Pomegranate Anti-Bacterial Moisturizing Hand Soap

I LOVE this stuff. B&BW apparently re-vamped their products though, and I'm not sure I like the smell of the new version of this stuff. Therefore, I might stop using this soap once it's gone. It has a score of 8, so maybe I should stop using it anyway. DMDM Hydantoin is in there again, as well as Fragrance. Triclosan is also a high-hazard item, and it's an antimicrobial. It appears Triclosan has been banned in some places from household products, and is related to some health concerns. Probably best I stop using it anyway :)

HAZARD SCORE: 8


WHEW! So, let's see where we are. 14 Products, Total score of 87, Average of 6.21.

I'm calling it a 6

The Database

I started to write my first blog, and quickly realized that many products have disappeared from the database. I sent an email inquiry as to the reasons. In the meantime, I took advantage of the feature where you can enter your own products and receive a preliminary result. The scores for my products were considerably higher using this method than the numbers I had found in the past for these products -- however, I think I will just go with them. Can it hurt to overestimate the danger of your beauty products? I doubt it. I also saw a few websites where people were questioning the methods used to determine the safety of products on the site, especially citing the data gap scores. Again, I'm not doing this to write a scientific paper, it's for my own personal investigation and change, so I'm going to just go with it, high scores, data gaps and all.


As a side note, I feel like I have to preface this blog with some info.  I'm not here to talk down to people about their way of life.  I'm not one of those people that drives their subaru to the organic food store wearing my recycled cotton clothes and chacos and spends 200 dollars on lotion made from soy and bunny rabbit smiles.  I do believe in cruelty-free products.  I do believe in cutting down on packaging waste.  I do believe in sustainability.  I do wear high heels even though they're bad for you.  I do occasionally laugh at Family Guy.  And I will, without a doubt, try to find alternative products that are safe to use and reasonably priced.  As in, if you aren't independently wealthy you can still afford them.  So. Moving on...

Getting Started: Some Background

When I was a senior in college, I was working on my undergraduate thesis (on community disease awareness, if you want to know more I'd be glad to share -- we all love to talk about ourselves, no?). For my thesis I was interviewing a professor on campus who studies TOXINS. He suggested I attend a discussion panel being held on campus about toxins and the beauty product industry.



This event was inspired by the book Not
Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the
Beauty Industry, by Stacy Malkan. For more about this, see the website HERE. The professor I had
interviewed was part of a discussion panel addressing toxins and beauty products. Product samples were handed out before the event, as well as informational pamphlets. I learned a lot of shocking things about our beauty products, what is allowed to go in them, and how few regulations there really are on what goes into these items.


At this event, I learned about a website, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, where ardent efforts are being made to enforce safety for the cosmetics and beauty industry and its products. I also discovered the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database, where products are individually assessed based on their ingredients, to determine what is called a 'Hazard Score'.
These scores are calculated based on several different criteria,
including current scientific research and assessments of chemical compound safety and health risks. A score of 0-2 is considered low hazard, 3-6 moderate hazard, and 7-10 high hazard.


At the time, I tried a few samples, read about the issues, and looked up a few products. I had a keen interest in the issue, but alas my 'senior in college' status prevented me from really committing time to the matter. Fast forward a year or two, and a few of my friends lost parents all too young to cancer. Cancer that seemed unexpected. I began to realize that this happens all the time. How many people die of natural causes anymore? My memories of this lecture came back to me, and an idea seed planted itself. I logged into the Skin Deep Database, and looked up the main products I use every day. I was alarmed! What?!? The chapstick I put on every day (copiously) has a score of 7??? The process seemed to repeat itself with each new product. Over several weeks of pondering the matter, I have made several decisions for myself.


First, I am fighting a personal war on plastic. We may have all heard about the Nalgene bottle health concerns. I remember learning about it in my organic chemistry class, and panicking about my Nalgene obsession. I was a college kid - all we drink out of is Nalgene bottles! Anyway, I've realized that there are many health concerns flying around out there about plastics of all sorts in our lives (like microwaving food in plastic containers? Big no-no). I've decided to try and eliminate as much plastic from my life as possible. I've also learned that this is no small task. Plastic is EVERYWHERE! You really don't realize it until it slaps you in the face. Anyway, this is not the main point of this blog, but it plays into the main point, and I hope to insert small snippets about this progress as it occurs.


Second, and more importantly, I would like to be using products that are safe for me! I, like many people, use beauty products every day. For something that you rub into your hair/smooth on your skin/stick in your mouth DAILY, shouldn't it be safe? I want to live past 50. I want to be cancer-free. I don't want to constantly and continually expose myself, over and over, to products that can mutate my DNA. Nope. No thank you.


So, you may be asking yourself, what are you going to do? Well, I'm going to do something rather unscientific. I am going to make lists. Of all the products I use. And look up their hazard scores in the Skin Deep Database. I will then average these scores, to obtain my super-scientific 'Average Hazard Score'. Then, I will progressively educate myself on what products are safe, and which ones will make my brain shrivel, and start making safer choices, in the hopes of lowering my score (and exposure) over time.


Now, I have to say that no one has done this before, and I doubt it was the initial intention of Skin Deep. Also, none of the previously mentioned companies know that I'm doing this. I have no affiliations with any of them. Also, I will keep my blog ad-free (even though I could definitely use the money...milk doesn't buy itself, you know), so you know my opinions, results, and feedback aren't influenced by any outside sources. I'm doing this for me, but also for you!


Join me, won't you? Let's see where this goes.