Beautiful, vibrant skin is never just 'skin deep' and what you place on your skin is likely to be absorbed into your blood stream. Clear radiant skin is a sign of health and a mark of vitality. However, how many cosmetic companies inform their customers of some the most unwanted ingredients contained in personal care products which some health experts believe could damage both your skin and your health? Read the labels on the personal care products your currently have in your home. Some of the chemicals identified below may be listed on the ingredients list, others may be present but listed under different names.
Do you recognize any of the following ten common ingredients?:

1. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) and Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (ALS) - Used in car washes, garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers - and in 90% of products that foam. Animals exposed to SLS and ALS experience eye damage, central nervous system depression, laboured breathing, diarrhoea, severe skin irritation, and even death. Young eyes may not develop properly if exposed to SLS and ALS because proteins are dissolved. SLS and ALS may also damage the skin's immune system by causing layers to separate and inflame. It is frequently disguised in semi-natural cosmetics with the explanation "comes from coconut".
From Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS):
EYE CONTACT: INSTILLATION OF A 29% SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE SOLUTION INTO THE EYES OF SIX ALBINO RABBITS PRODUCED SEVERE IRRITATION. THE MATERIAL WAS CLASSIFIED AS A SEVERE SKIN IRRITANT.

2. Propylene Glycol (PG) - Propylene glycol (PG) is a petroleum derivative. It penetrates the skin and can weaken protein and cellular structure. Commonly used to make extracts from herbs. PG is strong enough to remove barnacles from boats! The EPA considers PG so toxic that it requires workers to wear protective gloves, clothing and goggles and to dispose of any PG solutions by burying them in the ground. Because PG penetrates the skin so quickly, the EPA warns against skin contact to prevent consequences such as brain, liver, and kidney abnormalities. But there isn't even a warning label on products such as stick deodorants, where the concentration is greater than in most industrial applications.
From Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS):
Health Hazard Acute And Chronic.

• INHALATION: May cause respiratory and throat Irritation, central nervous system depression, blood and kidney disorders. May cause Nystagmus, Lymphocytosis.
• SKIN: Irritation and dermatitis, absorption.
• EYES: Irritation and conjunctivitis.
• INGESTION: Pulmonary oedema, brain damage, hypoglycaemia, intravascular hemolysis. Death may occur.

3. Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) - Potentially carcinogenic petroleum ingredient that can alter and reduce the skin's natural moisture factor. This could increase the appearance of aging and leave you more vulnerable to bacteria. Used in cleansers to dissolve oil and grease. It adjusts the melting point and thickens products. Also used in caustic spray-on oven cleaners.

4. DEA (diet hanolamine) MEA (monoethanolamine) TEA (triethanolamine) - Often used in cosmetics to adjust the pH, and used with many fatty acids to convert acid to salt (stearate), which then becomes the base for a cleanser. TEA causes allergic reactions including eye problems, dryness of hair and skin, and could be toxic if absorbed into the body over a long period of time. These chemicals are already restricted in Europe due to known carcinogenic effects. Dr. Samuel Epstein (Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Illinois) says that repeated skin applications . . . of DEA-based detergents resulted in a major increase in the incidence of liver and kidney cancer.
From Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS):
Health Hazard Acute And Chronic.
PRODUCT IS SEVERELY IRRITATING TO BODY TISSUES AND POSSIBLY CORROSIVE TO THE EYES. EXPLANATION CARCINOGENICITY: AMINES REACT WITH NITROSATING AGENTS TO FORM NITROSAMINES, WHICH ARE CARCINOGENIC.

5. Isopropyl Alcohol (SD-40) - A very drying and irritating solvent and dehydrator that strips your skin's natural acid mantle, making us more vulnerable to bacteria, moulds and viruses. It is made from propylene, a petroleum derivative. It may promote brown spots and premature aging of skin.

6. Mineral Oil - Petroleum by-product that coats the skin like plastic, clogging the pores. Interferes with skin's ability to eliminate toxins, promoting acne and other disorders. Slows down skin function and cell development, resulting in premature aging. Used in many products (baby oil is 100% mineral oil!) Any mineral oil derivative can be contaminated with cancer causing PAH's (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons). Manufacturers use petroleum because it is unbelievably cheap.

7. 1,4-Dioxane - A carcinogenic contaminant of cosmetic products. Almost 50% of cosmetics containing ethoxylated surfactants were found to contain dioxane.
From Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS):
1,4-DIOXANE MAY EXERT ITS EFFECTS THROUGH INHALATION, SKIN ABSORPTION, AND INGESTION. 1,4-DIOXANE IS LISTED AS A CARCINOGEN. EFFECTS OF OVEREXPOSURE: 1,4-DIOXANE IS AN EYE AND MUCOUS MEMBRANE IRRITANT, PRIMARY SKIN IRRITANT, CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DEPRESSANT, NEPHROTOXIN, AND HEPATOTOXIN. ACUTE EXPOSURE CAUSES IRRITATION, HEADACHE, DIZZINESS, AND NARCOSIS. CHRONIC INHALATION EXPOSURE CAN PRODUCE DAMAGE TO THE LIVER AND KIDNEYS, AND BLOOD DISORDERS. MEDICAL CONDITION AGGRAVATED BY EXPOSURE PRECLUDE FROM EXPOSURE THOSE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISEASE OF THE BLOOD, LIVER KIDNEYS, CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, AND THOSE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DERMATITIS.

8. FD&C Color Pigments – Synthetic colours made from coal tar. Contain heavy metal salts that deposit toxins onto the skin, causing skin sensitivity and irritation. Animal studies have shown almost all of them to be carcinogenic.

9. Fragrance - Fragrance on a label can indicate the presence of up to four thousand separate ingredients, many toxic or carcinogenic. Symptoms reported to the USA FDA include headaches, dizziness, allergic rashes, skin discoloration, violent coughing and vomiting, and skin irritation. Clinical observation proves fragrances can affect the central nervous system, causing depression, hyperactivity, and irritability.

10. Diazolidinyl Urea - Established as a primary cause of contact dermatitis (American Academy of Dermatology). Contains formaldehyde, a carcinogenic chemical, is toxic by inhalation, a strong irritant, and causes contact dermatitis.
From Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS):
CAUSES SEVERE EYE IRRITATION. MAY CAUSE SKIN IRRITATION. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF EXPOSURE SYMPTOMS OF INHALATION: IF MISTED, WILL CAUSE IRRITATION OF MUCOUS MEMBRANES, NOSE, EYES AND THROAT. COUGHING, DIFFICULTY IN BREATHING. SYMPTOMS OF SKIN CONTACT: CONTACT CAUSES SMARTING AND BURNING SENSATIONS, INFLAMMATION, BURNS, PAINFUL BLISTERS. PROFOUND DAMAGE TO TISSUE. SYMPTOMS OF EYE CONTACT: WILL CAUSE PAINFUL BURNING OR STINGING OF EYES AND LIDS, WATERING OF EYES, AND INFLAMMATION OF CONJUNCTIVA.

Note:The Top 10 List is an extract from Natural & Organic Living - a ONE Group publication.

Introducing a Personal Care product line blended from international Agricultural 'Certified Organic' ingredient sources!

Certified Organic Hair Care Products   Click here for the product listing

Certified Organic Body Care Products   Click here for the product listing

Certified Organic Household Products   Click here for the product listing

What Does Natural and Organic Mean On Product Labels?

Nowhere does the idea of "natural" or "organic" take a more gratuitous bruising than in the skin care industry.

If we look at the term "natural" we would probably define it as "existing in, or formed by nature; not artificial". Many labels have long lists of chemical names, some followed by the phrase "derived from ..." (some natural substance). This is misleading for consumers.

When chemicals such as Cocamide DEA or Sodium Hydroxysultaine are followed by the words "derived from coconut oil" the consumer is led to believe that these synthetic chemicals must be natural. While this may be true in some cases, it is ultimately irrelevant because what you end up with after the chemical processing is usually anything but natural or pure.

To create Cocamide DEA, a foaming agent found in some shampoos, requires the addition of a synthetic chemical known carcinogen, Diethanolamine - DEA, to the coconut oil. It is therefore no longer natural, or safe!

If we look at the term "organic" on a label, we ususally think it means "grown and cultivated without the use of chemicals". That is the conclusion most skin care companies would like us to come to.

Some companies are cynically using the chemistry definition of "organic" - meaning a compound that contains a carbon atom. Carbon is found in anything that has ever lived. By using this definition of organic, they are saying that a toxic petrochemical preservative called Methyl Paraben is "organic" because it was formed from rotten leaves that rotted over thousands of years to become crude oil, which was then used to make this preservative.

An increasing number of companies are now claiming to use "organic" herbs in their products. But, what about the rest of the ingredients? Are they safe? Isn't there an authority that governs the use of the term "organic" on labels? The simple answer is NO.

However there are a number of international bodies that do maintain a strict standard of requirements to adorn the right to display their affirmation of authentication of true "Certified Organic". Searching for products with the logo of a certifying body on the label is the only way you can guarantee the organic authenticity and integrity of every ingredient in the product. Without this, the organic claim means nothing, as it cannot be verified.

Have you been looking for a truly
Certified Organic Personal Care system?

(There is a difference between "Natural", "Organic", and "Certified Organic" products.)
(There is also a big difference between "Agricultural" and "Cosmetic" Certified Organic.)

Click to read the article: "How Do We Know What is Really Natural?" (You must have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to read)

Click to read the article: "Looking For the Logo of Guarantee" (You must have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to read)

Click to read the article: "Chemicals Make You Fat" (You must have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to read)

Click to read the article: "Atoms in Agriculture" (You must have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to read)

Click to read the article: "The World is Going Organic" (You must have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to read)

Click to read the article: "How To Become an Ingredient Detective" (You must have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to read)

Note:The above PDFs are copyright Natural & Organic Living - a ONE Group publication.

Introducing a product line blended from
Agricultural Certified Organic ingredient sources!

We are pleased to introduce a new personal care product line comprised of only pure natural ingredients, agriculturally certified organic, free of petrochemicals, mineral oils, synthetic fragrances, colorings and preservatives. These products are designed to care for your skin gently while protecting against the harsh climate and environmental pollution. The philosophy of the product line is simple - If it cannot be eaten or applied safely to the body, it simply isn't in the products!

Click here to view the Certified Organic Personal Care Products video book.

Imagine a product range where very single ingredient is beneficial for your skin's health. Products where not only is every ingredient safe (in fact, edible) but ever ingredient does something great for your skin... right down to the preservatives and antioxidants.

A personal care product line containing NO:

• Synthetic Detergents
• Artificial Preservatives
• Artificuial Colors
• Artificial Fragrances
• Petroleum By-Products
• Tar Derivatives
• Genetically Modified Ingredients
• Animal Testing

Products produced to the rigorous standards that are required for organic food production. By adhering to these strict standards, they have been endorsed by the world's leading authorities in organic agriculture.

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Click the text links below to see a categorized listing
of these revolutionary Personal Care products:

Certified Organic Hair Care Products    Certified Organic Body Care Products    Certified Organic Household Products

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