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I’m pretty sure my husband feels a bit of dread every time I ask him to go along with me shopping at TJMaxx or Target for beauty products. I stand there looking at all the pretty products, many of which use all their marketing skills to persuade you that they are “natural” and beneficial to your body.

All these products very quickly became overwhelming for me. Do I spend 5 dollars on a shampoo? Or 10 dollars because this one advertises being more natural? Or what about 20 dollars?

What makes a product actually healthy for my body instead of harmful?  

Much to my husband’s dismay, I know you cannot merely trust the enticing words of the flashy label but must search deeper, into the confusing world of the ingredient list. This is the way to know if companies are actually being honest about being natural. I learned this the hard way after discovering there was parabens in my Avenno Natural shaving cream. Natural huh? To judge a product as being natural, you need to know what ingredients should send off red flag warnings in your head.

After spending hours in the beauty product aisles of TJMaxx and Whole Foods, I realized I needed to do my research. I needed to figure out the most important ingredients to avoid in beauty products so that I might be able to recognize them on the labels of common products in my bathroom or when I was out shopping for new products.

I’m here to help you out and candidly tell you what’s most definitely NOT a natural ingredient in beauty products.

Here are the worst ingredients for your body and what to avoid when seeking out natural beauty products.

1. Formaldehyde

This ingredient is classified as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Unfortunately, many beauty products contain agents that release formaldehyde into the air for us to inhale, which is one of the most toxic ways to come in contact with the substance. Sounds a bit scary, hm?

Now, before you rush to the bathroom to grab your favorite products to show me that formaldehyde is not listed on the label, let me tell you, formaldehyde is sneaky. Most beauty products contain chemicals that release formaldehyde that are under names such as:

• DMDM hydantoin
• Imidazolidinyl urea
• Diazolidinyl urea
• Quaternium-15
• Bronopol
• 5-Bromo-5-nitro-1, 3-dioxane
• Hydroxymethylglycinate

Now, don’t freak out if the shampoo you’ve been using for the last 10 years contains one of these nasty chemicals. These chemicals only release small amounts of formaldehyde.

While you are not likely to get cancer from a shampoo it is still not something that is natural or something I would want being put on my body every day. Besides being a known carcinogen, formaldehyde releasing chemicals can also cause dermatitis and are known allergens.

2. Parabens

This is another general term for a number of chemicals that are most definitely not natural and arguably harmful. The dangers of parabens include increased risk of cancer, disrupting hormones in the body, harming fertility, harming reproductive organs, and negatively affecting birth outcomes.

While, again, you may not think a tiny bit of something in a product you use affects you, unfortunately parabens are absorbed through the skin. This is why studies have detected levels of parabens in almost all adult urine samples in the U.S. Teenage girls who wear makeup everyday were found to have 20 times more parabens in their urine than those who wear little or no makeup. That is one of the reasons I recommend switching to a natural line of makeup…. Something we can talk about another time.

For now, just know to watch out for these six common parabens:

• Propylparaben
• Isopropylparaben
• Butylparaben
• Isobutylparaben
• Methylparaben
• Ethylparaben

If that’s confusing, just avoid products with any ingredients ending in “paraben!”

3. Phthalates

These nasty chemicals have been known to cause a number of problems including infertility, asthma, allergies, reduced testosterone, and even abnormal development of the reproductive system of baby boys. Definitely something to avoid, especially for expecting mothers as the chemicals can even contaminate unborn babies in the womb!

4. 1,4-dioxane

This chemical is unfortunately found in some products labeled as natural, but it is described as a “carcinogenic contaminant” by the Environmental Working Group. Scary enough, it hides in many baby products and anti-aging products! This is another one of those sneaky chemicals that will not appear right on the label and instead hides in things such as “sodium laureth sulfate” and ingredients that, anywhere in their name contain “PEG,” “xynol,” “ceteareth,” or “oleth.” You can also avoid this chemical by trying to purchase items that are USDA certified organic.

5. Sulfates

These are the chemicals put in many beauty products to make them sudsy, but they often have the effect of stripping your skin of all its natural oils and drying out or irritating your skin. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is listed by the EWG as a moderate hazard, being linked to hormone disruption, cancer, organ toxicity, and neurotoxicity. Not to mention sodium lauryl sulfate also releases 1, 4-dionxane, the dangers of which we just talked about.

6. Aluminum

 This is often found in deodorants as an antiperspirant. Although a common mineral, it has been known to be toxic to the human nervous system and there is also a low concern it may be toxic to organs as well. Not to mention, there are some indications it is linked to breast cancer when used in deodorants. Thankfully, there are many natural deodorant alternatives that are aluminum free.

7. Unnatural Fragrances/ Parfum

This is one that you have to be careful with because companies can hide over 3,000 unnatural chemicals under the word fragrance as a trade secret. Some of these unnatural blends are associated with skin irritation, allergies, respiratory distress, and even reproduction issues. Look for items that use essential oils in their products instead or research if a company’s fragrance is from naturally derived ingredients.

8. Triclosan

This is a chemical put in a lot of antibacterial products. Unfortunately, the costs of such a chemical outweigh any benefits that can be gotten using a natural substitution. Triclosan can alter hormone regulation, possibly harm your immune system and can even create more dangerous germs by making them more antibiotic resistant. Not worth it!

9. DEA, MEA, TEA

These chemicals can also appear under their full names of  Diethanolamine, Monoethanolamide, Triethanolamine respectively. They can be dangerous as they react with other chemicals in beauty products to cause nitrosamines to form, which are carcinogenic. High doses of DEA have also been shown to result in precancerous changes in the skin and thyroid as well as various liver cancers. While you are not going to be exposed to high doses in your beauty products, the European Union still classifies DEA as harmful since there is danger of health damage from prolonged exposure. It can also be a skin and eye irritant, not to mention it is bad for the environment.

10. Lead

Research done by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found that 61% of lipsticks were found to contain lead. Even the FDA found high levels of lead in the top lipstick brands CoverGirl, L’Oreal and Revlon. Lead is not good for your body at any levels and is linked to neurotoxicity, reduced fertility and disruption to hormonal development in children. It is tricky to know if a lipstick contains lead as it won’t be listed on the label. You can contact companies to ask if their product contains lead or switch to natural brands of lipstick from small business or companies that certify their product is lead-free.

I know this was a lot of information, but I hope this list was helpful in your pursuit of the more natural life! Safe shopping!

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