Making a move to the chemical free side has been no easy task but I believe that natural beauty is best. On my face alone I use at least eight different products ranging from cleansers, serums, toners, moisturizers to under eye creams and sunscreen. This journey has forced me to do a lot more research into what I’m putting on my skin. So with a little guidance from the Environmental Working Group‘s Cosmetic Database I get to find out exactly what’s in my beauty products and it isn’t always pretty. While doing some research I came across these statistics and I thought that I would share them so you have better idea about the types of ingredients that are in our personal care products:
- More than 500 products sold in the U.S. contain ingredients banned in cosmetics in Japan, Canada or the European Union (EWG 2007b).
- 22% of all personal care products may be contaminated with the cancer-causing impurity 1,4-dioxane, including many children’s products (EWG 2007d, CDC 2009).
- 60% of sunscreens contain the potential hormone disruptor oxybenzone that readily penetrates the skin and contaminates the bodies of 97% of Americans (EWG 2010, Calafat et al 2008).
- 61% of tested lipstick brands contain residues of lead (CSC 2007).
With all of that being said, the not so scary fact is that there are wonderful natural beauty options to choose from. One brand that I’ve used in the past and recently returned to is Burt’s Bees. Over the years they have really expanded their product line and they now have an entire wall at Duane Reade. The selection is really overwhelming and there were several skin care products that looked tempting but I ended up choosing the Burt’s Bees Radiance Facial Cleanser with Royal Jelly; Royal Jelly is rich in amino acids and collagen which can make skin more supple and firm. The cleanser is also 99% organic and contains Fruit Acid Complex; plus it was around $10 dollars so it was well worth testing it out.
I haven’t had the best luck in finding one cleanser to effectively remove makeup and oil, and if it did it remove all of the oil it left my skin completely stripped and tight feeling. What I liked about this cleanser is that it removed my makeup without irritating or stripping my sensitive skin. There are tiny little Jojoba Beads beads that are said to exfoliate but they mostly break down as you begin to wash your face; Jojoba is naturally moisturizing and can help to balance oil production.. The cleanser is milky white and has a slightly gelatinous rather than creamy consistency; and a little bit of product goes a long way, a dime sized amount is enough to cleanse your face. Overall this is one of the better cleansers that I’ve tried, it does an excellent job of removing oil and makeup without stripping my skin PLUS it’s cruelty-free! I like the added benefits of Royal Jelly and Jojoba to firm and moisturize the skin while cleansing, so I will be buying this product again.
Have you tried Burt’s Bees Radiance Facial Cleanser? What is your favorite natural beauty cleanser?
Burt’s Bees Radiance Facial Cleanser, available at burtsbees.com and major drugstores $9.99
I’m in the process of reviewing 100% Pure’s Seafoam Lavender Cleanser. I’ve used Burt’s body products in the past but not the facial line, I’ve got them on the list though. I did the same thing when I decided to switch to more natural skincare (checked out SkinDeep), it was certainly eye-opening. It feel better knowing I’m using safer alternatives but boy is it hard to resist the temptation of commercial/mainstream products.
Thanks for the tip, I will try SkinDeep. I’m also trying out dermaE Very Clear Problem Skin Cleanser which is all natural, so far I’m liking it a lot.