Okay…. before you think that this isn’t the content you were expecting (haha)– let me tell you that “Think Dirty” is an app that allows you to use a barcode scan to check the potential risks associated with the personal care products you use.
If you are wondering why I’m bringing this to your attention — it’s because our health is our wealth and I recently learned something that I wanted to share with you because I care about your health.
Let me break this down briefly:
According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, “EU law bans 1,328 chemicalsfrom cosmetics that are known or suspected to cause cancer, genetic mutation, reproductive harm or birth defects. In comparison, the U.S. FDA has only banned or restricted 11 chemicalsfrom cosmetics.” If you want to read more about this, the article is here http://www.safecosmetics.org/get-the-facts/regulations/international-laws. This website also provides the top ingredients that you want to avoid because they have been linked to cancer.
I was really upset to learn that the US allows so many more chemicals in our cosmetics… and that we haven’t updated any legislation on what goes into cosmetics since 1938!
If you are interested in seeing how your personal care products rank:
1. You can check out the “think dirty” app http://www.thinkdirtyapp.com
2. The other resource I use is the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep databasefound at https://www.ewg.org/skindeep.
I will note that not every item you own or see in a store will be in their databases. (The EWG website also ranks the fruits/vegetables that have the most chemicals on them. They provide a list called the “dirty dozen” and “clean 15” which is worth checking out.)
I often wish that taking care of our health could be easier and not involve so much research on our part….so I’m taking this one step further. This is a list of companies that offer “cleaner” products that have already been vetted for you so you don’t have to do more research:
- Credo – https://credobeauty.com
- Violets Are Blue Skincare – check out Episode 24 of my podcast to hear the CEO’s inspiring story and why she started this line after a breast cancer diagnosis.
- 100 Percent Pure — https://www.100percentpure.com
- w3llpeople — https://w3llpeople.com – sold at target
- Vapour – https://vapourbeauty.com
One thing to note is that many “natural” products may contain nuts or other allergens so always check the list of ingredients when using for yourself or your children.
I hope this was helpful!
XO, Michele
PS- if you found this information helpful, please forward this post along to your friends!