Natural translations: the truth about synthetic personal care products

Better Nutrition, Nov, 2003 by Kat James

It's official: Americans want natural products more than ever. But with these desires comes a new vulnerability to the seduction of "natural" imposters, which all too often wind tip standing in for the real things. Front synthetically scented "aromatherapy" candles, to poetically packaged "herbal" body care products, the ingredients used in many of today's most prominently advertised and beautifully presented "botanical" mainstream products are barely distinguishable, in terms of ingredients, front the fruity, candy-colored concoctions of the '80s.

Natural Know-How

What, then, is natural? In the course of interviewing experts on cosmetics ingredients over the years, I have come across no more knowledgeable source than Diana Kaye, a cosmetic formulator who's been featured in The New York Times and other major newspapers. Her personal experience in overcoming near-fatal Hodgkin's lymphoma fueled her insatiable pursuit of information about cosmetic ingredients. "At one point in my life, my very survival depended on eliminating every possible toxic challenge to my body, and so I have spent nearly every waking moment since 1989 investigating environmental and cosmetic chemicals, reading cosmetic formulation texts, chemical dictionaries and patents," says Kaye, who is, admittedly, a highly motivated purist.

Hidden Allergens

"Most chemicals used in cosmetics have had no toxicity studies [which can be performed without using animals] done, and none of the current testing standards take two of the most important concerns of today into account-trans-dermal absorption of substances into the bloodstream (as opposed to just topical skin reactions), and endocrine, or hormone, disruption," says Kaye. Skin absorption is now widely known to be a significant way for substances to enter the body. Some scientists estimate that as much as 60 percent of what we apply to our skin winds up reaching the bloodstream--parts of it accumulating in our livers, breasts, and other fatty tissues.

Some confirmed estrogen mimics, such as phthalates, which are found in everything from medical tubing to nail polish to perfume to hairspray as well as the environment, were found in women aged 20-40 to be 45 times the levels previously estimated in a 2000 study published in Environmental Health Perspectives. In statewide telephone surveys conducted by health departments in California and New Mexico between 1995 and 1997, investigators found that 16 percent of randomly selected adults reported an "unusual sensitivity"' to a variety' of common, everyday chemicals.

A startling one-third of persons surveyed in other states called themselves "especially sensitive." Chemicals such as formaldehyde can reside in fat tissue for decades, never causing acute symptoms. Chemical levels can then reach a saturation point at which we are suddenly sensitive to even minute amounts. Equally disturbing is the fact that when synthetic chemicals mingle in even small amounts, they sometimes react to create effects thousands of times as potent as what might occur from a single, sometimes harmless, chemical.

Chemical Reaction

Truly natural products that contain water or are preserved with natural substances or essential oils--shampoos and toners come to mind--may spoil or change oil the shelf before their synthetically preserved counterparts do. This is generally evident in a change in their color or smell. But the inherent problems with synthetics are far more unpredictable and not easily detected.

Although the issue of spoilage is taken care of in processing, the molecular altering of synthetic ingredients may introduce newly inherent issues of toxic by-product contamination and interaction of chemicals. Carcinogens, such as dioxane and nitrosamine, are commonly formed in synthetic concoctions and are virtually impossible for us to know about.

Environmental Concern

Our exposure to these chemicals is no longer affected only by our personal choices, but by those of others. Using synthetic products on and in your body and then washing them down the drain is now confirmed to have a cumulative effect in the environment that comes back to haunt everyone. The Environmental Protection Agency has identified traces of shampoos, perfumes, antibiotics, hormones and just about every other personal care chemical in rivers and waterways--and even in some tap water samples--throughout the United States, yet has made no long-term plans for cleanup or new restrictions.

Next month, we'll get into some specific ways to upgrade and evolve your own personal care choices based on your priorities. Also, to be purely devastating for the holidays, check out my tips for using the best natural color cosmetics and hair styling tools for an unforgettable holiday season. In the meantime, you'll find a preview on fire topic by reading nay answer to a reader's question about mineral makeup at www.betternutrition.com.

The Purist's Definition of Natural

Naturals purists such as Diana Kaye point to the US Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program (NOP) for official definitions of what is natural and what is not. According to NOP: