Sunday, December 13, 2009

Would You Believe That Your Anti Aging Skin Care Products Can Be Killing You?

By Peter Geraldson

"Over the last 100 years, the rate of cancer in the U.S. has sky-rocketed from 1 out of 800 people diagnosed, to 1 out of 3 today. Are you Wondering Why?" (- Ralph Nader). Could this be because of something found in personal products such as anti aging skin products, cosmetics, personal and beauty products?

There's many ingredients found in products that we may be using everyday that are potentially dangerous and are even known carcinogens. And this includes products that we may eat as well.

Here's an example. One ingredient that you should avoid in anti aging and skin care products. Mineral oil.

Mineral oil is a petrochemical product which means that it comes from distilling crude oil. If you buy baby oil you're getting a bottle of mineral oil.

Mineral oil is found in a wide range of anti aging products and skin care products and it is added to those products as a moisturizer. The reality is that mineral oil has absolutely no moisturizing properties of it's own. Rather the intention is that mineral oil in anti aging products will cover the face with a thin film of oil on the skin that will help minimize moisture lost from the skin. And to some extent this is successful.

You may have heard of Material Safety Data Sheets. These list all information that someone using a particular chemical ought to know, including safety information. If you read a Material Safety Data Sheet about mineral oil it will say that "mineral oils are suspected carcinogens of the skin and scrotum, larynx, lung and alimentary tracts". And you will also find that it says that mineral oil may "cause eye, skin and respiratory tract irritation". On top of this will also say that "pre-existing skin disorders may be aggravated by exposure" to mineral oil.

So it's quite clear that you can get cancer in various parts of your body from mineral oil and it irritates your skin.

That's one of very many ingredients that you may find listed on the label of a bottle of skin care products or anti aging products that you may have on the shelves right now and may have even used this morning. How can it be that there are products available for everyone to buy that contain ingredients that are potentially dangerous?

The FDA has no mandate to test either the efficacy or the safety of anti aging products on the market. You're probably aware that big business has very little concern for the welfare of its customers, the cigarette companies are a good example of that. If they can get away with it they will.

These ingredients are commonly used because they're cheap. Cheaper ingredients means more profit. There's excellent ingredients that they could use which are well known to promote better skin health but they're more expensive.

Some excellent small niche skin care companies make outstanding skin care products that don't contain harmful ingredients and which work extremely well. Unfortunately they are unable to compete with the big players in the television advertising market and so chances are you'll never find out who they are.

Through my website I try and inform readers about the risks of so many ingredients in anti aging products and the point them towards these small niche companies.

If you'd like to find out more then visit my website. - 14130

About the Author:

No comments: