Conscious is not only an act of love to our body and planet,
But also a lifesaving decision!
Breaking habits is a difficult thing to do. We grew up with the habit of using products made with lots of chemical components and we keep using them in our food, skin products, cosmetics, everything! And the problem is, as time passes, investigations have shown how some of these components remain in our body and play part in the development of many illnesses, including cancer (scary I know)... but there’s more!
Besides the consequences in our body, most of these chemical products also affect our environment and the animals that live in it.
Good news is: you have a choice!
Using alternative and organic products, is not only a decision to care for yourself, but to show love to the world we live in! And the other good news is: It's easier than you think.
We’ll show you which are some of the components that you (definitely) want to avoid in the choosing of your products this fall!
Let's turn this into a joyful journey. You ready?
Cleanser
Organic cleansers represent a double solution for your skin, you’ll not only be avoiding the use of harmful chemical products (that we’ll explain in the following lines), but also organic cleansers are more likely to be made with components that moisturize your skin and this is a MUST for cooler seasons.
Commonly, non-organic cleansers are made with ingredients such as: Sulfates, Parabens, Phthalates, Petrochemicals and Mineral Oils, Synthetic Fragrances, PEG compounds, and Ethoxylated Ingredients. Most of these products not only are harmful for your body, but also can tend to destroy your skin.
One of the most popular known as harmful components are parabens (butylparaben, methylparaben and propylparabe). Parabens are used to give the products a long shelf life. They aren’t only used in cleansers, but also in shower gel, shampoo and many others. These ingredients are used everywhere!
Although most of all these ingredients are more than accepted and not regulated in the industry; a lot of brands have chosen not to use Parabens in their products… Hmm You may be wondering: why?
Here’s the truth! Parabens have been reported as a factor of hormone function disruption by mimicking oestrogen. The increasing level of oestrogen is a trigger to increase breast cell division, developing tumours in the affected zone. The result of this equation is a taken risk to develop breast cancer. Is it worthy? I don’t think so.
There’s a side consequence as well. Some of these components have also been found in the bodies of marine mammals. Is it worthy? Again, is not.
You should know that organic cleansers may have a shorter lifespan than the ones made with artificial ingredients, but if you are a regular user (for your skin’s health please be a regular user) this surely won’t be a disadvantage.
Instead of the common components that we just talked about, organic cleansers are made from vegetable oils (like coconut, sunflower or jojoba) super cool! And for fall, we’ll also advise you to go with a non-foaming cleanser, even though it is made with natural ingredients (gets your skin dryer).
When you’re picking your product, always check if the brand has been certificated as toxin free, cruelty free and biodegradable. Organic is a way of living, not a marketing punchline!
Exfoliant
In our last article, we talked about the almost magical benefits of scrubbing your skin in the transition of seasons. Well, time goes fast and we’re already preparing for winter, so probably you already proved the benefits of scrubbing your skin during the cold season, and you’re loving it!
If you choose an organic product, good for you! You’ve made the right call for your skin health. But, If you haven’t decided yet, please please (please) take into consideration this advice: non-organic scrubs are full of harmful ingredients! And basically you won’t want to put on your skin anything that you wouldn’t eat. As simple as that.
Some of the ingredients that you should be aware of are: Salicylic acid, parabens (we meet again), color pigments made out of petroleum and coal tar, polyethylene.
Stay away from those artificial colorful scrubs, your skin doesn’t need those chemicals! Look at the composition details of the product and make sure you are choosing a mindful scrub. We’re a conscious brand and we know it is possible to create a high quality product that doesn’t harm our health or the planet we live in, and we know we’re not the only one!
Every time you choose a conscious brand, you’re choosing your planet and yourself.
Also, organic scrubs don’t need artificial color or smell to be great, they naturally are!
Moisturizers and hand creams
This is going to be a hard one, for sure!
Moisturizers and hand creams are probably the most purchased skincare products. And of course we use them with multiple purposes, because feeling our skin soft and glowing is better when we smell good, right?
Bad news is, almost all of the best known brands use A LOT of harmful ingredients in their moisturizers and hand creams, especially the ones that smell like cotton candy or any artificial flavor (we all have bought them, don’t feel guilty). And the thing is, they actually contribute to the irritation of the skin! It's like you’re taking medicine to make yourself feel sicker (nonsense I know).
That’s why we’ll help you choose wisely and avoid the following ingredients: Fragrances, mineral oil, propylene glycol, synthetic dyes or colors, parabens, retinol, alcohols, alpha hydroxy acids.
Let’s dig deeper into the “fragrances” topic. Probably it doesn’t sound as scary as others and that’s because it is meant to be that way (scary music in the back). Fragrances is how companies resume a bunch of ingredients that are included in the composition and they just don’t name them (an awful surprise), and this cocktail of ingredients includes a lot of potentially harmful chemicals, such as phthalates. Besides the long term damage (reproductive issues, for example) they also affect directly in your skin, causing allergies and irritation.
Don’t let brands fool you by resuming ingredients using the word “fragrances”. Now you know better! And Cotton candy doesn’t sound like a good idea anymore.
Sunscreens
Oh, sunscreen my love!
Your best friend for the whole year and this includes fall and winter (so please, don’t abandon it in your drawer). The story is that, as any other best friend in your life, they should be helping and supporting you, not irritating you constantly.
Well sometimes the story is not as happy as we wanted it to be.
Irritation and allergies coming from sunscreen application are pretty usual, and that’s because your skin is telling you that you picked the wrong product.
Common formulas include: xybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate, octinoxate, DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (Monoethanolamine), and TEA (triethanolamine).
These ingredients are not only absorbed by the skin, but also remain in our blood for a long time, and basically blood runs around all of our organs (a huge ish right here). The problem has been that, although studies have related some of these ingredients to harms in our body and also are cause of allergies, there’s not enough data to determine whether it is totally safe or not to use it. An enormous grey space that most of us prefer not to take.
What’s the solution then?
We suggest these two options: First, take a look into the ingredients of your sunscreen and try to buy one with fewer harmful chemicals and totally avoid the ones with fragrance and parabens. The second choice is to use a non-toxic sunscreen; these are made with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide (and you should know that), but are less harmful for the environment. Also, mineral sunblock works as a barrier and your skin won’t absorb it the same way that happens with regular chemical sunscreens.
For now, is a matter of picking battles.
With all that being said, we just have a one final request: Please, please, buy consciously!
This is not only about ourselves, but about the planet and our responsibility with it.
As we are part of the organic brands family, we’re committed with honesty and we want our consumers to know what they are putting on their skin. That’s why, giving you information is our way of helping people be empowered about what they consume, because they will be knowing what is good and what is harmful for their bodies.
Fivesso products are paraben free, toxin free, cruelty free and biodegradable! And we aren’t the only ones making conscious products. This means you have plenty of good options out there!
We hope you enjoy your time buying new and responsible products!
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Fivesso Team
Be Natural. Feel Natural.
Sources:
https://thefoxandshe.com/skincare-ingredients-to-avoid/
https://www.elle.com/uk/beauty/skin/articles/a36356/what-are-parabens/#:~:text=Why%20are%20parabens%20thought%20to%20be%20bad%20for%20us%3F&text=Parabens%20are%20believed%20to%20disrupt,breast%20cancer%20and%20reproductive%20issues.
https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-ingredients/phthalates
https://noharm-uscanada.org/issues/us-canada/phthalates-and-dehp#:~:text=Phthalates%2C%20a%20family%20of%20industrial,%2C%20lungs%2C%20and%20reproductive%20system.
https://www.bcpp.org/our-work/tips-for-prevention/personal-care-products/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3rSAzdKl7AIV5z2tBh2fTw-hEAAYASAAEgJ9HfD_BwE
https://odacite.com/blogs/tohealthandbeauty/the-dirty-dozen-top-12-ingredients-to-avoid-in-your-skincare
https://naturalingredient.org/?p=2674
http://orogolddeeppeeling.com/exfoliating-ingredients-to-avoid/
https://www.skincareox.com/40-best-organic-facial-cleansers-for-every-skin-type/
https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/the-trouble-with-sunscreen-chemicals/