Facts and statistics can be scary, but they also can give you the knowledge YOU need to make better choices that affect you and your family.  Remember, knowledge is power!

The more I research, the more passionate I get to share, because the beauty and skincare industry is not as glamorous as you might think!  The more I learn and implement in my own life, the more I see the REAL effects that eliminating toxins has on my hormones, energy, passion and skin health!

I recently shared my complete Safer Beauty Transformation, so start there if you haven’t read that yet, but today I wanted to share some little known facts about your skincare routine…not to scare you, but to challenge you!!

4 Scary Facts About Your Skincare Routine

The US has banned only 30 ingredients from skincare and makeup, whereas the EU has banned more than 1,400 harmful ingredients.

Since living in Europe for the past year, this is one I know to be true!  Finding hand soaps at the traditional store here that are fragrance, paraben and SLS free is quite common, whereas in the US you would typically have to go to a health food store to see that.

Many harmful, endocrine disrupting ingredients such as formaldehyde, fragrance, phthalates and more are strictly banned in the EU and other countries, but still in many products in the US that you come into contact with daily.

*Until recently, the US had only banned 11, but that number just went up to 30.*

Women of color and teenagers are exposed to more chemicals than the rest of the population.

A recent study states, “Pressure to meet Western standards of beauty means Black, Latina and Asian American women are using more beauty products, and thus are exposed to higher levels of chemicals known to be harmful to health.”  Ethnic women and teenagers tend to use more products—both makeup and hair products in particular—thus increasing their exposure to toxins!

Teenagers today are also using beauty products in increasing amounts and chemicals can be even more harmful to their still developing bodies and hormones.  In a recent study, teen girls saw a big drop in chemical exposure when switching to safer cosmetics!

Companies can legally hide hundreds of chemicals under the trade secret “fragrance.”

Over 3,000 ingredients can be hidden under the term “fragrance” and since these are trade secrets, manufacturers are not required to list these harmful ingredients.   Hundreds more toxic ingredients are being created yearly, so this issue is only getting worse!

Fragrances can greatly disrupt hormones, the brain (especially a growing baby during pregnancy, a newborn baby or developing child) and can cause asthma and allergies.

The Red Cross found over 287 synthetic chemicals in a newborn baby’s umbilical cord.

More than 180 are known or potential carcinogens in humans and animals, 208 can cause birth defects or developmental issue and most are toxic to the brain and nervous system.  A baby in utero is rapidly growing, creating new DNA and cells very quickly.  Toxins have the most potential to do damage during this phase, which is why it is so important to avoid chemicals for both the male and female prior to conception and for the mom during pregnancy!

Ready to learn more?

Yes, making the switch to safe can seem overwhelming at first—big words like carcinogens, endocrine disruptors and phthalates are confusing right?

Join the free 10 day Better Beauty Challenge and get your step by step guide to safer routines from morning to night that will leave your skin glowing!