Verdict: Fragrance

So, I'm still not sure if fragrance is always a bad thing, but I will definitely avoid it from now on. My man and I each went to annual checkups this week. Both of our doctors advised us to stay away from soaps and other products with fragrance. In the words of my doctor: "People take showers thinking that they're getting clean, but frangrance stays behind in the skin and can cause irritation." Both doctors said that fragrance-free Dove is the best soap on the market. (This is a bit funny - my spray-on tanning salon specifically told me to stay away from all Dove products because they leave a film on the skin which messes up tans.)

From now on fragrance is something I'll be avoiding whether a product is phthalate-free or not.

Question: What's up with fragrance?

I know that fragrance is bad and something I should avoid on ingredient labels. But, is it bad just because it could be masking phthalates, or for other reasons as well? A couple of products I've recently purchased have "Fragrance (Parfum)" listed on the label. I bought them because the labels also specifically said that the products were free of phthalates. So, my question is, if a product does contain fragrance, but does not contain phthalates, is it safe?

Here's an example of a product that's raising some questions. My general plan is to use up all of my products that I currently have and then replace them with non-toxic products. However, I didn't feel very comfortable with shaving my legs with my normal shower gel. (I feel that shaving, which strips off a layer of skin, makes me more vulnerable to ingredients in my shaving aids.) I purchased Alba Botanica natural very emollient cream shave in coconut lime.

The back of the label says that this contains "no: animal testing, artificial colors, parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl/laureth sufate or sodium methyl sulfate."

I'm pretty happy with this shave cream. It clings to my legs well - I just slather it on, then shave. Usually my shower gels slides off and I use more that what's really necessary. It works just as well as shower gel; my legs are super smooth when I'm done. I checked on Skin Deep and it has a rating of 4... because fragrance is listed in the ingredients.

So, should fragrance always be avoided, even in phthalate-free products?

Phthalates, Parabens & Sulfates, oh my!

The phrase "your skin is your body's largest organ" is often repeated, but I wonder is people really think about what they put on their skin every day.  I know I don't. Your skin is your body's largest organ, and the ingredients in skin care products are specifically designed to penetrate it. Your skin is highly absorbent. It absorbs 60% of what you put on it - in other words, 60% of each ingredient of a product that you put on your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream.

The FDA does not require cosmetics to be tested for safety. It's up to you to monitor what you are putting in your body. These are the substances that I personally look out for:

• phthalates - a chemical group used to add flexibility and dissolvibility to other ingredients, may cause organ damage and has been linked to liver toxicity and certain types of cancer; often found in perfumes, hairspray, and nail polishes
• parabens - a common type of preservative used to extend the shelf life of shampoos, lotions, toothpastes, hand soaps, shaving gels, and other goods; can contribute to certain types of cancer
• sulfates - a surfactant (detergent); not as bad as phthalates or parabens, but is a skin irritant to which some people are extremely sensitive
• formaldehyde - a preservative found in eye shadows, mascaras, and nail hardeners; a known human carcinogen

Basically, I read the ingredient list of products before I purchase them, and if they contain any of these substances, I take a pass. This isn't to say that I religiously avoid everything with these things in them. I'm often taken in by shiny packaging, and only realize later that I should have looked at the label. I have the easiest time finding better lotions and hair products because the packaging is usually labeled "paraben and phthalate-free" if it is. In the future, I hope to make even better choices by researching products online before I buy them.

As I said before, the beauty industry is unregulated. Companies are not required to test products or ingredients for safety before they’re sold, manufacturers can use whatever chemicals they want in their products, and are not required to disclose their ingredients. A "Toxic Substances Control Act" was passed over thirty years ago... but takes as its premise that chemicals are safe until they have been proven unsafe. There is a self-policing Cosmetic Ingredient Review; however, the scientists on this panel are funded by... the beauty industry.

The information in this post was gathered from: Sara Snow's Fresh Living by Sara Snow, Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things, and webmd.com