​​

The body care industry is flooded with products that smell good and have fancy packaging, however many of the products we use on a day to day basis contain highly toxic ingredients which can threaten our health. While product labeling is now mandatory, companies often hide behind confusing technical jargon and ingredient lists are becoming increasingly difficult to understand without a PhD in chemistry.

​

It doesn’t help that in Canada the government approves the use of over 1000 new chemicals every year. There is very little understanding of the ‘cocktail’ effect which occurs when we mix one or more chemicals – or in other words, the way the chemicals body care products interact and build up in our bodies. But these interactions occur daily. Take the Sodium Lauryl Sulfate in your shampoo, the Methylparaben in your lotion and Toluene in your nail polish, and you’ve got a whole new concoction of chemicals entering your bloodstream. And with products we use every day – conditioner, lipstick, antiperspirant, soap – the impact of these small chemical doses is compounded, and the ‘safe’ recommended dose is quickly exceeded.

 

Despite all of this, Health Canada and the FDA in the United States regulate products only after they are sold, when complaints are made – which means that no one is watching over us to ensure that the products we find on store shelves are really safe. Our regulations are so lax that many of the products sold in North America are banned in Europe due to their hazardous ingredients. Unfortunately, until stronger governing bodies are created, we need to be our own advocates for health, and educate ourselves so we can make the right choices when it comes to body care.