Read labels of personal care products

Did you know that when you took a shower this morning, shampooed your hair, brushed your teeth, applied lotion and put on your makeup, many of the products you used haven’t been tested or approved by the federal government? According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a watchdog nonprofit organization that monitors various products and foods for safety, “the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t even require the basic safety testing of ingredients in personal care products before they are used.” In other words, the industry is self-regulated.

Dr. Orie Quinn, a chiropractor and holistic practitioner with the Ozark Holistic Center in Fayetteville, says, “It’s important to think about what you’re putting on your skin, as some chemicals and additives found in products will have the opposite effect that you’re looking for if used over the long term. They can lead to dryer skin, brittle nails, loss of hair, and on top of all that, these same compounds can have long term health side effects.”

He also advises consumers to read product labels. “Stick to ingredients you can pronounce and are familiar with.” His list of offenders includes dioxane, methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben, and isobutyl paraben; diethylhexyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, toluene, aluminum and triclosan.

“I see the aluminum in deodorants being an issue, as it is more easily absorbed through the skin after shaving. Also, dioxane as it is commonly used in natural products. Toulene is another, as it is linked to anemia.”

Dr. Quinn prefers “mineral-based lotions and supplements to help with long-term skin health, such as seaweeds, kelp and algae,” and warns that just because a product is labeled natural “doesn’t mean it’s in your best interest. You need to look at the ingredients, even if it says ‘natural.’”

Making the switch to safer products may make an enormous difference in a woman’s health and appearance. Dr. Quinn mentioned a patient in her early 60s who came in “due to hair thinning and loss. We looked at her current hair products and realized that some of the ingredients weren’t good. We also ran a couple of labs to identify specific deficiencies.” He then recommended she switch products to an organic brand and added supplements for her deficiencies. “By the end of the month she could tell she wasn’t losing hair like she had been. By the end of three months, her thickness had returned.”

While many companies have improved their products due to public fears over safety—CVS, for example, announced it was removing parabens and other ingredients from hundreds of its house-branded products by the end of the year— the demand for federal oversight is rising. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Susan Collins introduced the Personal Care Products Safety Act (S.726) “to protect consumer health and strengthen the Food and Drug Administration’s efforts to regulate ingredients in personal care products. The bill will update 80-yearold federal safety rules for the $60 billion personal care products industry,” as stated in a March 9, 2019 press release.

The bill has bipartisan support and “would modernize FDA’s oversight authority and give consumers confidence that everyday personal care products won’t harm their health,” Sen. Feinstein said.