What is Your Skin Eating (Global College of Natural Medicine Newsletter Article)
What is Your Skin Eating?
By Margo Doll
If I were to ask you “What is your skin eating?” how would you respond? I can tell you from experience that the most common response is “skin doesn’t eat!” Ah, but it does! Our skin is the largest organ of our bodies, and absorbs, or “eats,” up to 60% of whatever is applied to it, which ends up entering the bloodstream. “In some cases, the skin enables more passage into the bloodstream than eating and drinking.” 
It used to be believed that the skin was an impenetrable barrier, but in recent years, understanding of the powerful and immediate absorption of chemicals through the skin has led to everything from contact warning labels on cleaning products, to skin patches for hormonal replacement, birth control, and kick-smoking programs.
If you’re wondering just how powerful the skin’s ability is to absorb, try smashing a fresh clove of garlic and rubbing it into the sole of your foot. It will absorb through the skin and enter the bloodstream so that you should be able to taste it in your mouth within 45 seconds.
Now, thankfully, garlic won’t harm you – in fact, it has great healing qualities – but what about the ingredients in over-the-counter (OTC) personal care products? The synthetic chemical toxins of these products are absorbed into the bloodstream just as readily, but with negative consequences to our bodies, unlike a clove of garlic.
The average adult uses approximately nine personal care products each day, exposing them to over 126 potentially hazardous chemicals.
Just consider a small handful of the chemicals a woman uses in preparation for her day:
In the shower she shampoos her hair with Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and conditions with Propylene Glycol. Afterwards, she’ll sprinkle Talc all over and add a spray or two of Toluene. She’ll stop perspiration with a roll of Aluminum under each arm, brush her teeth with a fine line of Fluoride, and gargle with a shot of Alcohol. Next she will style her hair with a little Polyvinylpyrrolidine (PVP)…
And we haven’t even gotten to the cosmetics and nail polish, yet!
If you’re wondering if these poisons are being absorbed through her skin, the answer is a definite “Yes!” A good rule of thumb for body care and cosmetics is: If you wouldn’t put it in your mouth, don’t put it on your skin.
Look at the health risk of just the few chemicals listed above:
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate ( SLS ) is a known mutagen that suppresses the nervous system, can cause cornea damage, hair loss, and can be fatal.
- Propylene Glycol is a known skin irritant, causing blisters, and dermatitis; also autotoxicity, kidney damage, and liver abnormalities.
- Talc is related to the Asbestos family. It has been linked to lung disorders and ovarian cancer, yet it continues to be used in baby powder.
- Toluene , most commonly listed simply as “fragrance,” is a potent carcinogen that damages the central nervous system. It’s known to cause cancer, liver damage, and lung damage; trigger allergic reactions, asthma attacks, and cause birth defects.
- Aluminum is linked to skin toxicity, Alzheimer’s disease, and breast cancer.
- Fluoride is a known carcinogen. There is even a poison warning for children on toothpaste containing fluoride, yet it is still used in children’s toothpaste. In fact, there is enough fluoride in a tube of toothpaste to kill a small child.
- Alcohol is drying to skin, has an increased risk of oral and throat cancers; and affects respiratory tract and central nervous system.
- PVP is linked to tumors, and damage to lungs and kidneys.
And just in case you’re thinking things can’t possibly be this bad because the FDA surely wouldn’t allow it…think again. In fact, The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act contains no provision that requires demonstration to FDA of the safety of ingredients of cosmetic products prior to marketing the product. 
Ironically, companies must subject pesticides proposed for use on food to a battery of up to 120 tests prior to approval. But for cosmetics, testing is voluntary, and any level of risk is legal.The FDA’s position leaves safety testing optional and companies largely without fear of retribution. The safety panel established and funded by the industry’s main trade association to dampen enthusiasm for stronger regulation has, in its 30-year history, reviewed just 11 percent of the 10,500 ingredients that the FDA has documented in personal care products.
I am not saying that the private label and OTC products containing these chemicals are getting away with false claims and don’t stand up to their promises of “softer skin” or “whiter teeth,” because they usually do. But the question consumers need to ask is if they’re worth the trade off in potential damage to our health and well-being.
Public health is in the hands of an impotent agency, safety testing is voluntary, safety decisions are at the discretion of individual companies, and the burden of choosing safe cosmetics falls squarely on the shoulders of each consumer.
David Steinman, author of Diet for a Poisoned Planet, seems to agree when he reminds us that, “The government is not our parent, they are not there to protect us from every little thing…we are adults and should be responsible for looking out for ourselves.” And so we should!
Consumers do have healthy alternatives to harmful personal care and cosmetic products. First and foremost is the necessity to become “label detectives.” Consumers need to know what to look for – and then actually look. A great source for ingredient information is the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) required on every hazardous chemical. A good place to start researching these chemicals is www.hazard.com. This is the SIRI (Safety Information Resource, Inc.) website. They offer 3 search options. Searching by the second option – ingredient name – is often the quickest and easiest. They also have a list of links to other MSDS and toxicology sites. This type of information can help consumers make wise, informed decisions.
Ideally, skin care product labels should read like a grocery list of organic and natural ingredients, and often product labels may read “Natural,” “Organic,” or “Certified Organic.” However, consumers really need to be diligent in reading the label ingredients on the back of the product and not simply trusting the possibly misleading label on the front. Some products may only contain a small amount – less than 20 percent – of natural, organic, or certified organic ingredients, and then still fill the remaining product with undesirable chemicals.
Truly “certified” organic products receive their certification from third party certifying bodies that guarantee the ingredients are certified to “food standards.” They are certified organic from soil to seed to production: without pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, toxins, or GMO’s. And they are processed without synthetics or man-made derivatives of any kind. Again, be sure to read these labels also! Look for the logo of the certifying body to verify the claim, such as ACO, or USDA. These products should be at least 75% certified organic, and the remaining ingredients should still be chemical-free, even if not certified organic. As mentioned earlier, if you wouldn’t put it in your mouth, don’t put it on your skin, because the final destination is the same.
Secondly, consider home-made skincare formulas. Long before the advent of commercial products, women had been making lotions and potions for their own beauty needs as well as for the care of their families. There are a rising number of wonderful books available today filled with beneficial, effective recipes for home-made soaps, shampoos, detox/exfoliating scrubs, moisturizers, cosmetics, and body scents. Amazon.com has titles such as Natural Beauty from Home by Janice Cox, Natural Body Basics: Making Your Own Cosmetics by Dorie Beyers, and Earthly Bodies and Heavenly Hair by Dina Falconi.
And finally, a reminder and encouragement to us all that “true beauty” does not come from a bottle, but is rather the innate and vibrant energy that shines forth from within a strong and healthy body, mind and spirit. Through implementing a natural and organic lifestyle of wise food choices, critical supplements, daily exercise and relaxation, and cultivating a spirit of abundant joy and appreciation for life, we will witness the emergence – the essence – of true beauty. Hopefully, we will also discover many of the cosmetic products we felt necessary to good looks have become unnecessary altogether!
Kat James, author of The Truth about Beauty, says there is an inseparable connection between health and beauty. “The truth is that beauty and comfort in our own skin and bodies is a natural, effortless state that is too often thrown off-balance by modern assaults, conveniences, and toxins to which our bodies are unable to adapt.” 
He goes on to suggest that “our impulse is to impose our own visions and ideals on our physical selves; however, we have the ability to create something, and someone, even more stunning – if we get out of its way and allow it to emerge.” 
Basically, what genuine beauty boils down to is what we all are striving for: optimum health.
So the next time you’re grocery shopping for those tasty morsels of organic goodness to eat, remember to choose the same care in purchasing personal care and beauty products so that you can feel confidant and comfortable about what your skin is eating, too! 
Margo Doll, NC is a Nutritional Consultant, freelance writer and speaker. She has been interested in nutrition for many years, but was motivated to actually make career changes in that direction three years ago after reading The Truth about Beauty by Kat James. Since then she has become an active speaker and advocate for organic and natural paths to genuine health, and a representative for the first company to produce certified organic health and beauty products to food standards: ( www.cleanliving.mionegroup.com).
References
1 James, Kat. The Truth about Beauty, pg. 192
2 www.ewg.org “Skin Deep”
3 Vance, Judi. Beauty to Die For, pgs. 8-42
4 www.ewg.org “Skin Deep”
5 ibid
6 ibid
7 James, Kat. The Truth about Beauty, pg. 17
8 Ibid, pg. xix
