Halifax Retro

By Kimberly Walsh

Photo credit: kuuipo1207 from Flickr

Up until recently, I have generally thought of beauty as being only skin deep. In a philosophical sort of way I still believe it. But lately, after having some conversations with girlfriends and reading articles about parabens in beauty products, I can’t say I agree with the statement anymore. Considering that skin is the largest human organ, I’m starting to believe that I should take a bit more care of mine.

What’s the deal with parabens, you might ask? Well, for those of you who don’t know, they’re the group of chemicals often used as preservatives in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. And they’ve been linked with causing cancer due to the presence of carcinogens and estrogen mimickers. While the scientific jury is still out on whether or not to ban them outright, I’m not taking any chances.

When you really think about it, the average person is practically radiating with parabens. By the time you’ve prepared to go to work in the morning, you’ve likely showered (with shampoo, conditioner, soap), possibly shaved (with cream), put in a hair product, used deodorant and brushed your teeth. For you gents, you’re probably splashing on a bit of aftershave. For us ladies, we also typically put on a bit of make-up. Well, most of those common products that we use each and every morning have parabens.

So, what do we do about it? I mean, we’re not exactly going to give up on this daily ritual. After all, our level of cleanliness has reached epic proportions according to author Katherine Ashenburg, who wrote The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History (Knopf). Never in the history of human civilization have we seen a culture so obsessed with cleanliness to the point that many of us even carry hand sanitizer around (guilty!). At my workplace, there are even hand sanitizer dispensers in the hallways.

And according to the Canadian Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association, retail cosmetics represent a $5.4 billion industry in Canada. The fact of the matter is that every day we’re inundated by thousands of images of beauty standards, from commercials and magazines to television programs and movies. In reality, that’s a lot of pressure to look good, and we all consume the goods that will help us on this never-ending quest to do so.

Couple that with the fact that, if we’re being honest, the average person who’s looking to go green isn’t looking to make huge sacrifices. They’re looking for baby steps. Let’s face it, most Canadian ladies aren’t giving up on the shaved legs and armpits model that we’ve all grown accustomed to; for the record, that’s me included.

One thing that was supposed to have helped consumers make more informed decisions was cosmetic labeling. Since November 2006, Health Canada made it mandatory that the outer label of these products list all the ingredients used. The problem I’ve found with these labels is that they’re not exactly as easy to read as, say, food labels. You really have to do your research and know what to look for in order to make an informed decision. Frankly, who has the time to do that? Yes, I know if you care enough you’ll do it. But my point is that the average person would rather be putting their leisure time into other activities. And that’s exactly what the cosmetics companies are banking on.

Thankfully there are people out there who are willing to do the footwork for consumers. Just recently, while trying to find replacements for my facial care products, I stumbled upon a site called the Environmental Working Group. They’re based out of Washington and offer, among other things, an online cosmetics database. It ranks pretty much every major cosmetic line you can think of on a scale of how hazardous each product is for your health. The ranking system takes into consideration ingredients that have been linked to cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, allergies, among other things.

Just to torture myself, I did a search on my current products and was not at all comforted to find that they were listed in the yellow “moderate hazard” category. Then I did a search on the Burt’s Bees products I wound up purchasing and found each and every one of those items in the green “low hazard” category. It really didn’t take that much convincing after I did the comparisons.

Now, I’m not advocating ignoring your inner beauty altogether. Taking care of the inner you is just as important as the outer you. Eat well, drink plenty of water, and live a balanced life, and you’ll be on the path to radiating with good vibes rather than parabens. Nobody said being a green god or goddess was easy but there are certainly resources out there to help you not only look good, but feel good, too; on so many levels.

Tags: cosmetics, health, kimberly walsh