Personal Care Products

As a self-proclaimed product junkie, I'm always on the hunt for the latest beauty products. While I like to think I'm a fairly conscious consumer in regards to additives such as silicone in hair products, this is the first time that I've actually had to stop and consider the other toxic effects. For the purposes of this assignment, chose to examine an old staple and a newer product that I use often. One of the tried and true products I've used for years is TRESemme Tres 2 Hairspray. I wasn't too surprised when I saw the potential health risks associated with TRESemme hairspray. Generally when most hairsprays are sprayed, they tend cause cough from fumes or can be irritating if your eyes and mouth aren’t closed. The overall toxicity rating was rated moderate, with the highest concerns being irritation, allergies and immunotoxicity, mainly due to the fragrance. For this product, I probably will not change my consumer behaviors since it is a product that I don’t use frequently.

The second product I reviewed was Mixed Chicks Leave-In Conditioner. I’ve seen rave reviews from many women online who wear their hair natural and decided to start using it as well within the last year. I was really surprised Mixed Chicks Leave-In Conditioner had endocrine disrupting chemicals, bio-accumulation and developmental/reproductive toxic chemicals. What was surprising to me many of the toxic chemicals in Mixed Chicks are due to parabens. I’ve seen many products advertising to be “paraben-free, sulfate-free, etc,” but honestly didn’t really think too much of it until now. This product contains propylparaben and butylparaben which are a high concern since they can cause biochemical or cellular level changes, endocrine disruptions and skin/lung/eye irritation. I will definitely consider other leave-in conditioners based on these findings and definitely think that there should be more dialogue on the dangers of parabens. I think that most people don't know about the risks of parabens (myself included), due to the already overwhelming market of beauty products on the market.


Ken Cook
The Ken Cook video was extremely eye-opening and informative. It’s surprising that the topic of pollution in people is something that isn’t commonly researched. I thought it was interesting that he collected blood form 10 Americans to be sampled for 413 chemicals. Cook stated the usual sources of exposure like food, air, or water, did not account for the chemical ingredients that were discovered in the lab tests. 287 chemicals were discovered in the lab results due to beauty products. It’s ironic because most people do not pay much attention to everyday beauty products such as tooth paste, gel, and facial cleanser. It was scary learn that industrial pollution begins early in life. Exposures to these toxic chemicals commonly will be exposed to unborn children through the umbilical cord and are considered to the most vulnerable. Many of these chemicals are known to cause cancer, hormone disruption, infertility, birth defects, neurotoxicity and can be toxic to the immune system. This can be very alarming to expecting parents and can cause significant negative impacts on the developing child. This is causing increases in health issues and disorders such as an 84% acute lymphocytic leukemia in children. In order to protect ourselves as well generations to come, we need to better educate the public and push for stricter government control over the safety of our everyday products.