Do you judge your beauty products by how they look? It’s ok, you can admit it. You chose your moisturizer because it had a cute label, it was affordable and it smelled nice.
We’ve all been there…the beauty aisle looking at all the different products, comparing them by their looks. Finally you just choose the one with the shade of pink that speaks to you and you head to the check out.
You might not give a second thought to what was actually inside that cute packaging… and that’s where the trouble begins. Government regulations don’t require beauty brands to test the chemicals they put in the products before they end up on store shelves. So who knows what could be in there.
Even if you did read the ingredient list on the back of your pretty new moisturizer bottle, would you even recognize half of them? Probably not.
Here are some tips on what to look for on the labels to make the best choice for your health.
Here’s How to Get Started
The first thing to know is that the ingredients are listed by quantity. So, the first ingredient on the list is what the product contains the most of. This is good to know in case some of the hard to pronounce chemicals are showing up high on the list.
To help you navigate the ingredients with complicated names, visit the index at Cosmeticsinfo.org. The website lets you search for ingredient names and gives helpful information about the ingredients and their uses.
If you can’t find the ingredient on the Cosmetics Info list, a simple Google search will give you some more information about the function of that ingredient in your product.
Some products will list their ingredients in Latin. They might be friendly ingredients, but their names might throw you off. For example Rosmarinus Officinalis, means rosemary, in Latin.
Beware of fragrances
Due to trade secret law, companies don’t have to disclose the ingredients of their fragrances on the bottle. This is one way that harmful chemicals can sneak into your products, so be aware of this when you’re reading the label. Perfume or fragrance could contain chemicals that have an impact on your health or trigger allergies.
A safer choice is to look for products that use natural fragrances and aromas like essential oils. Some people might still have a reaction to essential oils, but these ingredients will be identified on the label so you can easily pick them out. You can always opt for the unscented version.
Start Somewhere
It might seem overwhelming at first to be looking up the ingredients on all of your products, but you don’t have to do it all at once. If you’re committed to making the switch to natural products with safe ingredients, start with one body product at a time.
As one product runs out, start looking into natural alternatives. There are so many conscious companies now who are making products that are natural and safe for your body and the environment. When you find a company you trust you can have peace of mind that the products in their line up are safe so it will be less work to read the labels.
The Green Beaver Company is committed to making natural products without harmful ingredients. Check out their product line up here. Use coupon code Move_20 at check to instantly get a discount.