Toxic Chemicals

Have you ever read the ingredients on a bottle of shampoo or body lotion? Wouldn’t you like to know what those chemicals are? Us gals here at Wild and Pure are eager to share our research findings with you. Listed in this brochure are just a few of the many common chemicals found in body care products. (But not ours!) 

1) Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) – used in toothpastes, shampoos and just about every personal cleansing product on the market. SLS started its career as an industrial degreaser and garage floor cleaner!

• Shampoos with SLS retard healing and may stop children's eyes from developing properly.
• May be a contributing cause of cataracts in adults.
• Has a low molecular weight and is easily absorbed by the body. It may build up in the heart, liver and lungs and brain and could be associated with health problems with these organs.
• Causes eczema and mouth ulcers in susceptible people and could be contributing factor in the onset of psoriasis.
• Shown to corrode hair follicles and impair the ability of the follicle to grow hair.
• Causes biological dysfunction of the skin.

2) Propylene glycol (PG) is a wetting agent and solvent used in make up, hair care products, deodorants and after shave, and is often used in toothpaste. It is also the main ingredient in antifreeze and brake fluid!
Propylene glycol routinely appears in the top three ingredients in many personal care items, indicating that it is present in high concentration.

3) Polyethylene glycol (PEG) - A related agent found in most skin cleansers, is a caustic used to dissolve grease, the same substance you find in oven cleaners. Warning labels on drums of PEG used in industry clearly state that the chemical is poisonous and to wear protective clothing when handling the concentrate. If spilt on the skin, to wash off immediately with soap and water and to seek medical advice! It even used to be added to ice cream not many years ago, ostensibly for the purpose of keeping the ice cream soft! Fortunately, due to government intervention, food manufacturers are no longer able to use this potentially dangerous chemical in most of our foods! However, this chemical is just as easily absorbed into the human body, via the skin, as it is by ingestion.

• PEG has been shown to cause adverse health effects in susceptible individuals and has been found to cause kidney damage and liver abnormalities
• PEG damages cell membranes causing rashes, dry skin, contact dermatitis and surface damage to the skin.
• PEG is toxic to human cells in cultures (in the lab).

4) Formaldehyde is used in bubble bath, shampoos, moisturizing lotions and many cosmetics as an inhibiting agent against carcinogenic nitrosamine production. Yet this chemical is a known carcinogen in it's own right! It is also used in vaccines as a preservative and given to our children for goodness sake! Formaldehyde is an embalming fluid! It is a powerful and poisonous, toxic substance! It readily penetrates the skin and can cause serious future health concerns and often sensitizes individuals to other chemicals. Safety warning labels advise users to wear protective clothing, face mask and gloves. If spilt on the skin to wash off with copious quantities of water and to seek medical advice! Accidental spillage on skin may cause irreversible health effects! If swallowed induce vomiting and seek immediate medical help!

5) Parabens (methyl, propyl-, butyl- and ethyl) - Used to inhibit microbial growth and to prolong the shelf life of products. Widely used, even though commonly known to be toxic. Cause many allergic reactions and cutaneous eruptions. Extremely toxic. Parabens are synthetic preservatives which can be found in most skin, hair and body products. They are usually derived from petrochemical sources & are easily absorbed by the skin. Parabens are known skin irritants & have been shown to disrupt hormone activity & lower male fertility. They mimic the actions of the hormone estrogen. Parabens stop mold by preventing normal biological activity. In fact, they do their job so well that once absorbed by the skin and taken up in the bloodstream, they manifest in your major organs and continue their artificial preserving function indefinitely. Parabens are used today in so many products that most people use everyday that they could have a cumulative effect. Parabens have been found to be present in breast cancer tumors.

6) Polysorbate 20- Used as an emulsifier in many cosmetic products. It bonds oil to water and helps to keep a product from separating. It is also highly toxic, known as a cancer hazard, unsafe for use in cosmetics, linked to reproductive/ developmental toxicity, sunburn and skin cancer risk, causes allergies and sensitivity.

7) Stearalkonium Chloride - A chemical used in conditioners, to detangle hair and in skin creams. It cause allergic reactions. The chloride of Stearalkonium was developed by the textile industry as a softening agent used as a fabric softener! It is much cheaper and easier to include in hair conditioners than plant proteins or extracts, which are healthier for the hair. Very toxic.

8) Aluminum - Metallic element used in antiperspirants and antiseptics. Certain scientists have established links between aluminum and breast cancer. Its use in antiperspirants blocks the pores of the skin preventing toxins from being excreted. The toxins then go to the closest fat reserve: the breasts. Some suspicions have been equally raised about its implication in Alzheimer.

9) Synthetic Perfumes and Fragrance - The term "perfume" or “fragrance” on the label of a conventional product is very misleading: behind this simple word hide 200 chemical products that are unabashedly unlisted. Some problems caused by these chemical products are: headaches, dizziness, hyper-pigmentation, violent cough, vomiting and skin irritation.

• When applied to human skin it has the effect of stripping off the oil layer and then irritating and eroding the skin, leaving it rough and pitted.