I posed the question of whether Are Baby Products Safe? So I did more research into the subject, and I was surprised that many “baby care products and cosmetics” contained many harmful ingredients – toxic, hormone disrupting, allergy causing, cancer causing chemicals! What are such things doing in products intended for BABIES?? Worst of all, many of these products are advertised and labeled as “safe”, “gentle for baby’s skin”, and so on.
I’ve read somewhere that baby’s skin is so tender and delicate that it can absorb 6 times more than adult’s skin. Imagine if we use products like baby shampoo, lotion, creams, etc on a daily basis, how much of these toxic chemicals will be absorbed or in time, accumulate in their little bodies?
It’s no wonder that it’s uncommon to hear about so many health problems, especially infertility and cancer these days. Even more disturbing, more and more people are falling sick at younger ages too – adults in their 20s or 30s getting cancers…
6 TOXIC & HARMFUL INGREDIENTS IN BABY CARE PRODUCTS/COSMETICS:
- Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate: Irritants that can effect eye development for infants and children. Tests show that it can accumulate in the heart, liver, lungs and brain. Animals exposed to this chemical experienced eye damage, depression, breathing difficulties, diarrhea, skin irritations and even death!
- Mineral Oil: Made from petroleum, and it effects absorption of vitamin E and K, and also disrupts skin’s ability to breathe and release toxins because it coats the skin. Found to be carcinogenic (causes cancer). Baby oils are actually mineral oil!
- Propylene Glycol: Can easily penetrate the skin (factory workers have to wear protective equipment when handling this chemical) and affect kidney and liver health. It is actually the same chemical used in factories to break down protein and cellular structure!
- “Fragrance”: Made from petroleum, and if they are labeled as “Fragrance” on the label, they can actually be made of mostly 4000 chemical ingredients! Tests have shown that they contain allergens, hormone disrupters and toxins which can cause irritation, brain damage and behavioural problems.
- DEA, TEA & MEA: Labeled as Cocoamide DEA/MEA, Lauramide DEA, etc, they are hormone disruptors which can form cancer causing nitrates and nitrosamines. They are very easily absorbed into skin. The 2 most associated cancers with this chemical are kidney and liver cancers.
- Talc: Causes harmful effects when inhaled and absorbed, irritating the respiratory system and may also be carcnogenic. If used at genital area, it might cause ovarian cancer. (Yikes, how many of us use talcum powder on their babies?!)
Here are more news about toxic ingredients in baby products:
- When tested, Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, along with many other popular brands contained toxic chemicals Formaldehyde and 1,4-Dioxane. They are by-products of processing, and thus not labeled in the ingredients list. Both are linked to cancer and skin allergies. EU has banned 1,4 Dioxane in cosmetics, while Japan & Sweden banned Formaldehyde. The question is, why is a well-known “baby care expert” brand like Johnson’s have such harmful chemicals in their products specially designed for BABIES??
- According to the Cosmetics Ingredients Review in 2003, 100% of the baby lotions studied contained ingredients which had insufficient research backing their safety and 59% of products contained ingredients that were allergens.
So mothers, next time you go shopping for baby toilettries, MAKE SURE YOU READ THE LABELS! Identify the ingredients above, and do not buy products which contain them. Try as much as possible to provide safe products for you babies and children, it is the best for their future health!
Here are some links if you would like to read more about the subject:
