Turn your beauty routine into a green routine.

We all know the saying "You are what you eat", but I think what we put ON our body is just as important as what we put IN our body.

What you put into your body through your mouth gets filtered through your liver before it enters your blood stream. What you put on your skin, your largest organ, goes directly into your blood stream. 

This is why it is so important to start to turn your beauty routine into a green routine. 

With over 10,500 ingredients used in cosmetic and skin care products, we only should be using skin care products that are synthetic free, natural or organic.

You should stay away with the following chemicals for your health and well being.

1. Triclosan-is a common antimicrobial agent that accumulates in our bodies and has been linked to hormone disruption and the emergence of bacteria resistant to antibiotics and antibacterial products. Along with its negative health effects, triclosan also impacts the environment, ending up in lakes, rivers and other water sources, where it is toxic to aquatic life.

2.Sythetic Musks-Synthetic musks are a large, poorly-studied class of chemicals added as scents to cosmetics, including perfumes, lotions and many other personal care products. Several studies suggest some of these compounds may disrupt hormone systems or trigger skin sensitization when exposed to UV light (i).  Synthetic musks identified in fragrances have been found in the cord blood of newborn babies (ii), as well as in blood, breast milk and body fat.

3. Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde Releasing Preservatives-Formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives are used in many personal care products (i), particularly in shampoos and liquid body soaps. These chemicals help prevent bacteria from growing in water-based products,  but can be absorbed through the skin and have been linked to both skin sensitivity and cancer.

4. 1, 4-dioxane-Very few, if any, cosmetics or personal care products list 1,4-dioxane as an ingredient (i), even though an analysis by Campaign for Safe Cosmetics co-founder the Environmental Working Group suggests that it may be found in 22 percent of the more than 25,000 products in the Skin Deep database of cosmetics products (ii). That's because 1,4-dioxane is a frequent contaminant of common cosmetics ingredients (iii), but as a contaminant it is not listed among intentionally added ingredients.

5. Hydroquinone-Usually associated with use in skin lighteners, hydroquinone may also be a contaminant in other cosmetics ingredients. It's one of the worst ingredients used in personal care products and may disproportionately affect women of color, who are more likely to be exposed to hydroquinone if they use skin lightening products.

6. Phalates-One billion tons of phthalates are produced worldwide each year. Phthalates are used in a variety of common consumer products: they soften vinyl plastics that are common in toys, are responsible for the smell of new vinyl shower curtains and are a frequent component of fragrances used in air fresheners, detergents, cleaning products and more. They show up in cosmetics to hold color and scents, and have also been found in nail polish and treatments. Two decades of research suggest that phthalates disrupt hormonal systems, which can cause harm during critical periods of development.

7. Parabens-Parabens are used to prevent the growth of microbes in cosmetic products and can be absorbed through the skin, blood and digestive system (i). They have been found in biopsies from breast tumors (ii) at concentrations similar to those found in consumer products (iii). Parabens are found in nearly all urine samples from U.S. adults of a variety of ethnic, socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds (iv). Of greatest concern is that parabens are known to disrupt hormone function, an effect that is linked to increased risk of breast cancer and reproductive toxicity.

8. Lead and Other Heavy Metals-A number of metals, including lead, arsenic, mercury, aluminum, zinc, chromium and iron are found in cosmetics ranging from lipstick to whitening toothpaste, eyeliner, nail color and more. Metals have various properties in the body. For instance, iron is necessary for blood oxygenation. However, at higher accumulations, metal may have negative effects. Cancerous breast biopsies show higher accumulations of iron, nickel, chromium, zinc, cadmium, mercury and lead than non-cancerous biopsies, and several metals act like estrogen in the presence of some breast cancer cells (iii).

9. Nitrosamines-The UK Department of Trade and Industry (now the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) characterizes nitrosamines as more toxic in more animal species than any other category of chemical carcinogen (i). Nitrosamines are common in cosmetics, but because they are impurities, they are not listed on product labels. Numerous studies and databases link nitrosamines to cancer. They are listed as possible human carcinogens by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the U.S. National Toxicology Program Report on Carcinogens and the California EPA Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects. In addition, there is some evidence of endocrine disruption at very low doses. Studies have also linked nitrosamines to developmental or reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity and systemic toxicity.

10. Sulfates- Sodium lauryl sulfate, a detergent thats in approximately 90% of commercial shampoos. Also known as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), and sodium laurel sulfate (SLS). Studies show this chemical has been shown to cause:

• Irritation of the skin and eyes
• Organ toxicity
• Developmental/reproductive toxicity
• Neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, ecotoxicology, and biochemical or cellular changes
• Possible mutations and cancer