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Just my thoughts on toxic ingredients in skin care.
In the world of skin care, there are so many conflicting thoughts on every topic from cancer causing ingredients to what really clogs pores to what really passes through the skin and how those ingredients actually circulate and accumulate in the body.
Those of us in this business who are trying to provide the safest and most effective products spend enormous amounts of time doing research on these topics and then, an even greater effort is made to get to the bottom of all the conflicting data available!
And, it is even more confusing when you find so many sites run by health care "professionals" who proclaim as fact, the danger of these ingredients, and then other sites where another "expert" provides exhaustive research to the contrary. Then there is the FDA who we all know has allowed all kinds of ingredients to be approved which have later proved to be dangerous.
Here is a great example: Parabens - some experts proclain that this ingredient in underarm deodorant products is linked to breast cancer -in theory, the underarm is close to the breast where it is absorbed and able to travel to breast tissue. Another site offers research that states since circulation travels from the breast to the armpit (not vise versa), that it would be impossible for the hormone mimicking property of paraben to reach the breast tissue. Still, other research shows parabens are found in cancer tumors. So it must get there somehow. And then we read that some of the properties of these ingredients are also in food and that could be how they end up in tumors.
When I read the latest shocking articles, I get just as concerned as many of you do. However, I then begin searching for the pro's and con's, because, experience teaches us that the term "proven reasearch" is simply a can of worms whereby, for every theory proven, there is another one (more likely hundreds) that disproves it.
The internet is a wonderful source of extensive matter on all kinds of good information, bad information and time lost in this chaos of "knowledge".
My conclusion (finaly) is this: We are placed on this earth to consume what is available from the earth and the sea. The more man gets involved trying to change the basic elements of nature, the further we are from allowing our bodies to thrive without interference. So, while, my curiosity forces me to continue wasting time reading all the data on these issues, I return to my own core philosophy that while it is impossible to avoid all toxic substances, the fewer altered or chemically enhanced products we use, the better.
As a business, PolaScentuals has utilized artificial fragrance and color (although carefully chosen) due to popular demand. However, we are in the process of moving toward a more extensive selection of "all natural" products. We are evolving toward clays and herbs to provide the beautiful color in our products. Regarding fragrance, most of our products are scented with true essential oils, which have been declared to be a safer and more natural substance, but some of these oils are also under current scrutiny. To address this concern, we offer truly all natural products free of any fragrance or color, and organic products as well.
We will continue to do our best in providing safe and effective products utilizing the most current data on all our ingredients and processes.