How well do you know your regular beauty products? It’s very common to use the same beauty brands and products for years, without really knowing what they are made from or the ethos behind the brand.  Trust in beauty products traditionally has come down to product performance; if it gives the desired effect, we remain loyal.  But as we become increasingly more aware of the types of ingredients used within our products will we remain as faithful? There are potentially harmful ingredients within many of the brands and products that we have all grown-up with, but if you have limited or no knowledge of what to look out for, you may not be aware of the reasons to make a brand shift now! It’s true that regulation of the cosmetics industry within the UK is far stricter than many other countries. “There are around 1300 cosmetic ingredients banned from use in the UK.  Comparatively, there are only 11 banned in the US.” It’s a notable achievement for the greater good, but the clean beauty movement believes that it is still not good enough.  There are still a number of ingredients on the permitted list that simply shouldn’t be there. These include petrochemicals, explosives, endocrine disruptors, carcinogens and irritants. “With up to 60% of what we put onto our skin absorbed into our blood stream, it is vital to make product choices from a base of knowledge. So that you are aware and feel comfortable with what you are exposing or protecting your body from.” What about ‘safe limits? Regulators pass ingredients deemed questionable or harmful to clean beauty based on the safe level presence of that chemical within a single product, for a single intended use. However, “Safe doses currently do not take into account the risk of repeated, long-term exposure to one or more chemicals, the way in which they accumulate in the body, or the way they influence each other. Studies have shown chemicals to be carcinogenic (cancer-causing) decades after they have been released into the environment (DDT, BHA, and recently Glyphosate, etc.).” awakeorganics.co.uk/top-10-chemicals-to-avoid-like-the-plague The issue is that for creatures of habit, using the same product year upon year can lead to a build-up of nasty toxin residue, that the body is unable to effectively remove due to the constant bombardment.  We just keep innocently topping it up, every single day.  So where do you start? So, the first step is to get knowledgeable.  I regularly share my list of the top 10 most toxic ingredients to avoid in your beauty products.  These are: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) / Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) Parabens Phthalates Propylene Glycol Triclosan Formaldehyde Toluene Sunscreen Chemicals Parfum / Synthetic Fragrances Synthetic Colours  Begin by spending 20-30 minutes this weekend looking at the ingredient’s labels of your favourite products.  And don’t be fooled by ‘clean washing’! Just because a product states it is ‘free from parabens’, does not automatically make is free from SLS or Triclosan for example. Once you have separated your clean products from those you want to avoid, I challenge you to throw out 1 of those ‘to avoid’ products and replace it with a product you know to be clean, safe and green. The benefits of making the shift to clean beauty products are enormous!  Products free from inhibiting ingredients encourage your body to function most effectively. Clean beauty products are safer for the environment. Many clean beauty products can be multi-used on the body. They hare made from safe, naturally derived plant-based ingredients that often have multiple benefits to the body. In choosing clean beauty products you are supporting a global shift towards more sustainable, greener and cleaner practices.  Let me know how you get on – I love to receive emails from our Sakrid tribe.  Email me at: hello@sakrid.com  We make good products, using good ingredients, that are good for you and good for our planet. All good things - We are Sakrid.