Skin Care and Cosmetics

How would your choice in skin care affect your carbon emissions? Hmm. Well!
This subject has been close to my heart for a long time- as a mother, midwife and daughter of a breast cancer victim. The affect of certain chemicals contained in skin care and cosmetics has been understated and under-researched. If any one has read Rachel Carson's Silent Spring or more recently Our Stolen Future- (both will scare the hell out of you), then you will already know this. However if you haven't- just do a little investigating. I will offer you some alternatives to the mainstream skin care and cosmetics. Back to cutting our GHGs (that goes hand in hand with cutting pollution and toxic chemicals or even going organic.)

Other ingredients that may seem harmless in themselves might in fact be affecting the environment by the way they are grown and produced eg. palm oil, a simply vegetable oil has a direct affect on the cutting down of forests and the killing of endangered animals like orangutans. Please check out this website for further insight- orangutan.org.au

What to consider when choosing a product:

• Some of the main ingredients in cosmetics- are they toxic to me, my kids and the environment? These include:
  

1. Parabens
2. Phthalates
3. Formaldehyde
4. Petroleum distillates
5. Triclosan
6. Alkyl phenol ethoxylates
7. Toluene and Xylene
   
8. Diethanolamine (DEA) and Triethanolamine (TEA)
9. Placental extract and estrogenic chemicals
   

• Is the product organic or biodynamic?
• What is the packaging? Is it recyclable or biodegradable?
  
• Is the maker environmentally responsible? Is the company working on a climate change policy, are they carbon neutral?
  
• How far has my product traveled?

At the moment I have a few fav. products and they include:

• For Baba's Aromababy
  
• Dr Hauschka
  
• Alchemy 
  
• Miessence- these products are certified organic, 100% beneficial ingredients, no synthetic chemicals, recyclable packaging (they are working on 100% biodegradable) and made in Australia.
  New! Shopping Option.