The skin is a permeable barrier as it is our largest organ. That's precisely why it's extra important that you use products that strengthen – and don't damage – this delicate barrier.
The skin is very absorbent, which you notice when you apply lotion. Really, we shouldn't put anything on our skin that we can't eat.
The same applies to hair care products and oral care products. It's simply better for you, nature, and animals to use natural products.
In this article, we go through which chemicals we think you should watch out for in your bathroom cabinet.If you already have some of these in your products, it might be a good idea to clean them out and replace them with better alternatives.
All hair and skincare products sold on Glimja are completely free from harmful preservatives, synthetic additives, animal byproducts, and other substances that are neither good for us nor the planet in the long run.
Our products instead contain natural ingredients such as organic oils, fats and waxes, vitamins, plants and herbs, essential oils, etc. They have nourishing and healing properties that lay the foundation for long-term health and sustainability.
17 Harmful Substances in Conventional Body Care
For simplicity, we have created a list of the most harmful substances found in skin and hair care. So you can check whether the products you use daily contain substances that we should all avoid.
It's worth knowing that some of these substances are also found in so-called "natural/organic body care." This is why there are many organic brands we have chosen not to sell.
None of the items on the list below are sold in any of our products.
1. Everything that begins and ends with: TEA, DEA, and MEA
DEA and MEA are hormone-disrupting chemicals known as Cocamide DEA or Lauramide DEA and they produce carcinogenic nitrates and nitrosamines. They are used as solvents and cleaners.
TEA can undergo nitrosation when it comes into contact with other chemicals and then becomes a carcinogenic nitrosamine. TEA is an abbreviation for triethanolamine and is used as a thickening agent. It is allergenic and irritating and can release small amounts of formaldehyde, which is carcinogenic.
2. Phenoxyglycerin and Phenoxyethanol
Phenoxyethanol is a synthetic preservative that, together with ethylglycerin, is used to produce Phenoxyglycerin. Both are synthetic chemicals.
Phenoxyethanol is manufactured through a reaction between phenol and ethylene oxide, which is a toxic substance. Phenol is made from the petrochemical benzene, which is carcinogenic, but also from propene.
Unfortunately, this has become a popular preservative in organic skincare as a substitute for parabens.
3. BHA & BHT
BHA and BHT are known allergy-causing substances used to prevent products from going rancid. In animal testing of these substances, changes appeared in the immune system and blood formation, in the thyroid gland and liver.
Both substances accumulate in human tissue and reach the fetus. They can easily be replaced by the natural antioxidant Tocopherol (vitamin E). There is no reason to use them anymore, yet it's still done.
4. Propylene Glycol
Propylene glycol is used as a bactericidal and fungicidal agent. It enhances the preservative effect when used together with parabens. The substance is suspected of disrupting the brain, liver, and kidneys. Additionally, it irritates the skin.
Propylene glycol is an active substance that can also be found in car engines as coolant, in aircraft cooling systems, rubber cleaning, polyurethane cushions, in paint, glue, enamel, lacquers, and in many products as a solvent.
5. Surfactants: Sodium Laureth Sulfate/ Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS/SLES)
SLS is a substance that makes many products foam. SLS can react with other ingredients such as DEA, MEA and TEA and then forms nitrosamines that are carcinogenic.
SLS changes the skin structure and allows other chemicals to penetrate deeper into your skin and thus allows more chemicals to reach the bloodstream. It also removes the skin's natural fat (used in industrial degreasing).
There are almost 16,000 studies in the PubMed science library that all demonstrate the toxicity of this chemical. Other names for this chemical are sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium dodecylsulfate, sulfuric acid, sodium salt sulfuric acid, A12-00356, Akyposal SDS, Aquarex, natrium lauryl sulfat.
6. Synthetic Preservatives
The substances mentioned below are especially known for causing allergic reactions and skin irritation or releasing the carcinogenic substance formaldehyde: Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, 2-bromo-2-nitropropan-1,3-diol, diazolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, quaternium 15.
These are also dangerous preservatives: p-Phenylenediamine (toxic hair dye ingredient), Xylene, Toluene (solvent in nail polish, among other things), Methyldibromo Glutaronitrile, Laurylpyridinium Chloride, Dichlorobenzyl Alcohol, Diazlidinyl Urea, Bromochlorophene, Chlorphenesin, Chlorothymol.
More dangerous chemicals to avoid: Benzophenone 1, Benzophenone 3, Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate in sunscreens.
7. Silicones: Cyclic Siloxanes
Cyclic siloxanes are silicones commonly found in makeup, skin and hair care products. They are a group of silicones that have a softening effect and make the skin or hair feel smooth.
Common cyclic siloxanes are cyclotetrasiloxane (D4), cyclopentasiloxane (D5) and cyclohexasiloxane (D6). They go under the collective name cyclomethicone. Look for all words containing "cone" or "siloxane."
The European Chemicals Agency ECHA has now classified D4 and D5 as persistent; they can accumulate in human tissues and remain in nature. It is suspected that they can affect the liver and respiratory organs. D4 is now banned in cosmetic products. On January 31, 2020, D5 was also restricted to 0.1% in cosmetic products, while D6 remains.
8. Surfactants: Trideceth, Laureth, Ceteareth, Glycereth and Steareth
Surfactants are listed on product labels as ingredients with the suffix -eth. Everything that begins with Trideceth- or Laureth- (with any number or word combination) is toxic to both aquatic organisms and the body.
Detergent substances are the foam-forming emulsifying agents, known as surfactants, found in regular and some organic shampoos, shower gels and hand soaps.
They are designed to dissolve fat and dirt, and keep it in liquid form until it is washed away.All surfactants dissolve fat and can therefore also remove the skin's natural fatty substance, sebum, which leads to dry skin and dry scalp.
The detergent substances can also penetrate cell membranes and thereby irritate the skin.
Some surfactants irritate more than others, for example, sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate remove the natural, protective fat layer and make the skin dry and more vulnerable.
Even Cocomidopropyl Betaine and Ammonium lauryl sulfate, which are used in some organic hair care, are less good in our opinion, so we have chosen not to sell products with them.
In the hair care products we offer, "gentle" surfactants are used instead, such as in 100% Pure's shampoos. If you don't want surfactants at all in your hair, you should go for shampoo bars from Nea of Sweden, Grön Lycka, Malin i Ratan, Vermont soap or Akamuti.
9. Parabens: Butyl-, Methyl-, Ethyl-, Propyl-, Benzyl-
Propylparaben, Methylparaben and all other parabens used as preservatives should be avoided. Numerous scientific studies have shown that parabens have an estrogen-like effect.
The body can react to the false hormone or be prevented from reacting when a real hormone is formed.
It has also been scientifically proven that parabens found in deodorants and creams, for example, are absorbed through the skin and accumulate in tissue.
Taken together, this does not say that parabens cause cancer.It also doesn't say that parabens don't cause cancer.
The scientific community believes that substances used in consumer products should be studied more closely, and this takes time. Dr. Philippa D. Darby, a laboratory technician from England, used chromatography and mass spectrometry to see if 20 samples of breast cancer tissue contained parabens.
The researchers say they found six different types of parabens in the tissue and all samples contained parabens. They say that the average concentration of all types of parabens in the samples was approximately equal to the amount that led breast cancer cells to grow in test tubes in previous studies.Darby says that a broad spectrum of substances can mimic estrogen, including certain pesticides, cosmetics and cleaning products, and it is possible that aluminum salts and other inorganic estrogen-related substances called "metalloestrogens" can further disrupt normal hormonal signaling in the breast.
Darby also says that human breasts today are exposed to a variety of environmental estrogen contaminants.
According to Darby, aluminum from deodorants is particularly concerning because it is applied to an area close to the breast, and remains on the skin.Deodorants are often used after shaving, which makes it easier for aluminum salts to enter the bloodstream.
Studies have also shown that aluminum salts can penetrate human skin under the arms. Darby says, however, that much more research is needed before they can begin to determine the combined effects of all these chemicals.
The Information Center for Environment and Health has classified Butylparaben, Propylparaben and Isopropylparaben as "high environmental hazard."
Can also be called: Parahydroxybenzoic acid, Benzylparahydroxybenzoic acid, Methyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid, Ethylparahydroxybenzoic acid. Propyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid or Butyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid.
10. Aluminum
Aluminum Sesquichlorohydrate, Aluminum Chloride, Aluminum Chlorohydrex PG and Aluminum Chlorohydrate are all harmful substances used in deodorants. They are synthetic aluminum salts that clog pores and can damage sweat glands and cause inflammatory reactions. Note that natural aluminum salt such as potash alum or potassium alum is not dangerous.
The body's detoxification system excretes toxins and waste through the sweat glands, which means that aluminum chloride contributes to reduced detoxification and cleansing in the body's lymphatic system. The body absorbs substances extra easily in the armpit area, especially after shaving, which can easily damage the skin.
11. Emulsifiers: Mineral Oils, Polysorbate 20 and All Numbers
Emulsifiers are the oil or fat-containing parts of the emulsion. They prevent drying out and protect the skin because they lubricate and soften.
Most common skincare products use synthetically produced emulsifiers such as mineral oils (paraffin wax and vaseline). Mainly because they are cheap and stable.
Mineral oil forms a film over the skin and prevents it from breathing, prevents the excretion of waste products and can thereby irritate the skin.Other synthetic emulsifiers are, for example, silicones (methicone and dimethicone). Like mineral oils, silicones can affect the skin's ability to excrete waste products and thereby irritate the skin. Silicones are also not biodegradable.
Paraffin oils are extracted from residual products during crude oil distillation. They are easy to handle and cheap, so unfortunately they are used extensively. They often go under the names Mineral Oil, Paraffinum Liquidum, Vaseline, Paraffin, White mineral oil, Medical white oil, Oleum petrolen, Oleum vaselini, Paraffinum, Vaseline Oil, E 905, Paraffin Oil, Liquid paraffin.
Polysorbate 20 and with other numbers behind are harmful emulsifiers. Polysorbates are synthetic and manufactured on a large scale within industry, and residues of ethylene oxide may remain in the chemical.
Polysorbates are also often used in organic soap, we have chosen not to sell it for safety reasons.
12. Everything containing the words: PPG and PEG (polyethylene glycol)
PPG and PEG are so-called ethoxylated ingredients that are produced in heavy chemical processes that require very strict safety measures. PEG is synthetically produced from propane gas.
These very dangerous substances are considered practical and cheap as e.g. emulsifiers, binding agents and softeners. They can be found in makeup, skincare, shampoo, conditioner, wet wipes for children, etc.
They can make the skin more permeable and channel in harmful substances. They are considered to be hormone-disrupting and carcinogenic. Carcinogenic because during breakdown they can release small amounts of formaldehyde. In ingredient lists they are listed as PEG-8, PEG-100 Stearate, etc.
13. Phthalates
Phthalates are plasticizing chemicals that are widely used in plastic. Phthalates is a collective name for a large group of chemical substances that are based on the substance phthalic acid.
Phthalates are used in fragranced beauty products such as conventional perfume, creams, soaps and shampoos to make the scent last longer.
Phthalates can be found in perfumes, vinyl/PVC flooring, older toys, bath balls, gym balls, exercise mats, etc. And unfortunately, they are still often found in shaving creams, makeup and skin creams despite the EU having banned many of them.
Therefore, it's always best to buy natural body care and replace plastic items at home in the kitchen. They can be listed as dibutyl and diethylhexyl.
14. PFAS
In cosmetics, PFAS (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances) are most commonly found in waterproof makeup. PFAS is a large group of substances that are developed to resist dirt, grease and water. The most well-known PFAS substances are PFOS and PFOA.
When they are released into nature, they do not break down, but remain and can be stored in plants and animals. They remain for a long time in our bodies and in our environment.
We thus get these substances into our bodies when we drink water and through foods such as fish, eggs and fruit. Emissions to nature occur during the manufacturing of products (such as kitchen utensils with Teflon).These substances are transferred via the placenta and breast milk to fetuses and nursing infants. Studies show that PFAS substances can affect the immune system, birth weight, blood cholesterol levels and liver enzymes.
200 PFAS substances are banned within the EU, but many other PFAS substances are still permitted.
PFAS ingredients can be called: PTFE, Polytef, Polytefum, all words containing "perfluoro" or "polyfluoro," C9-15 Fluoroalcohol phosphate, Ammonium C6-16 Perfluoroalkylethyl Phosphate, Polyperfluoroethoxymethoxy Difluoroethyl Peg Phosphat, Polyperfluoromethylisopropyl ether, Perfluorooctyl triethoxysilane.
15. Triclosan and Fluoride
Triclosan is used as an antibacterial agent in toothpastes and dishwashing detergents, among other things. It is very harmful to nature and questionable for human health – as it appears that it may have carcinogenic effects.
Fortunately, this substance has decreased markedly in beauty products in recent years. We do not recommend fluoride in toothpaste, but that's an essay in itself.
16. Dioxin
Dioxin has been identified as one of the 216 chemicals linked to breast cancer in animal testing on rats (Cancer's 2007, article on carcinogens).
The danger of dioxins was first pointed out as early as 1965 and confirmed later (1978) but is still used in today's hair and skin products despite this.
Since the FDA acknowledged the dangers around 1985, it has been pointed out that manufacturers should avoid these toxins or alternatively reduce them so that they are at doses below 10 ppm.
In 2005, a study was published by the USFDA (Federal Drug Administration, USA) which showed that of 7 examined tampon brands from well-known, conventional brands, all contained measurable levels of dioxin. So organic tampons should be an obvious choice.
We humans get most dioxins and PCBs through food, including from fatty fish. Feel free to read more about this at the food agency.
17. Nanoparticles
Nanoparticles are particles or substances that are nanosized (extremely small). They are therefore very reactive and can easily interact with our cells and be transported via the blood into our brains.
In cosmetics, nanoparticles can occur in sunscreens. Nanoparticles can occur in most things such as packaging, food and textiles. The particles also have poor environmental impact.
At Glimja, we have zero tolerance against nanoparticles. This applies not only to cosmetics but also to other categories such as food, toys, home and garden, and more.
