Have you ever thought about what's in your beauty and skin care products?

Chemicals and toxins aren't just in your food – they’re also widely used in your favourite personal care products such as make-up, deodorant, mouthwash, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner.

Our skin absorbs 60% of any topical product we use and more than 10,000 ingredients are allowed for use in our personal care items.  Many of these ingredients are hazardous to our health and also to the environment and wildlife.  The average woman wears nearly 515 chemicals a day and will eat nearly 4 pounds of lipstick in her lifetime!

If you avoid toxic chemicals you are also helping the environment – most organic products don’t contain toxins, but do check the ingredients list as some are better than others.  Aubrey Organics is a well-established brand, and websites like Naturismo, My Pure, Love Lula sell lots of different makes.  Your local health food shop should also sell natural products – On the Eighth Day has a good range.  Look for these labels:

Here are just a few of the main toxins to avoid (there are many others, synthetic fragrance being an important one)