Happy Skin Microbiome

I decided to post something about the healthy microbiome living on our skin.  There has been a lot of talk about the microbiome our gut, so I thought I’d post something about our skin microbiome.  The cosmetics and personal care industry uses a lot of chemicals in their products, and I have decided to try to minimize my exposure to these chemicals.  When I buy beauty products, I try to buy handmade products (preferably local).  This way I know who made the products and all the ingredients in the products are known to me.

According to the Environmental Working Group, the average American woman uses 12 personal care products daily, exposing herself to 168 different chemicals. The average man uses six products a day, with 85 unique chemical ingredients.  But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has very little authority to review the safety of chemicals in cosmetics. Some companies make products that are less hazardous, but others put human carcinogens and developmental toxicants in their products.

EWG created the Skin DeepⓇ cosmetics database to help shoppers identify the chemicals they are being exposed to through personal care products, and find healthier alternatives. When you see the EWG VERIFIED™ mark on personal care products, you know that these products are free of ingredients of concern, fully disclose their ingredients and use good manufacturing practices.  Check out their website:

http://www.ewg.org/consumer-guides

References:

Faber, Scott.  (2016, December 8).  Real Reform Needed for Outdated Cosmetics Laws [blog post].  Retrieved from :  http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2016/12/real-reform-needed-outdated-cosmetics-laws