The Healthy Person's Guide
to Personal Care Ingredients

Liquids in which other substances are dissolved or diluted, or which serve as media for the extraction of botanical constituents.

Over the years, clever marketers have persuaded the public to believe that thicker products mean richer, more luxurious products. The truth is that the thickness or thinness (viscosity) of a product has nothing to do with the quality of the product. On occasion, the use of a thickener may help to stabilize an emulsion. A salad dressing is an example of an emulsion—the oil and water may separate readily, but when synthetic xanthan gum (the processed excrement from bacteria grown on a fermenting substrate—often bioengineered) is added, the separation is held in check.

(One commonly used thickener, carrageenan or “Irish moss,” has been linked to two different forms of cancer in recent studies.)

Because better qualities of ingredients are more expensive, the vast majority of large corporations seeking to maximize profits, incorporate the cheapest synthetic thickeners in their formulations.

Emulsifiers modify the interface between water and oils, allowing tiny blobs of oils and waxes (micelles) to float freely in water (or vice versa) without merging together and separating out.

The majority of the FDA-approved coloring agents for foods and personal care products are synthetic. These synthetic colors are primarily derived from coal tar, with some coming from mineral sources and a few from plants or animals. The coal tar and mineral-based colors are created in energy-intensive, environmentally UN-friendly industrial manufacturing processes. Over the years, many synthetic colorings were shown to be toxic to humans and, as problems (carcinogenicity, for example) were discovered, they were banned from the market. Colorings found in cosmetic products known as iron oxides originated as minerals, but are often reacted with chemicals at high temperature to isolate and refine the material. While some commonly used iron oxide colorings, although synthetic, may be inert, one natural coloring, the mineral titanium dioxide (also used as a sunscreen), has been found in recent studies to be photo-reactive—unstable in the presence of sunlight—and in its degradation it can create free radicals.

Many “natural” colorings that are permitted in non-organic foods are extracted from fruits and vegetables using toxic chemical solvents such as hexane or acetone. Recently, a class-action lawsuit involved two so-called “natural” colorings, canthaxanthin and astaxanthin, which were being added to farm-raised fish to give the flesh an orange color, but were not being identified on the labels. These synthetic colorings are highly controversial because they have been associated with retinal damage in the human eye. The European Union has restricted the use of these chemicals because of the lack of safety data for them. Fortunately, only fruit and vegetable colors such as annatto, beet powder, caramel, saffron or turmeric that are not chemically-treated may be used in organic foods. The FDA has not approved any botanically-based colorings to be used in cosmetics except annatto, henna (hair coloring only, not body paint) and caramel (from sugar).

Carmine, a red coloring permitted for use in foods and cosmetics, is extracted from the bodies of female scale insects using chemical solvents.

Oddly, bar soaps only, not liquid soaps, are not considered to be cosmetics and therefore are not required to adhere to the FDA cosmetic coloring guidelines. Although many companies do use the FD&C or DC colorings for bar soaps, they are also free to use other botanical colorings.

Fragrances can be synthetically-derived (from primarily petroleum sources) or they can be totally natural. The highest quality of natural essential oils are certified organic. Generally, the safest essential oils are those that are used in foods. Why would anyone use a synthetic fragrance? The main reason to use chemical fragrance is to make as much money as possible. Synthetic “fragrance” oils are cheap—which means big profits for corporations. Here are actual prices for synthetic lemon “fragrance” and certified organic lemon oil: lemon “fragrance” sells for one dollar per pound and organic lemon oil can sell for fifty-four dollars per pound! Organic is fifty times the price of synthetic!

Some chemists argue that if they make a petrochemical “replica” of an essential oil that exists in nature, then they have the right to call it “natural.” There is a process that exists that is called “head space technology” that is used to create “nature identical” chemical fragrances. This is like creating a wax version of a piece of fruit. It looks just like the fruit, but is it real? Should we eat it? The synthetic fragrance molecules, when analyzed by a machine and charted on paper may look like the fingerprint of the real oil, but it doesn’t fool our bodies. Just ask any asthmatic individual who experienced respiratory arrest after breathing the volatile vapors of the chemical scents.

Because our DNA has evolved over millions of years, every cell in our bodies is programmed to respond to the truly natural phytochemicals found in the real plants that we evolved alongside. When we breathe or ingest plant materials, our bodies recognize the molecules and know how to process them, safely. Many of the epidemic health problems such as asthma, migraines, hyperactivity disorder, rashes, depression, even seizures, have been linked to synthetic chemical fragrances.

Preservatives are substances which help to maintain the stability of a product by creating an inhospitable environment for bacterial growth. There are many natural and organic substances that have this useful quality. Ancient Egyptians, for example, were very familiar with the preservative qualities of botanical ingredients such as cedar, clove, frankincense, myrrh and many others. They discovered the natural preservatives and then, to prove their viability, left us some amazing proof: human bodies preserved for several thousand years!

Unfortunately, chemical preservatives (hundreds of them) are used frequently because they are easy to obtain and very cheap and, until recently, no one questioned their prolific use. Real organic essential oils and herbal extracts can be used as part of a truly natural preservative system; however, they are much more costly than petrochemicals. The benefits of real botanicals is that our bodies recognize and can process them safely as they are substances that we (and animals!) evolved with over millions of years. Chemical preservatives, on the other hand, are not without harm to humans and wildlife in their manufacture, when they are rubbed into the body and when they are washed down the drain. Synthetic preservatives are considered by leading dermatological associations to be the number one cause of contact dermatitis. Dermatitis and eczema seem almost trivial now that we know that some preservatives have been found to be persistent environmental pollutants and endocrine-disruptors. The US Environmental Protection Agency has stated that the parabens (methyl, butyl and propyl), commonly used preservatives, have estrogenic activity.

Are synthetic chemical preservatives necessary? No! Herbal extracts made in the traditional manner using nothing but the herb material and organic grain alcohol can contain some naturally acidic components that, while edible, are effective preservatives when used in a product formula. Acidic and/or alkaline environments are not bacteria-friendly and could be considered self-preserving. Most people have many products in their pantry that are considered to be what the FDA calls “self-preserving” even without refrigeration. Some examples of self-preserved products are: extra-virgin olive oil, peanut butter, vinegar, honey, sugar, vinegar, salt and wine. Just as there are hundreds of organic food products that are made, sold and consumed every day that don’t contain any synthetic chemical preservatives, one can also enjoy a wide range of personal care products without chemical preservatives. Some products can be made without water, such as body balms and oils and may be stable for twelve to fifteen months—just like organic olive oil. True soaps are naturally alkaline and some may be shelf-stable for decades.