In my quest for non-toxic personal care products and non-toxic beauty products – that are also cruelty-free – I have learned some important things.
For example: Did you know that cosmetics manufacturers have no legal obligation to report health problems from their products to the FDA?
Wow.
- NON-TOXIC PERSONAL CARE
- Cruelty-free Vegan BRANDS
- 1 // Aphorism Skincare
- 2 // Arctic Fox Hair Color
- 3 // Axiology Beauty
- 4 // Biossance
- 5 // COOLA
- 6 // Edible Beauty
- 7 // Elate Clean Cosmetics
- 8 // Honestly pHresh
- 9 // Kopari Beauty
- 10 // Mad Hippie
- 11 // Odacite
- 12 // OSEA
- 13 // Pacifica
- 14 // Province Apothecary
- 15 // Rocky Mountain Soap Company
- 16 // SIGIL Scent
- 17 // Tropic Skincare
- 18 // The Diva Cup
- 19 // Vert Mont Perfumery
- 20 // Yarok Hair Care
- 21 // 100% Pure
- Cruelty-free Vegan PRODUCTS
- 1 // Sister & Co. Apricot, Lemon & Vanilla Body Melt
- 2 // The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold Pressed Moroccan Argan Oil
- 3 // INIKA Organic Long Lash Vegan Mascara
- 4 // Herbivore Pink Clay Exfoliating Mask
- 5 // Evolve Organic Beauty Citrus Blend Aromatic Body Wash
- 6 // Aurelia Probiotic Skincare Botanical Cream Deodorant
- 7 // BYBI Beauty – Natural Mega Mist
- 8 // Natural Vegan Eye Shadow by Ana Carttori New York
- Regulating Personal Care & Beauty Companies
- Toxic Ingredients in your Personal Care Products
NON-TOXIC PERSONAL CARE
Now for the goods. I’ll first list out entire brands that I’ve found to be non-toxic, cruelty-free and vegan. (This list will be updated should any new information come to light.) You can pretty much buy any product under these brands and rest assured that they’re safe for you. (and here’s a winter skincare routine to complement this list).
I’ll then list out some specific recommended products that are non-toxic, cruelty-free and vegan (though they may belong to a brand/company that isn’t entirely non-toxic, cruelty-free or vegan).
RELATED: Biodegradable soaps for an eco-friendly wash
THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE DETAILS.
Cruelty-free Vegan BRANDS
1 // Aphorism Skincare
2 // Arctic Fox Hair Color
3 // Axiology Beauty
4 // Biossance
5 // COOLA
6 // Edible Beauty
7 // Elate Clean Cosmetics
8 // Honestly pHresh
9 // Kopari Beauty
10 // Mad Hippie
11 // Odacite
12 // OSEA
13 // Pacifica
14 // Province Apothecary
15 // Rocky Mountain Soap Company
16 // SIGIL Scent
17 // Tropic Skincare
18 // The Diva Cup
19 // Vert Mont Perfumery
20 // Yarok Hair Care
21 // 100% Pure
Cruelty-free Vegan PRODUCTS
1 // Sister & Co. Apricot, Lemon & Vanilla Body Melt
2 // The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold Pressed Moroccan Argan Oil
3 // INIKA Organic Long Lash Vegan Mascara
4 // Herbivore Pink Clay Exfoliating Mask
5 // Evolve Organic Beauty Citrus Blend Aromatic Body Wash
6 // Aurelia Probiotic Skincare Botanical Cream Deodorant
7 // BYBI Beauty – Natural Mega Mist
8 // Natural Vegan Eye Shadow by Ana Carttori New York
THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE DETAILS.
Regulating Personal Care & Beauty Companies
Regulators do not check the claims made by the products – including how safe they are! The only thing you, as a consumer, can do is to report any health complications to the FDA. (They have a section on their site on ‘Cosmetic Products and Ingredients’, but it’s best to not go there at all actually). And they will decide to investigate if there is sufficient concern regarding the products. Meaning if enough people complain, then they will investigate.
This means that basically anyone can make products and sell them, and there is no way to check if they are safe for you until it’s too late. So you see how poorly regulated cosmetics are.
On the one hand, it’s good because you can make your own products and use them, and nobody can say anything (provided they’re safe for you). But on the other hand, you are exposing yourself to loads of unverified products that may harm your health.
What can you do, then?
Should you go by Amazon reviews? Or should you try it on and see what happens?
Or, should you educate yourself about toxins commonly found in products and try to avoid them as much as possible?
Yeah, option 3, please.
Also, there are some responsible, trusted agencies, such as EWG, The Good Guide, and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, that will tell you what products are safe, and perhaps also label the products. Stick to those products if you aren’t comfortable with learning a bit of chemistry. They’re doing the job of the regulators, and boy am I grateful for that.
>>> Make note of this list of 10 Toxic Beauty Ingredients to Avoid.
>>> Here’s an article about What’s in Your Personal Care Products?
>>> Read this post on Toxic Chemicals in Cosmetics
Toxic Ingredients in your Personal Care Products
When you’re shopping for personal care & clean beauty products the next time, pay attention to the ingredients list at the back, and go over them with a fine-tooth comb. Here are the ingredients you must avoid:
General Ingredients (i.e. toxins) to Avoid
- DMDM hydantoin
- Diazolidinyl urea
- Imidazolidinyl urea
- Ceteareth
- PEG and polyethylene
- If a product contains a ‘fragrance’, then please avoid it – the product probably contains numerous chemicals and can trigger an allergic reaction in you.
Ingredients to Avoid in Specific Products
Hair Products:
- Artificial fragrances
- PEG, ceteareth and polyethylene
- Parabens: propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl
- DMDM hydantoin
- Sulfates
- Petroleum products
Body Products:
- In soaps: Triclocarban (in bar soap); Triclosan (in liquid soap)
- In moisturizers: Retinyl palmitate or retinol
- In nail products: Formaldehyde or formalin, Toluene, Dibutyl phthalate (DBP)
- In toothpaste: Triclosan
- In lip products: Retinyl palmitate or retinol
- In sunscreen products: Aerosol sprays; Retinyl palmitate; Oxybenzone; Insect repellent
If you get your hair and/or nails done at a salon, make sure they use products that you feel comfortable with. If they don’t, take along your own products. This is about your health and the health of the environment. No need to feel shy or awkward asking for information! And if they refuse to inform you or use your products on you, then, well, save some money and DIY at home!
Toxins in Feminine Care Products
One important aspect we tend to overlook while cleaning up our intake of toxins: our tampons, sanitary napkins and vaginal washes. We already know about toxic shock syndrome (TSS) due to tampons, but did you know that tampons have aluminum, alcohols, fragrance additives and hydrocarbons in them? Most insidious is the dioxin in them, even trace levels of which may cause abnormal tissue growth in reproductive organs, abnormal cell growth throughout the body, immune system suppression, and hormonal and endocrine system disruption. Not to mention the possible GMOs in non-organic cotton pads and tampons.
And guess what: The average American woman uses 16,800 tampons in her lifetime.
Want to try some safer menstrual care products? Check out our post on zero waste period products.
And what about sexual and reproductive health products? I recommend reading Taking Charge of your Fertility by Toni Weschler. It’s not about the topic of this post, but it’s very helpful in helping you decide on the right contraceptive methods for yourself. (Sigh! I’ll probably do a separate post on feminine products, and reproductive health care, etc. It’s a big topic!)
Check out some non-toxic shampoo bars.
If you’re serious about the contents of the products you use, download this app. Think Dirty has a list of safe personal care, beauty and household products ready for your reference.
Please share this post. Thank you:)
Leave a Reply