I really want to cut through the literary fluff and get to the meat of this story. I took the "ingredient" list from a very common lotion brand and broke down what the ingredients actually are and what they do. Not gonna lie, it's pretty lame what is sold to us under the assumption that it will make our skin glowing, healthy, and youthful.
We have to really ask ourselves if compromising our long term health is really worth the temporary relief we may experience from using products like this.
Don't forget, our skin is the largest organ and the first line of defense in maintaining homeostasis: the bodies ability to maintain and stable internal environment despite external changes.
So let's jump into this cesspool of endocrine disruptors and animal fat.
WATER, GLYCERIN, ALCOHOL DENAT, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, STEARIC ACID, GLYCERYL DILAURATE, DIMETHICONE, CETYL ESTERS, LANOLINOIL, FRAGRANCE, DMDM HYDANTOIN, METHYLPARABEN, ARGININE, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, PROPYLPARABEN, ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE.
Remember the goal, at a minimum, is to heal your dry skin. Keep that in mind as you read on.
DMDM Hydantoin:
A formaldehyde releaser. Known human immune toxicant. Is rated 7 (High Hazard) out of 10 according to www.ewg.org (a cosmetic database) and it’s included in 72 skin care products including (but certainly not limited to): baby lotion, baby shampoo, sunscreens, eye liner, bubble bath, make-up remover, etc.
Sodium Hydroxide: It is manufactured and at room temperature is a white crystaline solid that is completely odorless. Also know as caustic soda or lye. It is VERY corrosive! It is also used in soaps, rayon, paper, explosives, dyestuffs, petroleum products, processing cotton fabric, laundering and bleaching, metal cleaning and is present in commercial drain and oven cleaners.
Dimethicone: A silicone base polymer (molocules bound together, it’s a man made silicon oil, commonly used to make plastics and resins) used as a lubricant and conditioning agent. Creates a barrier on the skin but that’s about it. Holds in bacteria, sebum which can lead to breakouts.
Prevents the skin from functioning normally, like sweating and thermoregulation. It is listed as a skin and eye irritant. And to top it all off, it is non-biodegradable, can you say... ENVIRONMENTAL FUCKING HAZARD?!!
Lanolin Oil:
Lanolin oil is an amber colored fatty substance that is taken from the sheep’s sheared wool before it is washed. That was the animal fat I was referring to above. Weird, right?!
Methylparaban:
One of the parabens, is a preservative with the chemical formula CH3. It is a methyl ester p-hydroxybenzoic acid. Used to preserve and prolong the shelf life of FOOD and cosmetics. It’s a fungicide and anti-bacterial agent and absorbs easily through the skin and intestinal tract. Used in skin creams and deodorents.
If you have used any sort of cosmetic with methylparaban in it, then had ANY AMOUNT of sun exposure, your skin was damaged because of the oxidative stress due to the suns UVB rays.
Basically, methylparaban is enabling cancer cells to thrive.
