camellia is pretty and pure

Chemical nasties and irritants are found in most personal care products, even ones that say "natural" on the label or contain organic ingredients.

You avoid pesticides on your food, but consider the fact that all of those different chemicals are absorbed by your skin every single day of your life...

All of Camellia Pure Beauty's products are as natural as possible and contain:

• no phthalates, petrochemicals, or other toxins
• no parabens
• no artificial fragrances
• no artificial colors
• no sodium lauryl sulfates

why should you care?

According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics:

"Surveys show that an average consumer uses as many as 25 different cosmetic and personal care products containing more than 200 different chemicals every day, and up to 70% of what is is applied to the skin is believed to be absorbed into the body. "

"The chemicals in any one consumer product alone are unlikely to cause harm. But unfortunately, we are repeatedly exposed to industrial chemicals from many different sources on a daily basis, including cosmetics and personal care products.

Many of these chemicals have gotten into our bodies, our breast milk and our children. Some of these chemicals are linked to cancer, birth defects and other health problems that are on the rise in the human population. Some chemicals found in a variety of cosmetics — including phthalates, acrylamide, formaldehyde and ethylene oxide — are listed by EPA and the state of California as carcinogens or reproductive toxins."

"US Laws Don't Protect Us
Major loopholes in federal law allow the $35 billion cosmetics industry to put unlimited amounts of chemicals into personal care products with no required testing, no monitoring of health effects, and inadequate labeling requirements."

the tip of the chemical iceberg

Phthalates, which are known reproductive toxins (aka, endocrine disruptors), are used as solvents, plasticizers, and fixatives in hairspray, perfume, lotion, sunscreen, nail polish and other products. Many phthalates are listed on labels as DBP, DEP, DMP and DEHP. However, a loophole exists. Fragrance ingredients, which are commonly made using phthalates, are not required to be listed. The Food and Drug Administration is officially "unlcear" on the effects and "continues to monitor" the health impacts of phthalates, but do you want to be a lab rat?

Look out for:

• DBP (di-butyl phthalate) is known to cause testicular atrophy in test rodents and is banned in the European Union.
• DEP (di-ethyl phthalate) produces central nervous disruption when absorbed through skin.
• DMP (di-methyl phthalate) is an irritant to eyes and mucus membranes.
• DEHP (Di(2-ehtylhexyl)phthalate) is also banned in the EU, os on Californi'as list of potential cancer-causing agents, and is known by the FDA to cause defects in the male reproductive system.

Petrochemicals include petroleum jelly, pore-clogging mineral oil, parrafin, some glycerins, petroleum distalates, and other solvents derived from petroleum. Solvents includes toluene- known to cause liver damage and is a skin and respiratory irritant and makes up up to 50% of nail polish- and others are used in fragrance making.

Some petroleum-derived ingredients to watch out for include aerosol propellants, BHA/BHT, EDTA, ethanol, fluoride, formaldehyde, "fragrance," glycerol, glyceryl, hexachlorophene, isopropyl alcohol, methyl ethyl ketone, mineral oil, paraffin, phenol, and anything that begins with PEG- or PPG-, PVP, quaternium 15,

According to The Ecology Center, "Approximately 95% of the ingredients in perfumes are derived from petrochemicals. Little scientific study has been done on the health effects of scented products, but generally they are recognized as highly allergenic and are notorious for causing skin irritation, headaches, and nausea. Try natural, essential oils instead."

Aside from any health impacts, petrochemicals and their byproducts come from the the fossil fuel industry, one of the least sustainable and polluting industries in the world.

Parabens include methyl-, propyl-, and parahydroxybenzoate. They are the most commonly used preservatives for personal products in the U.S. They are found in many products on the shelves of natural food stores.

A 2004 British study published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology found paraben traces in 18 of 20 breast tumors tested. While the scientific consensus won't be reached for many years, some scientists believe parabens may act as estrogen in the body. Check out an article from the Organic Consumers Association for more information.

Many choose to apply the "precautionary principle" on the subject of paraben exposure: why take unnecessary risks when alternatives are available?

Fragrance. Some of the potential problems with "fragrance" are addressed in the categories above. Many fragrances are entirely synthetic, with more chemical ingredients than could be listed on a shampoo bottle. Many are made with nasty solvents, and as a consumer you have no idea what they are, because the FDA does not require labeling of fragrance ingredients.

Many people complain of fragrance allergies, ranging from the mild sneezing to severe allergic reaction. There are so many compounds in each fragrance and there is no labeling required, you will never know which "fragrance" or what element in them causes the allergy.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfates (SLS) are sudsing agents, most often found in shampoo, toothpaste, bubble bath and body washes. They are irritating to the skin and eyes and have been associated with eczema. In toothpaste, they may cause canker sores in sensitive individuals. If you have sensitive or dry skin, consider eliminating products that contain SLS. In amounts of 2% to 5% it can cause irritating or sensitizing reactions in lots of people. There are a number of different spellings/formulations for what is essentially SLS, so watch for variations, the most common being Sodium Laureth Sulfate.

More Resources and Information:

Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Database

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

Not Too Pretty.org

Chemical Body Burdern.org

A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients by Ruth Winter, MS. Three Rivers Press, 2005 (links to Powells.com, and independent bookstore in Portland, OR)

Organic Bodycare Campaign from Organic Consumers Association