Green Washing

Have you become familiar with this term yet? Green Washing is when a company uses advertising and/or packaging to make a product seem more of a clean healthy product than what it really is. The product is perhaps free of one particular toxin but is actually host to a variety of known toxic ingredients. 

It can be daunting standing in the personal care isle at your local store trying to navigate through countless products.

Who has time to read the tiny print on the back? We often quickly read the front, notice a few eye catching words and throw it in our cart. For example, recently I was in need of more shampoo. Unfortunately, shampoo is one product that Queen B does not carry. I stood in the aisle looking over the myriad of choices that stood before me. I was in a hurry. My eyes focused on a lovely green bottle (plant colored). On the front I see that it has natural oils and essential oils like Tea Tree.

 Hmmm. It looks like it has to be healthier than many others that I see on the shelf.

I flip the bottle over and see in large print that this shampoo is also free of SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate).  Huh! Must be good. Right?

I throw it in my cart and get on with my shopping chore.

Now let's do a little research on the list of ingredients for my newly purchased hydrating TeaTree Mint Shampoo.

Cetrimonium Chloride (a preservative): Contributes to allergies and immunotoxicity (has adverse effects on our  local and systemic immune system)

Diazolidinyl Urea (is an antimicrobial preservative that works by forming formaldehyde in cosmetic products): Also a known allergen and causes immunotoxicity

Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate (a water-based preservative agent that comes from the carbamate chemical family. It has been used for years as a preservative in water-based paints, metal-working fluids and as a wood preservative): Toxicant or allergen

Yellow 5 (synthetic food dye tartrazine): Causes organ system toxicity 

Fragrance: ( Ingredient not fully labeled - identity unknown) This is the scariest. Manufacturers are not required to disclose the chemicals in a product if they use the word 'fragrance'. Many chemicals disguised as fragrance irritate our respiratory system, are bad for the environment, and causes human immune system toxicity or allergies.

You can see  how  difficult it is to figure out what is safe without a degree in chemistry. I thought I grabbed something fairly healthy and it turns out to be a slurry of disgusting chemicals. 

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1938 The last time any cosmetic legislation was passed in the US

Check out a recently released documentary (on Amazon & Apple TV) called "Toxic Beauty".  It is an eye opener about what we apply to our bodies on a daily basis. What I walked away learning is that it isn't just one product but actually the accumulation of a number of products that we need to be concerned about. We need to reduce the chemical burden on our bodies and that of our children.
Toxic Beauty Documentary Trailer
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Vogue: The New Toxic Beauty Documentary Asks: Are Skin-Care Products the New Cigarettes?

Here at Queen B we do our best to vet every single ingredient that we use. We check EWG's site to learn about possible toxicity. We never use fragrances and we are forever searching for the highest quality ingredients from trusted vendors. It's a huge feat and expensive. We know it would be easier to use the cheap synthetic chemicals that most companies use. We also know that it would be easier to use chemical stabilizers and harsh preservatives. But that is not what we are about. We strive to bring our customers pure, clean, good for you products.

Even if you make the switch with just one of your daily product applications to a healthier version , think about the long term effects. Think about how you can lessen the burden on your body to flush out unnecessary toxins that you slather on. 

Be a smarter consumer and don't be fooled by companies that Green Wash.
B wiser. B more diligent. B more beautiful!

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