IQ 101: The Stuff In Your Stuff

I wanted the first post of 2013 to be empowering and educational.  So on Day 1 of the new year I am launching an occasional Style IQ series that is meant to help you figure things out in the world of fashion and beauty.

So here goes.  

The great thing about fashion and beauty is that everyone is able to choose how they want to express themselves. The options are all out there.  And with greater consumer education, you can do what works for you.

In that spirit, I want to start a little occasional series to inform everyone about the products that they buy. The more they know, the better choices they make for themselves. I am not subscribing to any one direction nor am I an advocate. Some of the topics will interest some, and not others.

So let's start off with a story that made some waves at the end of 2012.

"There's lead acetate in hair dyes, lead in lipsticks, formaldehyde and 1, 4-dioxane in baby shampoos and other shampoos."


That was the claim in a syndicated news report.

It is fairly easy to google the ingredients in your favorite shampoo or face powder and find information regarding them. Some studies will say that the amount of chemicals contained in a product is safe for human use. Others will say prolonged and repeated exposure (considering these chemicals are found in most drugstore and even name brand products), will do long term harm.

Whatever it is, what I know is that while reading a list of chemicals may horrify for a moment, it is hard for the average consumer to really internalize them.

So let's do things one by one. Over time I will introduce other common ingredients. All you have to do is to check the name to the product in your home. And you decide if it works for you.

• Triclosan
• A common antimicrobial agent that accumulates in our bodies
• Linked to hormone disruption and the emergence of bacteria resistant to antibiotics and antibacterial products. 
• Impacts the environment, ending up in lakes, rivers and other water sources, where it is toxic to aquatic life.
• Found in antibacterial soaps and detergents, deodorants, toothpastes, cosmetics, fabrics and plastics, kitchen cutting boards, shoes.
• Proved to be both dangerous and unnecessary—in 2005, the FDA found no evidence that antibacterial washes containing triclosan were superior to plain soap and water for protecting consumers from bacteria.
• It is an endocrine disruptor and impacts thyroid function and thyroid homeostasis. 
• It's mode of action is similar to antibiotics, and there are concerns that bacteria that become resistant to triclosan will also become resistant to antibiotics.
• Studies have found concentrations of triclosan in three out of five human milk samples as a result of exposure through personal care products containing triclosan. 
• Triclosan has also been found in umbilical cord blood of infants. These results raise concerns for the developing fetus during vulnerable periods of development, and make the bioaccumulative and endocrine-disruptive potential of triclosan more even more alarming.