EWG INITIATIVE TO ENSURE SAFE COSMETICS NEEDS BACKING

EWG is taking right initiative in urging the new administration to create a science-based regulatory system for cosmetics so that chemicals that have been linked to the serious health problems, including chemicals that disrupt the hormone system, are removed from the market.  

With unverifiable and too-good-to-be true claims, cosmetic products are being marketed without regard to the health of the consumers. Under the 1938 law, FDA has little authority to review chemicals in cosmetics and other personal care products. To date, FDA has only banned or restricted nine chemicals due to safety concerns.

EWG also emphasizes that industry self-regulation of cosmetic chemicals is not sufficient to protect consumers. EWG is, therefore, pressing for revising the existing procedures for safety that should include: FDA review of cosmetic chemicals of concern; Facility registration, ingredient statements, records access, and Good Manufacturing Practices; Adverse event reporting; Greater transparency about cosmetic ingredients, including fragrance chemicals; and adequate resources to review chemicals of concern and to carry out other responsibilities, such as reviewing adverse event reports.

While monitoring on its own, Herbally Radiant has learnt about the presence of the following harmful chemical ingredients that are presently being used in the cosmetic and beauty products :

1.Coal Tar Dyes, 2.Diethanolamine and other ethanolamines, 3. Formaldehyde, and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, 4.Lead and other heavy metals, 4 Parabens, 5. PEG compounds, 6. Petrolatum (mineral oil jelly), 7. Phthalates, 8. Para-Phenylenediamine(PPD), 9. Siloxanes, 10. Sodium Lauryl sulfate (SLS), and 11. Triclosan.

ORGANIC PRODUCTS HELP IN PSORIASIS

The MNT has an informative research paper on psoriasis by Jennifer Huizen, especially for those who have this skin disorder. Presently, 3.1 per cent of Americans, between 20 and 59 yrs, are estimated to have some form of psoriasis, and 5 per cent of it relates to skin.

Psoriasis is a noncontagious, autoimmune condition that affects the skin and the joints. It can appear almost anywhere on the body, but it most frequently affects the arms, legs, scalp, lower back, and upper torso. Palmoplantar psoriasis usually affects the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet specifically.

Exact causes vary from genetic to metabolic disorders characterized by obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. Factors likely to increase palmoplantar psoriasis include: Stress, Injury or wounds, Severe sunburn, Bug bites, Chemical and physical irritants, Allergens, Skin infections, Inflammatory conditions such as bronchitis, tonsilitis, Autoimmune conditions, Heavy alcohol consumption, Smoking, Obesity.

While physicians would prescribe strong medications or steroids, these have been found to provide temporary relief. Photo or light therapy can also be used for its treatment independently or with medication. Phototherapy involves routine exposure of skin to specific doses of natural or artificial ultraviolet light. These procedures might prevent flare up and discomfort.

However, there are alternative systems for healing psoriasis. These include herbs and plant extracts which are very skin friendly and create lasting conditions to get relief from psoriasis. First essential step is to use very mild soaps and bath oils that are dye and fragrance-free.   

Working on herbal solution to skin disorders, HerballyRadiant has launched many formulations with high organic content to offer relief.  Among the organic ingredients that it uses are :

Aloe Vera: Gel from the aloe plant can be applied to the skin up to three times a day.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Used as a disinfectant, it may help relieve scalp itch from psoriasis. Some people dilute it with water on a 1-to-1 ratio that helps prevent a burning sensation

Dead Sea Salts : Adding Dead Sea or Epsom salts to bath water and soaking in the tub for about 15 minutes may help remove scales and ease itching. Be sure to moisturize skin thereafter.

Oats : Considered one of nature's best skin soothers, oat paste, or taking bath in oats has been found to relieve itchy skin and reduce redness.

Tea tree oil: Tea tree oil is from the leaves of a plant that is native to Australia. Tea tree oil is believed to have antiseptic qualities and can be applied to the skin.

Turmeric : This herb is being frequently studied for its powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric also has the ability to alter gene expression. A 2012 review by the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology highlights turmeric's ability to alter TNF cytokine expression. This is the likely reason some patients find it helpful in minimizing psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis flares.

Mahonia Aquifolium (Oregon Grape) : A powerful antimicrobial herb that plays a role in immune response. A cream containing 10% mahonia is effective in treating mild psoriasis.

Dietary changes: Follow an anti-inflammatory diet: plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, those rich in carotenoids (mangoes, corn, sweet potatoes, carrots and squash, leafy greens and tomatoes).

CANADA BAN ON PLASTIC BEADS IN BEAUTY PRODUCTS

Due to alarmingly increasing rate of environmental damage as a result of use of plastic micro beads in cosmetics and personal care products, Canadian government has decided to ban manufacture, sale and import of such products from January 2018. The Canadian initiative will stop manufacture and import of personal care products that are intended for cleansing and exfoliating that contain micro plastic beads.

Many other countries have already banned manufacture and sale of products containing micro plastic beads.  In US, FDA  has been vigilant about potentially hazardous chemical ingredients in cosmetic products, and warning consumers about the health risks involved. Many ingredients in cosmetics have been the subject of news reports or have been topics of discussion on the internet.

It is useful to learn about some harmful chemicals that are found even in branded beauty or skin care products.

1.Coal Tar Dyes . 2.Diethanolamine (DEA) and other ethanolamines : 3.Formaldehyde (and Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives) : 4.Lead and other heavy metals :5.Parabens :6. PEG compounds : 7. Petrolatum : 8. Phthalates : 9. Para-Phenylenediamine (PPD) : 10. Siloxanes : 11. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) : 12. Triclosan :

The potential harm these chemical ingredients cause to skin have been explained in Herbally Radiant blog issued in August this year. The main problem is that most of the branded cosmetic products do not indicate on their labels the detailed ingredients, leaving the consumer at the mercy of unverifiable marketing claims.

Afraid of risky chemical ingredients, consumers in Europe are turning fast to the natural beauty products. The trend is catching on in US, though at slower pace. Herbally Radiant has noticed that the consumer awareness in US is increasing steadily. Consumers are therefore advised to satisfy themselves of the safety of the products they intend to purchase. The natural organic personal care products made in US by the  HerballyRadiant with USDA certified ingredients for the past 7 years are regarded by its customers as most effective, safe and far less expensive than many branded chemical-based products that sell mainly because of aggressive marketing campaigns.    

RELAXING MUSIC FOR HEALTH AND BEAUTY

Going through the article in Washington Post, we were reminded about the effect of music on body and mind. From the point of health of skin, Herbally Radiant has been focusing on combination of Essential Oils that it uses in its formulations, especially its anti-aging products, for creating a calming effect on mind that is crucial to enhance natural beauty.

The reported occasion was TEDMED 2016 at Palm Springs, Calif, where some new ideas were aired, though some were not so new. The effect of music on body and mind was one of them.  We examined it in the context of maintaining beautiful looks and appearance.

Scientists have known for a long time that music — the pitch, tone, modality and lyrics — can have physiological and psychological effects on people. Can that power be harnessed as a treatment for disease, addiction, even pain management? Ketki Karanam, a biologist and tech entrepreneur who runs a company that is working on a platform to measure the effects of music on health, wonders whether doctors will one day tell their patients to “take two of these songs and call me in the morning.” The scientific research into this area is still in its early stages, but some work suggests that it can reduce anxiety, stimulate pleasure centers and could potentially even serve as a way to reactivate autobiographical memories in Alzheimer patients. One interesting finding is that a song or type of music that may create happiness or pain in one person may do absolutely nothing for someone else. “Our relationship with music we love is deeply personal,” Karanam says.

However, even before the TEDMED gathering, scientists have gone deeply into the effect of music on human life. They believed that music is the medicine for the soul and body. Music involves using the whole brain, and has surprising benefits not only for improving memory, but also for physical coordination and development. Here are some proven benefits :

1.It heals, gives the patient a sense of control, causes the body to release endorphins to counteract pain and relaxes by slowing breathing and heartbeat.

2.Slow relaxing music can help people lower their blood pressure, and is good for heart. In experiments, during musical pauses, heart and breathing rates normalized, or reached more optimal levels.

4.Promotes post-stroke recovery. In experiments it was found that when stroke patients listened to music for a couple of hours each day, verbal memory and attention span improved significantly, visual attention improved and fine-grained neuroanatomical changes in the recovering brain were noticed.

5.Reduces intensity, frequency and duration of headaches.

6.Boosts immunity by creating a positive and profound emotional experience leading to secretion of immune-boosting hormones.

7.Taiwanese scientists demonstrated that Mozart K 448 (Sonata for Two Pianos in D major) reduced the seizure recurrence and epileptiform discharges in children epilepsy.

8.Music activates many regions of the brain, including auditory, motor and limbic leading to enhanced intelligence, learning and IQ, reading and literacy skills, mathematical abilities, emotional intelligence, memory performance, concentration and attention, fighting fatigue and increasing overall productivity.

9.From the point of health of skin, the R&D team of Herbally Radiant is aware that relaxing music reduces stress that has calming effect on skin. By reducing negative emotions, music helps in brightening the facial expression and reflecting more optimistic and positive state of mind.

10.Music can decrease the amount of the cortisol, a stress-related hormone produced by the body in response to stress.

11. At Herbally Radiant, customers are advised to feel the effects of music on skin, especially those using its anti-aging formulations. Music improves mood and decreases depression. The Essential Oils that are used by Herbally Radiant in its formulations create the same effect through the aromatherapy technique.  In either case, the object is to induce mental relaxation that shapes healthy skin and enhances beauty, while preventing premature appearance of aging signs, lines and wrinkles. 

HERBALLY RADIANT WELCOMES FDA GUIDELINES FOR SAFETY

With increasing pressure to apply stricter safety standards for skin care products, FDA has improved guidelines.

Under these FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition System, (CAERS) will, if a potential safety concern is identified, perform a further evaluation.  Based on this evaluation of the potential safety concern, FDA may then take regulatory action to improve product safety and protect public health either by communicating new safety information to consumers, or , if necessary, to remove the product altogether from the market.

This is improvement on the existing procedures which need to be strengthened in the interest of public health.  The manufacturers of cosmetics and skin care products are not obliged to get their products evaluated before marketing them. The FDA does prevent mislabeling or other deceptive claims accompanying such products. It has consistently advised manufacturers to use whatever testing is necessary to ensure the safety of their products and ingredients.

FDA also encourages cosmetic firms to participate in its Voluntary Cosmetic Registration Program (VCRP) using the online registration system. Cosmetic manufacturers, distributors, and packers can file information on their products that are currently being marketed to consumers in the United States and register their manufacturing and/or packaging facility locations in the VCRP database.

FDA can take action against cosmetics on the market that are in violation of these laws, as well as companies and individuals who market such products. However, often the online suppliers are not adhering to the safety specifications, and have been found to be indulging in deceptive marketing campaigns.

Promoting awareness among consumers to make informed choice for certified genuine skin care products, HerballyRadiant welcomes the new FDA guidelines. The consumers need to satisfy themselves about the safety of the product, especially when it comes to getting them from online suppliers. Quite often, most of the branded products from online companies have been found to be not genuine.

SMOKING LEADS TO PREMATURE AGING SIGNS ON SKIN

Recent piece by Laurie McGinley in the Washington Times is important from the point of general health. The National Cancer Institute study found that people who consistently smoked an average of less than one cigarette daily over their lifetime had a 64% higher risk of earlier death, and those smoking 1-10 cigarettes daily had 87 percent greater risk.

In other words, as NCI researcher Maki Inoue Choi observed,  “The message is that there is no safe level of smoking.” The study analyzed data for almost 300,000 adults in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Participants were age 59 to 82 at the start of the study, which found that health risks were lower for those who had quit, especially at earlier ages.

There have been frequent findings by scientists that smoking damages lungs, increases risk of strokes and other cardiovascular diseases. 

Engaged in the skin health business for years, the R&D team at Herbally Radiant has been cautioning its customers to abstain from smoking. Smoking adversely affects the state of skin’s health in many ways. Smokers are four times as likely as non-smokers to feel unrested after a night’s sleep.  Adequate sleep is an important factor in promoting freshness of skin. To create the calming and relaxed effect on skin, Herbally Radiant uses some Essential Oils. But smoking adversely interferes with this.

Smoking also leads to inflammation and decreases immune function of the body. This again plays out against the skin. It enhances the scaly skin condition. The risk of psoriasis goes up by twenty per cent, even second hand smoking during pregnancy has adverse consequences.

At Herbally Radiant, experts have conclusively found that smoking leads to premature aging signs. The deepening of black spots under eyes is another adverse factor.

So, apart from nutritious balanced food, abstaining from smoking is equally important when it comes to preserving the health of skin, and preventing premature aging signs reflected by increasing lines and wrinkles.

WAL-MART, CVS &TARGET SKINCARE PRODUCTS WITHOUT ALOE VERA

In the latest move to protect consumers’ interest, nine first class suits have been filed against Wal-Mart, Target and CVS for selling store brand personal care products claiming that these contained aloe vera whereas investigations carried out by Bloombert News reveal that these products were indeed formulated without aloe vera.

In April this year, Federal Trade Commission had notified that four companies that market skin care products, shampoos, and sunscreens online had agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they falsely claimed that their products are “all natural” or “100% natural,” despite the fact that they contain synthetic ingredients.

Under the settlements, each of the four companies was barred from making similar misrepresentations in the future and must have competent and reliable evidence to substantiate any ingredient-related, environmental, or health claims it makes.

FTC named following companies :

Trans-India Products, Inc., doing business as ShiKai, based in Santa Rosa, California, markets “All Natural Hand and Body Lotion” and “All Natural Moisturizing Gel” both directly and through third-party websites including walgreens.com and vitacoast.com.

Erickson Marketing Group, doing business as Rocky Mountain Sunscreen, based in Aravada, Colorado, uses its website to promote “all natural” products such as the “Natural Face Stick,” which contains synthetic ingredients.

ABS Consumer Products, LLC, doing business as EDEN BodyWorks, based in Memphis, Tennessee, markets haircare products on its own websites and at Walmart.com. It makes “all natural” claims for products including “Coconut Shea All Natural Styling Elixer” and “Jojoba Monoi All Natural Shampoo.” In reality, the products contain a range of synthetic ingredients.

Beyond Coastal, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, uses its website to sell its “Natural Sunscreen SPF 30,” describing it as “100% natural.” However, it also contains Dimethicone.

California Naturel, Inc., located in Sausalito, California, sells supposedly “all natural sunscreen” on its website, though the product contains Dimethicone. It  had made deceptive “all natural” claims in violation of Sections 5 and 12 of the FTC Act.

The proposed consent orders bar the four settling respondents from misrepresenting the following when advertising, promoting, or selling a product: 1) whether the product is all natural or 100 percent natural; 2) the extent to which the product contains any natural or synthetic components; 3) the ingredients or composition of a product; and 4) the environmental or health benefits of a product.

Herbally Radiant has been advising genuine manufacturers to print right ingredients on the labels as is done by the drug companies under FDA regulations. Most of the online companies are operating with deceptive business practices. All the skin care products of Herbally Radiant carry detailed ingredients on the labels to enable consumers to make informed choice.

ANGER CAN HAVE IRREVERSIBLE EFFECT ON SKIN

Lisa Feldman Barrett, Prof of Psychology at Northeastern University, explains the types of anger that people experience from time to time.  These are not only Bitterness, Hostility and Rage, but there are endless varieties.

Some are mild, such as grumpiness, and others are powerful, such as wrath. Different angers vary not only in their intensity but also in their purpose. It’s normal to feel exasperated with your screaming infant and scornful of a political opponent, but scorn toward your baby would be bizarre.

No single state of the face, body or brain defines anger; variation is the norm. One can shout in anger, weep in anger, even smile in anger. You can throw a tantrum in anger with your heart pounding, or calmly plot your revenge. No single state of the face, body or brain defines anger. Variation is the norm.

But it is also true that not all varieties of anger are divisive and destructive. Ms. Barrett points out that some angers might be uplifting and constructive — an antidote to hopelessness.

Buddhism teaches that anger is a form of ignorance, namely of other people’s points of view. If, in the midst of your fury, you can manage to see your opponents not as evil but as frustrated and trying to make a change, anger can actually cultivate empathy for the other side. In this sense, some angers are a form of wisdom.

From the point of view of mental and physical health, control over emotions is vitally important. Losing one’s emotional balance, while in anger, for example, can lead to unfair judgment. It also poses health risks to those who are sensitive, elderly or undergoing any therapy.

The same can be said about the state of skin.  Studies show that emotions have positive and negative consequences on our bodies, and affect the appearance of our skin. Stress, anger, depression, embarrassment and fear are some of the fundamental emotions that we go through every day and each of these moods adversely affects our skin. This damage also depends upon the longevity of our emotional state. Long lasting mood swings have much longer lasting and irreversible effects on our skin. Similarly, good and happy mood has some positive beauty benefits for your skin.

Anger affects our facial muscles. Anger decelerates skin’s healing, fastens wrinkling and produces dark spots. People who hold in their anger often suffer from rashes, hives, warts, eczema and acne. Stressed skin has a very low lipid (protective) barrier, so fluids evaporate more easily. In addition, cortisol also reduces the skin’s ability to retain water, leading to excessive dryness.

By using extremely calming Essential Oils in its natural beauty products, HerballyRadiant advises customers to handle stressful situations calmly and keep emotions under control.

MORE CONSUMERS SUSPECT HARMFUL INGREDIENTS IN BEAUTY PRODUCTS

Cosmetics Design carries important observations by Science Communicator Louise Hidinger. She has been speaking at conferences and advising the consumers to learn about the way various ingredients in the personal care products work. She is also critical of the unverifiable claims that beauty industry makes in order to market their products.

Louis Hidinger says, "Most consumers know very little about their beauty products and the majority lack the basic science literacy to understand how they work. Unfortunately environmental organizations have been very successful as portraying most conventional beauty products as being filled with “dirty’ chemicals. At every seminar I get questions from consumers whether their personal care products are harmful, and what ingredients to avoid.  When I dig deep, I feel that these questions are motivated by fear and suspicion that the beauty industry is tricking the consumers with false product claims while secretly poisoning consumers with toxic ingredients."

"The beauty industry needs to inform consumers about the characteristics of various ingredients in their products, and how they work on the skin. The traditional thinking is that consumers know little about the science behind products and marketers skip any explanation of how a product works and instead blanket the consumers with effusive claims about what the product can do. This leaves an information gap that is readily filled by pseudoscience or bad information that abound on the internet."

She makes important point that the consumers need to know the properties of the ingredients in their beauty products. The problem is that the companies do not mention the ingredients on the labels. The consumers learns from the labels only the so-called results from the 'manufactured research'.

The beauty industry has been resisting the demand that, as in the case of labeling of drugs where ingredients are listed, the beauty products should also mention the contents on the package so that consumers make informed choice. 

In the case of natural organic formulations, it has been seen that at least key ingredients are listed on the labels. At Herbally Radiant, each product is labelled to indicate the ingredients that go into making a particular product.