What you put on your body is just as important as what you put in your body.

Your skin is your largest organ and 70% of what you put on it is absorbed into your bloodstream.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate & Sodium Laureth Sulfate

About: Derived from petroleum to create a lathering effect, giving you a stronger impression of cleaning power..

Found In: Soap, shampoo, body wash and bubble bath.

Concerns: Severe eye and skin irritation, as well as contamination with the carcinogen, 1-4 dioxane.

Parabens

About: Synthetic compounds used to stop the growth of bacteria in products, acting as a preservative.

Found In: Hair products.

Concerns: Carcinogenic allergen linked to endocrine disruption, development and reproductive toxicity.

Phthalates

About: A group of chemicals used as a solvent to make fragrance stick to skin and keep materials pliable.

Found In: Synthetic fragrances, fragranced lotions, body washes and hair care products.

Concerns: Linked to birth defects, endocrine and hormone disruption, damage to the reproductive system.

Synthetic Fragrances

About: Contains dozens (or even hundreds) of synthetic chemicals. Companies are not required to disclose the ingredients behind the “fragrance”, a loophole in the industry.

Found In: Skincare and personal care products.

Concerns: Severe skin and respiratory irritation, possible endocrine disruption, organ toxicity and potential carcinogen.

Ethanolamines (MEA/DEA/TEA)

About: Ethanolamines include compounds listed as Diethanolamine (DEA), Cocamide DEA, Cocamide MEA, Triethanolamine (TEA), Monoethanlamine (MEA), Ethanolamine (ETA).

Use: Surfactant, pH adjuster

Concerns: Allergies, skin toxicity, endocrine disruption, may form carcinogenic nitrosamines, inhibits fetal brain development

Found In: Shampoos and scalp treatments, soaps, hair dyes and lotions

Sodium Benzoate & Benzoic Acid

About: Sodium benzoate is a sodium salt that is present at extremely low levels in berries, apples, plums, cinnamon, and several other natural foods. When lab-synthesized sodium benzoate (and its close relative, benzoic acid) are added to foods and skincare they’re added in higher levels and have been shown to cause allergic reactions, damage to DNA cells and possibly linked to ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder). When mixed with citric acid or vitamin c (both common additives in both food and skincare products) sodium benzoate has been linked to causing leukemia and other blood cancers.

Use: As a preservative.

Potential concern: Linked to allergic reactions, ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), damage to DNA cells, leukemia and other blood cancers.

Found in: Skincare and food & drinks

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (EDTA)

About: A stabilizer used to prevent ingredients in a given product from binding with other trace elements and keeps other ingredients from causing unwanted changes to a product’s texture, odor, and consistency.

Use: Binding agent, penetration enhancer.

Concerns: Enhance dermal penetration of other ingredients, potentially mutagenic.

Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine

About: A synthetic amphoteric surfactant from the hydroxysultaine group and a close chemical cousin to Cocamidopropyl Betaine.

Found In: Shampoos, detergents, personal care products.

Use: Foam booster, surfactant, emulsifying agent.

Potential Concerns: Severe skin irritant and allergen, links to contact dermatitis.

Cocamidopropyl Betaine

About: A chemical derivative of coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine which was voted “Allergen of the Year” in 2004 by the American Contact Dermatitis Society.

Found In: Shampoos, detergents, personal care products.

Use: Foam booster, surfactant, emulsifying agent.

Potential Concerns: Severe skin irritant and allergen, links to contact dermatitis.

Phenoxyethanol

About: A preservative used in cosmetics and personal care products, as well as stabilizer in soaps.

Found In: Baby shampoos, lotions, skincare products.

Uses: Preservative, stabilizer.

Potential Concerns: Strong skin irritation and sensitizer, eczema, allergen.

Propylene Glycol

About: Propylene glycol is a small organic alcohol commonly used as a skin conditioning agent. It has been associated with irritant and allergic contact dermatitis as well as contact urticaria in humans; these sensitization effects can be manifested at propylene glycol concentrations as low as 2%.

Use: Skin-conditioning agent.

Potential concern: Irritation to the skin, eyes, or lungs, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), and enhanced skin absorption, which aids harmful chemicals to enter into your skin faster. PG is derived from petroleum. PG tends to sit on the surface of your skin even after you rinse it, dissolving the fats and oils your skin needs to stay nourished.

Found in: Skincare products.

Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)

About: The result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and artificially forced into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. The foreign genes may come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals, or even humans.

Use: Skin-conditioning Agent.

Concerns: Research has shown a dramatically higher risk of health problems from eating GMOs and research shown that toxic DNA from these plants may survive digestion. It's even been found in the blood of pregnant women and their fetuses. GMO crops pose a great risk of largely unexplored threats to human health and the environment. Although you do not eat products made by Active Essentials, we are very concerned with the environmental impact of GMO’s. Farmers and environmentalists are worried that crops that are genetically engineered to be resistant to herbicides, such soybeans, will result in heavier herbicide use, further polluting the groundwater, lakes, and rivers. GMOs may also be toxic to organisms like bees and butterflies. Bees are extremely important in the pollination of many food crops but have become endangered due to modern agricultural techniques, such as GM crops. Even biodiversity can be affected--the planting of GMOs means fewer weeds and wildflowers. Toxins released into the soil through the GMO plants will lead to fewer soil bacteria needed to maintain healthy soil and the list goes on. “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live.” – Albert Einstein