9/2010
Synthetic dyes are seemingly everywhere in our lives: Our cosmetics, our food, our clothing. Who doesn’t love to put on their favorite pair of blue jeans and a cute, bright colored top? Ever wonder how your jeans got to be that perfect shade of deep, dark blue? How about a tasty treat like an Oreo ice cream cone with strawberry ice cream? Chocolate is brown, right? Well, in our world it’s also red 40, yellow 5 and blue 1. Think about this: what is more appealing to you, strawberry lotion that’s a perfect shade of pale pink or strawberry lotion that’s a pretty shade of, well, um, beige? Of course, since strawberries are red, the pink appeals to us. We think that anything strawberry flavored (and this is not a natural flavor for lotions- refer to the note on synthetic fragrances) should be red or pink. We are conditioned to think that this is natural.
Synthetic dyes are seemingly everywhere in our lives: Our cosmetics, our food, our clothing. Who doesn’t love to put on their favorite pair of blue jeans and a cute, bright colored top? Ever wonder how your jeans got to be that perfect shade of deep, dark blue? How about a tasty treat like an Oreo ice cream cone with strawberry ice cream? Chocolate is brown, right? Well, in our world it’s also red 40, yellow 5 and blue 1. Think about this: what is more appealing to you, strawberry lotion that’s a perfect shade of pale pink or strawberry lotion that’s a pretty shade of, well, um, beige? Of course, since strawberries are red, the pink appeals to us. We think that anything strawberry flavored (and this is not a natural flavor for lotions- refer to the note on synthetic fragrances) should be red or pink. We are conditioned to think that this is natural.
This is what sells. I admit that pretty colors make me smile too. They appeal to my senses and affect my moods. This is all good when added colors are natural but how about when they’re not?
Artificial colors became popular after World War II because they were cheaper and had a longer shelf life than plant based dyes. The FDA regulates dyes and it says they are tested for safety. Dyes that are approved bear the titles that you’re probably familiar with: FD&C (food, drug and cosmetics) and D&C (drug and cosmetics). So what’s actually in these dyes that are tested for safety? I knew that some contain coal tar which is a known carcinogen. I didn’t know that lead, mercury and arsenic were some of the ingredients. Are you kidding me? Aren’t these bad? YES! But, according to the FDA, the parts per million (ppm) that are acceptable are:
Arsenic 3 ppm
Mercury 1 ppm
Lead 10-20 ppm
Lead 10-20 ppm
These may be small numbers, but how do they add up in everything we eat, drink and put on our bodies on a daily, monthly and yearly basis? How do they affect babies and small children? Baby lotions, washes and shampoos contain synthetic colors. Check out this table from http://www.bluedominoes.com/:
Bathtime Colorblast Tablets- FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #!, D&C Red #33
Johnson Baby Shampoo- D&C Yellow #10, D&C Orange #4
Johnson Baby Lotion- D&C Red 33
Pampers hand soap- Yellow 5, Green 5, Orange 4
Dora Foam Soap- May contain FD&C Blue 1, FD&C Red 40, FD&C Yellow 5
Sesame Street Foam Soap - FD&C # 33
Disney Chapstick- D&C Red No. , FD&C Blue 1 alum lk
Crest Kids Sparkle Paste- FD&C Blue #1
The synthetic colors that we put on our skin are absorbed through our skin. Many are known to cause multiple issues:
- Coal tar dyes are tied to bladder cancer: D&C violet 2, FD&C blue 1
- Skin and eye irritant: FD&C yellow 6
- Nervous system toxicant: D&C red 30 lake
- Causes cancer in animals (prohibited in EU): FD&C green 3
You’re probably thinking, well, I could eliminate many of the dyes in personal care products by switching to natural or organic one’s that either don’t contain synthetic dyes or contain natural colors. What about hair color? No way can I go gray!! My 40-something hair makes my 20-something mind and body feel old (yes, I actually do feel like a 20-something not the 40-something that I am!) Unfortunately, hair dyes are among the worst offenders and contain the strongest most toxic ingredients. They smell bad and they are bad. Dark colored dyes routinely contain coal tar. They also frequently contain cancer causing chemicals such as: phenylenediamine, aminophenol, ethanolamine, hydroquinone and 2,4
diaminophenoxyethanol. A safer alternative is to use henna dyes for going darker. If you go lighter, know that lighter colors often use bleach which, although not great, is a less unsafe alternative. Also consider hair foils which lighten the hair without the dye coming in contact with the scalp. There are also less toxic dye options now available:
Herbatint, Light Mountain, Organic Color Systems, Surya Henna, Naturcolor, Rainbow henna, Color me naturally by Aubrey, and Ecocolors.
In summary, read the labels! Avoid synthetic dyes in your personal care products and food as much as possible. At www.begreenbathandbody.com, the color of the product is the color of the ingredients. The brown sugar scrub is, well, brown. The lotions and creams are cream colored. Sometimes the shade of cream may change if my beeswax or cocoa butter vendor changes their source. The salt scrub? You got it- white! Facial cleanser? A shade of muddy brown! The apricot kernel meal that gently exfoliates your skin turns it that color. What about those blue jeans? Not to rain on your parade but it’s a combination of caustic soda, sodium phenylglycinate and sodamide to form a chemical called indoxyl. Ultimately this is from chlorobenzene. that can come from either petroleum or coal. Maybe organic jeans will become more widely available.(sigh).
In summary, read the labels! Avoid synthetic dyes in your personal care products and food as much as possible. At www.begreenbathandbody.com, the color of the product is the color of the ingredients. The brown sugar scrub is, well, brown. The lotions and creams are cream colored. Sometimes the shade of cream may change if my beeswax or cocoa butter vendor changes their source. The salt scrub? You got it- white! Facial cleanser? A shade of muddy brown! The apricot kernel meal that gently exfoliates your skin turns it that color. What about those blue jeans? Not to rain on your parade but it’s a combination of caustic soda, sodium phenylglycinate and sodamide to form a chemical called indoxyl. Ultimately this is from chlorobenzene. that can come from either petroleum or coal. Maybe organic jeans will become more widely available.(sigh).
It is so true that people are color crazy and I keep trying to tell them the same thing that you are saying and that some people don't want that in their bath and beauty products. But some people say "does it have to brown? YUCK"
ReplyDelete