Many cosmetic products contain a long list of potentially dangerous chemical components, some of which have been regulated in other sectors, but are still permitted for use on the human body in the beauty and personal care industry. These synthetic chemical cocktails, often not tested in conjunction with a variety of other beauty products (the average American woman uses 16 different products each day) have been known to cause a variety of skin and health issues.

For example, there is growing consumer concern over 1,4-dioxane, a chemical byproduct that causes kidney and liver damage. While not intentionally added to products, the Environmental Working Group reports that 1,4-dioxane residues are found in over 8,000 personal care products currently on the market. Since beauty companies are not required to report any contamination to the FDA, many unsuspecting people are at risk of causing irreversible damage to their bodies.

One example comes from the company WEN, regarding their Chaz Dean Cleansing Conditioners. The FDA only began to investigate the viability of the product after receiving 127 direct complaints from consumers. They soon found that the manufacturer had already received over 21,000 complaints, mainly regarding alopecia and scalp irritation, none of which had been reported to the FDA. The product is still being sold in stores despite the ongoing investigation.

Alongside the immense growth of the beauty and personal care market over the past decade, consumer complaints have risen. According to the FDA, the number of consumer complaints, which were released to the public in 2016, has risen by over 300% in the past two years alone.

There is great need for transparency in the beauty and personal care industry. Consumers deserve the right to know what types of chemicals they are putting on their body. This is why many brands are relying on organic ingredients such as neem in their formulations. Useful in almost all types of beauty products, neem is turning into one of the must-have ingredients for natural personal care.

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Let’s look at a bottle of toner. You’ve finished half of it, but the other half is old and now smells bad. You pour it down the drain.

Your discarded toner goes to the waste water system, or a local treatment plant – which filters the water. The chemicals in your toner aren’t filtered and end up in the surface and ground water, slowly but surely accumulating over years.

Many pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have been labeled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as “emerging contaminants of concern” for fish and aquatic life. With potentially irreversible effects on our environment as they accumulate and become more and more toxic, these chemicals have long-term effects on the endocrine system in fish, leading to reproductive and behavioral disorders as well as lowered immune system functionality. The poisoned fish, with high traces of these toxic chemicals, make it into your food supply. You eat these fish and the chemicals enter your body, potentially causing you harm.

Some of these potentially dangerous chemicals are:

Parabens: these preservatives are endocrine disruptors and found in almost all cosmetic and personal care products.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: is used to create lather in shampoos, body washes, and face washes, but is an environmental toxin (according to the Environmental Working Group). As it is a pesticide, it also causes damage to your internal organs.

Phthalates: the most frequent chemical found in fish samples and fragrances, these are endocrine disrupters and there is no requirement for them to be mentioned on labels.

What can you do? Support and buy organic products with only truly natural ingredients that you can pronounce. Instead of introducing more potentially lethal chemicals into the drain every time you take a shower or wash your hands, introduce something like neem, which is harmless, and an amazing skin care ingredient, to you, wildlife, and the environment!

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