Body Lotions

When it comes to your health, there are some seemingly innocuous things you are doing that are more dangerous than you know. This is especially true of the cosmetics industry and why expert histotechnician Svetlana Wickstrom recommends a line of skincare products derived from chemical free ingredients.

Are you aware of the fact that when a product label says ‘fragrance’ they are not talking about essential oils or naturally derived scents but rather a mixture of chemicals combined to imitate a given fragrance? This is one of the most explosive issues in the industry today and here is some of what you should know.

Explosive in More Than One Way!

As funny as it sounds, a recent article in Fashionista online magazine states that your body lotion could, indeed, set off the explosives detector at the airport. That’s pretty scary stuff! While the two most common skincare products which have set off those detectors were actually rubs, the culprits are ammonium and nitrates, often combined as ammonium nitrate.

Sounds like a preservative doesn’t it? While the only products that actually made it to the press were those muscle rub compounds, a number of body creams and lotions contain some of those ingredients and although ammonium by itself hasn’t seemed to present an issue, it’s something to be avoided.

Now About Those Fragrances

If you think that is bad, what you should know about the inclusion of fragrances in body lotions and creams is even more frightening. Are you aware of the fact that any time a product is labeled with the word ‘fragrance’ you are probably buying a scent that was manufactured in a laboratory?

This is why products like Birdie and Peppers natural skin care products are proud to state emphatically that they never use any chemically derived fragrances in their creams and lotions. According to Svetlana Wickstrom, “The only scents you will detect are those derived from the inclusion of ingredients like natural rose hip and organic hibiscus, both with lovely smelling blossoms.”

What’s One More Chemical?

This is a mistake that altogether too many consumers make when choosing one product over another. You will hear many people saying that even natural ingredients are ‘chemicals’ as well so what’s the big deal?

The big deal, as they would have it, is that these are chemicals found in nature and are not the product of mixing molecules together to get a similar effect but at what risk? So many chemicals manufactured in laboratories have later been found to promote a number of ill effects, many of which have resulted in a number of cancers.

In addition, many of these laboratories fail to disclose the actual ingredients or potencies contained within their products, which can lead to confusion and even allergic reactions. In contrast, custom supplement manufacturers are often heavily regulated for assurances in quality and potency and therefore are usually safer.

In the end, it’s important to know why you should avoid anything labeled as ‘scented’ or containing ‘fragrance’ because most often these are not natural ingredients and are chemicals which may, or may not, cause problems now or in the future. It pays to know what to avoid.