Paraben Free Products

Hopefully, I have you a little paranoid about parabens after yesterday's post and maybe even a little motivated to do your own investigation. For my situation, I knew I had to do something right away.

Though it would be impossible to avoid them completely, my immediate goal was to cut down my exposure to parabens as much as I could without literally replacing everything in my house . So I decided to first replace any products I use in abundance that are absorbed into my skin like lotions and suncreens. Based on my independent research and clinical trial of 1, here are a few products I now use daily and recommend:

Face Sunscreen & Moisturizer

Devita Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30+. This would be the one thing in my beauty repertiore I couldn't live without. OK, and maybe my Tweezermans. But seriously, I want to buy a case of this stuff so I know I'll never go without. Nourishing, light and non-greasy and the SPF actually works.

Body Lotion

Coconut Oil. Nothing fancy here. It has one ingredient and works better than any lotion I've ever used. Why haven't I discovered this before? Plus, it's 100% natural and odorless. Who knew?

Body Suncreen

For now, Badger, Blue Lizard, and California Baby brands. The Environmental Working Group will be launching its 5th annual Sunscreen Guide for 2011 very soon and when it does, I will be sure to blog about its reviews and findings then.

Foundation

Jane Iredale Mineral Foundations (including loose, pressed and liquid). I am a huge fan of the Jane Iredale brand and its products, in general and have been for years. Not only does Jane Iredale use safe ingredients, but it has also been a big supporter of Campaign for Safe Cosmetics for years.

In search of paraben free products? Now, you might want to sit down for this part...
As consumers' awareness continues to grow, the cosmetic and chemical industries are getting creative on how to hide the stuff. For example, propylparaben alone can also be listed under the following names:
POTASSIUM SALT; BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-, PROPYL ESTER; 4-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID, PROPYL ESTER; PROPYL P-HYDROXYBENZOATE; PROPYL PARAHYDROXYBENZOATE; BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-, PROPYL ESTER, SODIUM SALT; 4-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID, PROPYL ESTER, SODIUM SALT; PROPYL P-HYDROXYBENZOATE SODIUM SALT; PROPYLPARABEN, SODIUM SALT; POTASSIUM SALT PROPYLPARABEN; PROPYL ESTER BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-


WTF. Since most of us don't have a chemical engineering degree from Carnegie Mellon, just look for the words "paraben free" when replacing your products.  Paraben free products boast that they are "paraben free" so if you don't see those exact words,  then you can be fairly certain that the product contains them.

The good news is that there are some amazing all natural skin care and beauty brands out there widely available to health conscious, educated consumers like ourselves- even for those of us without a ChemE. Here's a short list to get you started:

Paraben Free Brands:
Jane Iredale 
DeVita
AfterGlow Cosmetics
MyChelle Dermaceuticals
Alba Botanicals
Dr. Hauschka
Burt's Bees

Think glam, not granola. These aren't vendors selling patchouli outside a WideSpread Panic show. These companies are paving the way for a much needed beauty industry make-over and now you are on the forefront of the revolution!
Looking forward to hearing about brands and products you discover along the way.
Love, Lil