So on Sunday, I was chatting with a new client during a virtual visit. (We’ll call her Sarah to keep her anonymous.) Before our call she sent me some photos of what she’s currently using. As I looked them over I immediately knew that Sarah might have some surprises during our call.  

You see, I’ve known Sarah for a while. I know for a fact that she’s really been trying to choose safer products. This fact was evident from her photos. There were some products that were totally safe and there were others that I used to use too...of course, that was before I started diving deep into ingredient analysis and product safety. Now, I wouldn’t touch those products with a ten foot pole.

Sarah was shocked when she read the ingredients of her current face wash. When I asked if I could share her story with you she said, “Yes! That facial cleanser blew me away!”

So what ingredients were on that label? Parabens. Yep, and lots of them!

If you’re not familiar with this common preservative, here’s some more info for you…

Parabens are often used as a preservative in health, beauty, and personal care products. The name paraben includes any chemical with “-paraben” within the name, like methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben and isobutylparaben. Parabens are used worldwide and the health concerns include endocrine disruption, cancer, and developmental and reproductive toxicity. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has the best breakdown of research on parabens that I’ve found.

But back to our story about Sarah, honestly, I wasn’t surprised that there were parabens in her facial cleanser. It’s a super common preservative and if you’re not actively paying attention to ingredients, IT’S EASY TO BE FOOLED!

Opening Sarah’s eyes to the fact that her “doctor recommended” facial cleanser included a potential endocrine disruptor is exactly why I started Detox by Design. This information is important. EVERYONE deserves to know ingredients to look out for and which products aren’t safe.

I feel confident knowing that Sarah now has the information she needs to make safer purchases. AND she has a safe swap shopping list in hand so she’s prepared to swap out her products when she’s ready.  

Nice work, Sarah! You’re on your way to making informed, healthy purchases for you and your family!