Learning Center > Ingredients Detective

Product Labels

Making sense of product labels, from the food in our cupboards to our soaps and shampoo, is like learning a new language. Though it may feel overwhelming to understand the chemical names in the ingredients, let alone navigate the veracity of the health claims on the labels, it is very important: we must sort through our products carefully these days and not add to our bodies' toxic loads.

It is our responsibility as consumers to be fully aware of the effects of the products that are marketed to us, and to wisely select products that will not harm us, our families or the environment. (In fact, with regard to food, it is literally our legal responsibility as of 2005, when Congress passed the "Cheeseburger Bill" - officially called the Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act. This prevents people from suing big corporations for eating food that makes them obese; corporations can sidestep responsibility for putting unhealthy products into the marketplace, essentially claiming that the consumer carries the responsibility of figuring out whether a product is healthy or not.)

Unfortunately there are a lot of manufacturers out there who are just as pleased to have customers that do not do their homework.

This allows them to enjoy profits despite using cheaper, inferior ingredients even though they are harmful to us.

While many would expect the FDA to be helpful in keeping dangerous additives and chemical ingredients off shelves, it is unfortunately not always the case.

Some chemicals are on the FDA GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe a.k.a., never been tested) list, or are on record with the FDA as being safe in the quantities used for the individual products.

However, it is interesting to be aware of a few things: 1.) the product safety test results submitted to the FDA are provided by the makers of the product, which can be a conflict of interest; 2.) the FDA is not regulating the maximum safe level of exposure to the chemicals that appear in multiple products that a person might use (for example, the same irritating ingredient recognized as safe for a bar of soap may also be used by a person multiple times throughout the day in varying quantity in other products, like shaving cream, shampoo, toothpaste, dish soap); 3) safety ratings change as more tests are done -for example food coloring Red #1 was heavily used and considered safe until 1961 when it was discovered to cause liver cancer. '

It is difficult for us to avoid toxins like environmental pollutin, but we do have a choice when it comes to what we put in and on our bodies: it is up to us to be knowledgeable and decide wisely the products and food to which we will or won't expose our bodies.

Below are links to common food additives and ingredients in personal care products to avoid, and some helpful information on reading labels.

Common Food Additives to Avoid
Personal Care Toxins
Functions of Food Additives
Finding the Truth in Nutrition Labels