Natural Beauty: Detox Your Makeup Bag

Here at Intrinsic, we believe that health and beauty are one in the same. However, when looking into the majority of women's cosmetic bags the two don't seem to be equal. Most of the mainstream cosmetics and personal care products that are on the market are loaded with harsh synthetic ingredients and toxins. Your skin absorbs approximately 60% of whatever you apply to it into your bloodstream, so you are essentially eating these toxic chemicals. And unfortunately, some of the ingredients have been been linked with adverse health risks such as reproductive problems and cancer.

So where do we go from here? Well, starting with your makeup (we don't want you to get too overwhelmed and suffer extreme separation anxiety), we have outlined some tips to help you detox your cosmetic bag and suggested some of our favorite natural product alternatives.

First things first, we are not suggesting that you throw out all your makeup today. Instead, focus on the products that you tend to use repeatedly on a daily basis, beginning with the one item you absolutely use the most (for women it's typically lipstick/lip gloss). Then read the label.  If you find the product has a long list of unrecognizable and hard to pronounce synthetic ingredients, it's time to chose a cleaner alternative. Continue assessing each one of your products and eventually as the deemed "toxic" products run out, make the swap.

Ok, so you have a brand that you have been loyal to for years and love, have a favorite lipstick color that you don't think you can ever replace and separation anxiety is kicking-in just thinking about the loss of it - make baby steps, start wearing it less often and choose a cleaner alternative for daily use. As consumers become more educated and demand non-toxic ingredients,  hopefully we will see our favorite cosmetic brands offering more natural products. In the meantime, choose wisely and as you look and feel better with the natural alternatives, then hopefully you will finally be able to have a complete toxic free makeup bag!

Here are 10 common toxic ingredients that you want to avoid:

Parabens, Petrochemicals, Formaldehyde, Phthalates, Polyethylene Glycol (PEG), Triclosan, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) & Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), Urea (Imidazolidinyl), and Diazolidiny.

Be careful - just because a product claims to be “all-natural” does not guarantee it is all-natural. If you are unsure, then check-out the Environmental Workng Group (EWG) Skin Deep website, which is a comprehensive database dedicated to rating a cosmetic's safety. Frankly, before you buy any product, we suggest you look it up on EWG. You ideally want your products to have a 0-2 score, which is considered low hazard.

Below are a few of our favorite natural pick's that have a low hazard score:

 Juice Beauty - Perfecting Foundation 

Goes on nice and smooth and has a lovely powdery finish. 

 Juice Beauty - Glowing Cheek Color 

Available in Pink & Fig,  it has rich pigment and is full of organic fruit extracts and minerals. 

Jane Iredale  - Lip Fixation 

Two products in one,  each "Lip Fixation" has a stain and gloss. 

Jane Iredale - Eye Shadow Kits 

Compact, versatile and easy to blend. 

Gabriel - Eyeliner 

Available in 5 different colors, glides on well and is easy to use. 

100% Pure - Fruit Pigmented Mascara  

Made with fruit and black tea pigments, it's water and smudge resistant.

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