Harmful ingredients are included in products by manufacturers because they are low cost and can either help improve texture, shelf life, or have other properties that make the product more saleable in the short-term, even though it can do long-term harm.

Manufacturers justify using harmful ingredients by stating that they only include a small amount. But ingredients accumulate in your body and you may be using multiple products with the same or other harmful ingredients and the total amount exceeds the danger level and can become life threatening amount.

There are many ingredients where a very small amount can have an immediate effect. For example, Endocrine Disruptor ingredients either trick our body into thinking that they are hormones, or block natural hormones from doing their job. For example, birth control pills, use hormones not produced in the body to “trick” the body into a certain response (preventing ovulation).

Large cosmetic companies are not in the business of health or environment; they are in the business of selling beauty products. Personal care products and their ingredients (with the exception of color additives) are not subject to FDA premarket approval. Additionally, the FDA can’t recall dangerous cosmetic products.

A lot of the information about the effects of toxic ingredients comes from animal studies. This is mainly because humans are exposed to such a wide range of chemicals in our day-to-day lives that narrowing down the impact of just one is difficult.

Scientists need controlled laboratory settings so they can make sure their test subjects are only exposed to different levels of the chemical that is being studied. Since isolating a human this way would be impractical and unethical, so studies have turned to animals instead.

The trouble with this approach is that animals and humans are not the same and these chemicals may affect us differently than they do a rat or a mouse.

So, while studies show the adverse effects of a toxic ingredient on the health of other mammals, birds, and fish, the correlation between them and human health issues cannot be proven with 100% certainty and that’s how manufacturers can take advantage of their low cost and use them to manufacture their products. But there’s no reason for you to take the risk of using products that include harmful ingredients when there are so many safer and effective alternative products available.

There are many ingredients where a very small amount can have an immediate effect. For example, Endocrine Disruptor ingredients either trick our body into thinking that they are hormones, or block natural hormones from doing their job. For example, birth control pills, use hormones not produced in the body to trick the body into a certain response (preventing ovulation).

Birth control use is intentional, but endocrine disruptors entering your body through products you’re using, is not intentional, but can significantly affect your body s functioning.