The debilitating consequences of climate change are here to be felt. But are we doing enough to adopt sustainable and environment friendly lifestyles? It is not hard to do, if you knew that making tiny changes in the way we live, can go a long way in saving our planet, keeping our oceans from choking on plastic and keep our marine life well and thriving. For example, look carefully at the beauty and personal care products that you use. If you find the following chemicals mentioned in there, you should ideally avoid them for a greener and sustainable earth! Here's our World Earth Day Special!
Did you know, your face scrub could potentially contain microplastic in the form of microbeads or microspheres, that is finding its way into our water bodies from the washbasins , causing a large scale damage to the environment? Found in toothpastes, facial scrubs, exfoliators and in bio medical research and diagnosis tests, microbeads cannot be seen with the naked eye and that is the reason, they do not get trapped in sewage plants and find their way into oceans and then into the digestive tracts of marine animals. They live in the environment for over 50 years.
According to a Wired article, ‘A September 2015 study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology estimated that 808 trillion plastic microbeads are washed down US household drains every day. Of those, eight trillion make it through water treatment plants and out into lakes, oceans and rivers. According to the UK parliament’s environmental audit committee, a single shower can result in 100,000 plastic particles being washed down the drain.’
The article further states, ‘It is estimated that between 15 and 51 trillion microplastic particles have accumulated in the ocean, with Europe alone flushing between 80,000 and 219,000 tonnes of microplastics into the sea each year.’
A Strong, Environment Friendly and Skin Friendly Alternative
Instead of going for these harmful petrochemical laden facial scrubs, why not choose an environment friendly, natural and sustainably formulated product that compensates for all the benefits you have been looking for in your ideal facial scrub?
Shankara's Dead Sea Salt Scrub
Shankara’s Dead Sea Salt Scrub is made from the incredibly healthy, beneficial, natural and pro-life ingredients like mineral salts, fenugreek powder; sunflower oil powder; neem powder; orange peel powder; yucca root powder; barley flour; lemon peel powder; honey powder; amalaki powder; papaya leaves powder; turmeric powder; amorphous diatomaceous earth; spirulina; bladderwrack powder; ashwagandha powder; brahmi powder; and manjista powder. The scrub removes unwanted dead skin cells through a blend of sea and mineral salts that have been infused with carefully selected botanical ingredients to refine, purify and restore all skin types. Through deep exfoliation, the skin is softened, stimulated, nourished and freed of impurities.
These colors are manufactured synthetically and they are made from petroleum and coal tar. Tar potentially contains heavy metal salts which are irritants for the skin. Clinical studies have proved most of the coloring agents to be carcinogenic. You can identity synthetic colors mentioned as FD & C along with a color and a number like FD&C Red 40 or FD & C Yellow 5. These colors could cause further harm since they can penetrate and get absorbed into the skin.
Phthalates are another group of chemicals that are used to make the plastic component more flexible and softer. Some of the commonly used Phthalates are dibutyl phthalate and diethyl present in nail paints, perfumes, lotions and hair sprays. Usage of phthalates can hinder endocrine functions, and can cause breast cancer. For the environment too, dibutyl phthalate can spell toxic doom by affecting a variety of aquatic species, causing mutations in amphibians and alters the reproductive cycle in fish species and when found in large concentration, can destroy ecosystems.
Commonly found in deodorants, shampoos, soaps, face washes and hand-sanitizers and laundry detergents, triclocan is an anti-bacterial chemical. But it can cause permanent damage to multiple amphibian and aquatic species by altering their naturally occurring biochemistry. It kills pro-life aquatic bacteria and algae that provide ecological balance. It has been found in guts of dolphins too.
DEA is used in tons of personal care products to balance the skin’s pH, but this is another insidious chemical that can spell hazard for both human and animal health. It reacts with nitrates to form nitrosamines which are carcinogenic and toxic to fish and other aquatic animals.
Parabens are preservatives that give shelf life to beauty care and other food products by preventing growth of bacteria in the products. They have been used in mass cosmetic brands because they are cheap. But the real cost is the health and environment hazard they present. In a study done by Dr. Philippa Darbre from University of Reading, paraben particles were found in breast tumors. Parabens can potentially damage hormonal functions, especially reproduction hormones. Some parabens are banned by the European Union but still sell in other parts of the world. They also do not disintegrate easily and because they have been used in beauty products so widely, the sheer scale of their use has wreaked havoc in our marine systems, as they fill up our oceans and water bodies.
As more and more consumers awaken to the reality of climate change and environmental degradation, they seek to make environmentally aware choices too, part of which includes, picking personal care brands like Shankara.
Shankara only promotes, creates and adopts sustainable manufacturing practices and technology. The product is a beautiful blend of
best of East and West. Founded in 2001, the line brings together Ayurveda, the ancient science of life, with the modern science of actives and antioxidants through modern manufacturing methods. The result is a unique line of natural, result-oriented products. Made with loving care and sustainable practices in small batches in Reagan Wells, Texas, the products seek to promote not just healthy skin, but overall well-being and an environmentally nurturing skin care routine.
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