It is NOT just about the food we eat. It is what we think, feel, ingest, and digest emotionally, spiritually and physically.

Asthma, allergies, hyperactivity, cancer, developmental disorders, aggressive and violent behaviors…where does it end? You want to protect yourself and your child from the bad things in the world and provide the best nourishment so that you and he/she will have the best foundation possible for a strong, well-developed immune system. You buy organic food, use organic cotton clothing and diapers and buy all of your baby’s personal care products at the local natural health food store.

Regulations define the word organic for the foods that you buy. Sadly, there are no regulations defining the word organic for labeling of personal care products. Did you know that?

We think that natural body care products that are labeled as organic should contain ingredients that you wouldn’t be afraid to eat. After all, isn’t that how the word organic is interpreted in the natural health food industry–to define the purity of food?

You’ve got enough on your mind. Why do you need to study labels on body care products?

The 1993 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report “Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children” included recommendations that: all sources of (pesticide) exposure be considered (when attempting to reduce your child’s pesticide exposure). The NAS report concluded that in the absence of other factors, “infants and children are subject to rapid tissue growth and development, which will have an impact on cancer risk.”

Did you know that 60% of what you rub onto your skin is absorbed through the skin and can be detected in the blood within minutes?

Children’s bodies are small and because they do not have an adult’s ability to detoxify and excrete toxins, they absorb proportionally higher doses of toxins per unit of body weight, which means that their organs may suffer permanent and irreversible damage more quickly because they are not fully developed.

Chemicals in body care products have been linked to reproductive problems in both women (e.g., endometriosis and the increasingly early onset of puberty in young girls) and men (e.g., falling sperm counts and congenital birth defects of the reproductive organs) and to some cancers. Many synthetic chemicals have also been linked to developmental deficiencies and learning disabilities in children. The FDA web site has an update that lists some body care chemicals (some found in “natural” baby body care products!) that were found cause cancer in laboratory animals.

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) recently found that repeated application to skin of some of these chemicals (that the FDA lists)–diethanolamine (DEA), or its fatty acid derivative cocamide DEA–induced liver and kidney cancer. NTP also emphasized that DEA is readily absorbed through the skin and accumulates in organs, such as the brain, where it induces chronic toxic effects.

Chemicals from the FDA list like cocamide DEA, lauramide DEA or MEA, or triethanolamine (TEA) don’t belong in baby products or body care products for anybody! (These chemicals are also found in dishwashing detergents.)

Because children are more susceptible to these toxins than adults, we need to be especially careful about what they inhale and what we rub onto their skin. Problems from synthetic “fragrance” reported to the FDA have included headaches, dizziness, rashes, skin discoloration, violent coughing and vomiting, and allergic skin irritation. Exposure to fragrances can affect the central nervous system, causing depression, hyperactivity, irritability, inability to cope, and other behavioral changes.

Fragrance oils can contain thousands of different chemicals! Did you know that fragrance chemical ingredients don’t need to be included on product labels? Companies can simply list “fragrance oil” in the ingredient list.

Remember, babies can’t tell you that they are experiencing a migraine or lung tightness when you use the lotion with a synthetic “fruity” fragrance. Stick to unscented products, or use products with essential oils. Pure essential oils are extracted straight from plants, and are all natural.

Here’s the bottom line: synthetic chemicals pollute the planet in their manufacture and they pollute your body and your home. They don’t benefit you or your children in any way.

So why use them at all?