I love getting gifts from people and this is the time of year where gifts are given. But please beware of using some of these gifts. When I shop for myself at the store, I always look at ingredients and I do the same with gifts, especially when it is something I am putting in or on my body.
I got a gift recently from a family member. It was a Vitamin E stick for the lips and eye area by Reviva Labs. Anything with “labs” on it scares me anyway so I was already skeptical of this being something I could actually use. I love to use lip balm. I normally use the Whole Foods Organic lip balm. This stick is different than what I am used to so I read the ingredients as I normally do. The ingredients include some names I did not know like:
Octylmethoxycinnamate
Ozokerite
Oxybenzone
Cetyl Esters
Allantoin
Since I did not know what these were I went to my old friend Google for some information and this is what I found out.
Octylmethoxycinnamate is associated with endocrine disruption and it interferes with cellular signaling, causes mutations, leads to cell death and may be implicated in cardiovascular disease.
Ozokerite is a hydrocarbon wax derived from mineral sources or from petroleum (which we use to fuel our cars). This is most definitely not for my mouth since I would never put my mouth to fuel.
Oxybenzone is so bad it is restricted for cosmetic use in Japan. It is also associated with endocrine disruption and it interferes with cellular signaling, causes mutations, leads to cell death and may be implicated in cardiovascular disease.
Cetyl Esters is just a synthetic wax. OK not so bad compared to the rest of the list.
Allantoin is derived from animals so it is not vegan. Not only is it derived from animals but it is derived from cow urine. Disgusting!! I would most definitely not want to put cow urine on my MOUTH!!
Google is a wonderful tool so do not be afraid to use it this Holiday season before you put anything in or on your body.
Happy Holidays!
Thanks very much for this information, it’s very informative,I wish you a very safe holiday.