5 healthy things you can do to take care of your self organically. Interview with Charmaine Cianciullo

Charmaine Cianciullo is an organic esthetician, an activist for safe cosmetics, and the host of the popular video beauty blog Glamology – on which she discusses green beauty tips, products, and DIY beauty recipes. She is also the owner of Peppermint Organic Spa and mintandberry.com – an organic esthetic salon and online eco beauty boutique.

Bryan: What gave you the idea to start GLAMOLOGY?

Charmaine: I grew up with very sensitive and acneic skin and for most of my life I had always assumed it was due to genetics, hormones, or the weather. After working in the beauty industry for 8 years as an esthetician and skincare therapist; I learned a lot about the human body, skincare ingredients, and the cosmetic industry as a business. I was shocked to discover that the cosmetic industry is largely unregulated by any federal safety agency and many of my beauty products contained dozens of untested, toxic and harmful chemical ingredients like parabens, phalates, formaldehyde releasing chemicals, heavy metals and lead. Not only were these harsh chemicals exasperating my skin condition but also poisoning my body, and that of my clients, friends, family and coworkers. Now I try to help educate and enlighten others on becoming aware of the dangers of conventional skincare

Bryan: What makes your service different from other beauty consultants?

Charmaine: I focus primarily on education and encouraging clients to become aware and informed. My goal is to help people become more aware and educated of what ingredients are in their cosmetic and personal care products. It’s all about making the best decisions possible but when we don’t have all the information we can’t do that.

Bryan: What advice can you give to men that are interested in taking care of themselves in a healthy way?

Charmaine: Even though traditionally, women use more personal care products then men, each day men still use an average of 6 products and are exposed to over 85 untested and potentially harmful or cancer-causing chemicals. This number can increase into 100s or 1000s if you include the number of chemical contaminants in our air, food and water. The ultimate result of all of this exposure is clearly evident in our society: increase in cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity, endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity and neurodevelopmental disorders, toxicity of the brain, kidneys, liver and lungs.

Personal care and cosmetic companies use untested and harmful chemicals for the simple reason that they are a cheaper alternative to natural ingredients. The technical term is “poisioning for profit” and it is legal because in North America cosmetic companies are virtually unregulated and do not require any safety testing of ingredients. Of the more than 10,000 chemical ingredients in cosmetic and personal care products less then 10% have actually been tested and of those that have been tested virtually none have ever been banned despite clear links to disease and illness.

The best advice I can give anyone is to choose to not be a victim. Don’t rely on government to protect you or the promises of big corporations that something is “safe”. Start reading ingredient lists on products and consider choosing more natural options. For every product that contains cancer-causing ingredients there is an alternative product without them.

Bryan: What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome on your way to success in this business?

Charmaine: For me the biggest challenge is reaching people who have been misinformed for years by corporate advertising and ultimately who have become obedient consumers instead of informed consumers.

Bryan: Tell us 5 things people can do to take care of themselves straight away:

Charmaine:

1. Don’t read labels; learn to read ingredients.

Unlike the food industry, there are no laws for words like “natural”, “organic”, or “herbal” on product labels. Many advertise with these buzzwords but still contain synthetic petrochemicals, toxins, and harsh preservatives. A product's ingredients are the most important thing to look at, and while it’s impossible to memorize every hazardous ingredient to avoid but as a rule of thumb – if you can’t pronounce it; it's probably toxic. The most common toxic ingredients in skincare products you may want to avoid are: Alluminum, Butyl Acetate, Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), Coal Tar, Cocamide DEA/Lauramide DEA, Diazolidinyl Urea, Ethyl Acetate, Formaldehyde, Fragrance, Parabens (methyl, ethyl, propyl and butyl), Petrolatum (petroleum jelly), Phthalates, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Laureth/Sodium Laurel Sulfate, Talc, Toluene, Triethanolamine (TEA).

2. Choose products that do not contain “fragrance” or “parfume”.

Fragrance is found in many products like shampoos, deodorants, lotions, and shaving creams. By law companies don’t have to disclose what chemicals are in “fragrance”. But most often fragrance contains hundreds of potentially hazardous ingredients which are likely to be toxic to the brain, endocrine, and immune system. Look for products that do not contain the word “fragrance”, instead choose products that use natural essential oils. Be aware that some products may say “un-scented” but still contain fragrance to cover up the other chemical scents.

3. Buy only cruelty-free products.

Testing products on animals is torture and shouldn’t even be required if the product doesn’t contain potentially harmful ingredients. Make sure that the products you buy clearly advertise that they have not been tested on animals. Look for the PETA “cruelty free” or leapingbunny.org logos on the packaging.

4. Use water-based nail polish instead of conventional polish and remover.

Conventional nail polish and removers contain toxic chemicals like toluene and formaldehyde which are linked to cancer, reproductive harm, birth defects, and other negative health effects. Try water-based nail polish and remover which are odor free and have a very low hazardous rating.

5. Use the Internet to research the safest of your products.

The best website for researching cosmetic safety is The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database (cosmeticdatabase.org) - you can search by ingredient or product and get a detailed profile of health concern and referenced medical studies. You can also view lists of alternative non-toxic beauty products as well.