Latinas & La Tia Toxica: Why Do We Show More Hormone Disrupting Chemicals In Our Blood?
A new UCSF study out last week found that Latina pregnant women had higher levels of parabens, phthalates and other chemicals which are linked to things like infertility, cancer, and more.
The study referred to the idea that this may be due to personal care products…i.e beauty products. Though there’s a clear need for Latina clean beauty, there’s zero clean beauty brands targeting Latinas at major retail – and these products are generally always really expensive .
Even the new HBO documentary not so pretty – tackles the industrial beauty injustice problem – and by the way you have to watch it.
In fact, a pioneering study from 2016 called the Hermosa study at Berkeley showed that when they decreased exposure to beauty products with these potential hormone disruptors in the bodies of Latinas, the concentration in their bodies actually went down
The problem with some of this that the jury is still out – the actual risk of many of these ingredients is inconclusive. So how can we still keep ourselves and our familias safe?
Enter Latina Green Beauty, a true way of life that helps you avoid potentially risky ingredients and also helps you also support the health of the earth.
But what does it truly mean to be “green”? At Vamigas we like to say that green beauty are products that don’t contain ingredients that are potentially problematic for both humans and the environment. That means ingredients that don’t have a multitude of peer-reviewed research articles connecting their use with health problem – and also products that don’t pollute the earth. It’s pretty simple and easy, nosierto?
But it’s not simple and easy to figure out what ingredients to avoid. And the research is murky and hard to make decisions from. We have some important books that have taught us what we know through the years – all cult clean beauty faves.
#1 Not Just a Pretty Face
This book by Stacy Malcan delves into the dark side of the beauty industry and exposes crappy regulatory agencies not doing their jobs. It dives into eye-opening facts like the fact that the European Union has banned more than 1,100 chemicals from cosmetics. The United States has banned just 10, and only 11% of chemicals used in cosmetics in the US have been assessed for health and safety – leaving a staggering 89% with unknown or undisclosed effect, and more than 70% of all personal care products may contain phthalates, which are linked to birth defects and infertility.
#2 No More Dirty Looks
This book is by two industry journalists who pull back the curtain on specific ingredients in the beauty industry and the potential problems and research studies that have been done. They focus on makeup, hair care, skincare and more, and help you understand the specific risks in some ingredients that are in the products that might be in your cabinet. This one was truly hard to put down, with dramatic and interesting twists and turns.
#3 Dirty Looks: The Secret to Beautiful Skin
This book is a little bit different – lighter reading. It focuses on solutions for people who have skin issues like eczema – and what things like stress, food, and the microbiome have to do with it. This is a great read if you have sensitive skin or are looking for a solution to skin issues that medicines or over the counter products haven’t solved. It’s a great book to read around the pool this summer, whereas the first two books are better in the evenings when you can concentrate – and take notes.
Happy summer reading amigas!
