Learn What’s Really In Your Big Store Brand Soap And How It May Be Affecting Your Health

A lot of our customers have already made the decision to live a natural or organic-based lifestyle, and we think that’s great!

Others are still in the process of making changes or are just at the beginning of their personal journey, and that’s great too!

For us at here at Peaceful Living, we want to support you in living a life that feels good on every level.

One of the reasons we began this company was because we wanted to use products that were healthy for our bodies, had a low impact on the planet, and could be produced in as ethical a manner as possible.

When making any lifestyle change or trying something new there’s usually a learning curve involved.

Sometimes it looks more like unlearning and you need to set aside previous information you once believe to be the truth.

When we were developing our soaps we went through our own education process of learning about all the chemicals used in big company soaps and what affects they were having on our collective health.

We also had to unlearn some of the information packaged into marketing messages from the beauty and cosmetics industry. Especially anything that pushes consumers towards unnatural products full of lab-produced chemicals.

The choice was clear for us and we decided to produce our soaps using all natural ingredients that we can be proud of.

This article is part 1 of a multi-part series that breaks down each harmful chemical you find in big brand soaps, what health effects and issues they can cause, and why you won’t find any of them listed among the ingredients of our Peaceful Living soaps.

Chemical: Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a chemical that’s used in many body washes, shampoos, conditioners, and cleansers as a preservative.

It’s added as a disinfectant that works to stop the growth of bacteria, but it’s also known to be a carcinogen and has been associated with nasopharyngeal and nasal cancers, as well as neurotoxicity and developmental toxicity. (Source)

Formaldehyde has been linked to skin allergies and can weaken the immune system leaving the body prone to diseases.

Other symptoms tied to formaldehyde exposure are uneven heartbeats, fatigue, and headaches. (Source)

It’s fairly rare that you will see formaldehyde listed on a product label, maybe people are aware that it’s a harmful chemical so when it’s used it’s often combined with another chemical compound and labeled under a different name.

Here’s what to look out for on your product labels to avoid Formaldehyde:

Quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3 diol (Bronopol)

(Source)

Chemical: Parabens

Parabens are another preservative commonly used in beauty products to prevent mold, yeast, and bacteria from growing.

You will find parabens used in products just like formaldehyde, but what’s different about parabens is that they are also known as estrogen mimickers and hormone disruptors!

Exposure to parabens should be limited as much as possible, especially for women because they trick the body into thinking it’s already produced enough estrogen and it will start making estrogen in lower amounts. (Source)

This can result in decreased muscle mass, increased fat deposits, and has been linked to early onsets of puberty. Studies have also shown it can have harmful effects on the reproductive health of both men and women.

For women in particular, it’s tied to an increase in breast tumors, so it should absolutely be avoided. (Source)

Further, parabens are also tied to neurological toxicity and disorders. (Source)

Parabens come in a variety of forms, and they all come with the same risks.

Here’s what to look out for on your product labels to avoid Parabens:

Methylparaben, propylparaben, isobutylparaben, butylparaben, and ethylparaben.

Try Go Peaceful Living’s All Natural USDA Organic Soaps

You won’t find any of these harmful chemical compounds in Go Peaceful Living’s soaps. All our products are certified USDA organic and make from natural plant extracts and essential oils. There really is no need to continue to use soaps full of chemical disinfectants and preservatives now that naturally sourced alternatives are readily available.

We’re currently offering our soaps in three great scents, Mint, Citrus, and Lavender.

We’ll come back in part 2 of this series to discuss more unhealthy chemicals commonly found in so many of the products you find in your average drug store or pharmacy.