Stabilizers

Include Propylene Glycol.  Propylene Glycol is used in antifreeze, hydraulic fluids and as a solvent. The material safety data sheet on this ingredient warns to avoid skin contact. Propylene Glycol is implicated in contact dermatitis, kidney damage and liver abnormalities; it can inhibit skin cell growth in human tests and can damage cell membranes causing rashes, dry skin and surface damage. Is this in your moisturizer? You can find it in cosmetics, toothpaste, shampoos and conditioner, lotions, deodorants, baby wipes, processed foods and many more personal care items. Studies have shown that it is retained in your system.  Find more about it and other risks of cosmetic ingredients in:

www.ewg.org.

Preserving Ingredients

These appear in almost all cosmetic creams, and include triclosan, and methyl paraben (other forms are: propyl, ethyl, and butyl). Following is an excerpt from an article in the September 2002 issue of Happi (Household and Personal Products Industry) -- a chemical industry trade journal "Cosmetic Product Preservation" by Jabbar Mufti:

"Typical preservatives used in the cosmetic industry include methyl paraben, ethyl paraben and propyl paraben and their derivatives. They disable activity in the bacterial wall to prevent fungal contamination. This action continues when the product is on the skin and may be absorbed into the skin tissue, taken up by the blood stream and ultimately reside in the major organs. The preservative action is so stable, it continues to work while inside the body, limiting the normal enzyme activity of the body. How do we know this? Autopsies performed on cancerous tumours have shown residues of methyl-, ethyl- and propyl parabens."

Scientists have found new evidence to show you why you should think carefully about using products that contain methyl paraben. "Their experiments show that xenoestrogens in a mixture can have a very significant effect in the presence of estrogen. The additive impact of a collection of xenoestrogens, each of them at concentrations beneath their individual "no effect" level, was to more than double the effect of natural estrogen by itself."

Here`s the link to read the report on "weak" estrogens:

http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/NewScience/synergy/2002-08rajapakseetal.html

What Alternative Do We Suggest?

The products we suggest contain exclusively edible ingredients, of vegetal origin.  They contain no preserving ingredients, artificial fragrances or solvents.

MESHI:  A serum for the evening, to enhance skin flexibility and slow-down aging.  The oily texture avoids the need for preserving ingredients.  It replaces all synthetic creams and is good for dry to normal skin.  It contains moisturizing ingredients: Organic jojoba oil (very similar to the human sebum in its properties), Olive oil from trees grown in desert conditions, Sesame oil;

Free-radical scavengers: Wheat germ oil;

Skin regenerating oils: Geranium and Myrtle essential oils;  Wormwood macerated in olive oil, and more.

AVIV:  An aqueous solution, containg hydrosols of fennel, lavender, and other plants, along with essential oils, designed to open up pores for better permeation of the MESHI serum.  Also good on its own for acne-prone skin; for make-up removal; for skin cleaning.  We recommend to avoid any usage of soap solutions on the facial skin.  Suitable for all skin types.

BOKER:  An aqueous solution which enhances the skin tonus, providing a gentle "facial lift" for the morning.  Suitable for all skin types.

TISHREI:  A mask for extremely gentle peeling, made of organic jojoba seeds and plants such as wormwood and myrtle.  Promotes skin regeneration and nourishes at the same time.  This scrub is particularly useful for lightening the skin of hyper-pigmentation, as long as the hyper-pigmentation is not older than 4 months.

TSUKIM: eye contour care ointment.