Cancer and Clean Beauty

With the new year, I decided it would be a good time to focus on a few things I have been wanting to do for quite some time. One of those things is cleaning up my beauty routine. I want to focus on making smarter choices about the products I choose and how I treat my body.

Our skin is our largest organ, and what we put onto our skin is absorbed through our body. The problem? Many of the products we use contain toxic chemicals which have been linked to things like cancer, asthma, and infertility.

The cosmetics industry is very unregulated, and companies have the ability to put all sorts of toxins into their products. The US has not passed a major federal law governing the cosmetics industry since 1938. The EU bans over 1,400 ingredients from personal care products. The US bans or restricts only 30.

With my recent diagnosis of Li-Fraumeni syndrome and my elevated risk of developing cancer, I decided to make some changes. I didn’t want to be using products that could contribute to my already elevated risk of developing cancer.

So, to get started, I downloaded the EWG healthy living app which allows you to look up or scan the barcode of products to see how “clean” they are. Some of the products I was using weren’t the worst offenders for toxins, but they were definitely not “clean” either. Some of the ingredients in the products I was using were listed as “possible carcinogens.”

I felt defeated. Was I really using products that contained carcinogens?! How could I be doing that to my body. I knew I needed to make a change. I started researching cleaner products and brands. I found some great products offered by brands like Beautycounter and W3LL People.

Check it out below to see what products I have been using!

Let me preface by saying I am not a Beautycounter consultant, so I have literally zero skin in the game (pun intended). However, I truly love their products, and I don’t even have to think when I am shopping with them because it’s all clean. This is my favorite clean beauty brand. My awesome sister happens to be a Beautycounter consultant, so she created a little pop-up shop to make it easy! My personal favorites are linked below.

Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer – $45.00

Skin Twin Featherweight Foundation – $45.00

All Over Radiant Bronzer – $39.00

Counter+ Overnight Resurfacing Peel – $63.00

Beautycounter Counterstart Cocoboost Moisturizer – $29.00

Countermatch Adaptive Body Moisturizer – $39.00

Color Outline Eye Pencil – $24.00

Counter+ Charcoal Face Mask – $49.00

Volumizing Mascara – $29.00

W3LL People is a brand I found at Target in the natural beauty section (Beware that not all products in the Target natural beauty section are clean though). They have a ton of great options at reasonable prices. I linked my favorites below!

Pressed Powder Foundation – $27.99

Expressionist Liquid Eyeliner Black – $19.99

Expressionist Brow Gel – $14.99

Narcissist Foundation Stick – $28.99

Bio Correct Multi-Action Concealer – $22.99

Hypnotist Eye Pencil – $17.99

Bio Bronzer Baked Powder – $19.99

Expressionist Pro Mascara – $19.99

You don’t need to be diagnosed with a disease to make changes in your lifestyle. Be proactive and make smarter choices. There are so many great options out there that don’t cause harm to your body. I am no clean beauty expert. I am just trying to make some smarter choices and do better for my body.

You can start by swapping out a few products at a time as you use up old products. It doesn’t have to be a super expensive overhaul all at once. Little changes can add up to a big difference!