Bio Oil is a topical product that is marketed as a “specialist skincare product that helps improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks and uneven skin tone.” It is the number 1 selling scar and stretch mark product in Australia and is the most recommended product for scars and stretch marks by pharmacists.
But did you know what Bio Oil’s ingredients are and how they affect your health? The Environmental Working Groups’ Skin Deep Database (http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/) scores Bio Oil a 7 which is “high hazard” and it scores high for health concerns for its ingredients for developmental and reproductive toxicity. Ironic when so many pregnant women use Bio Oil to unknowingly rub harmful chemicals into their skin.
My concerns are the top 4 listed ingredients:
- Paraffinum liquidum(mineral oil)
- Triisononanon
- Cetearyl ethyl hexanoate
- Isopropyl myristate
Isopropyl myristate causes irritation to the skin, lungs and eyes.
Triisononanon enhances skin absorption of the product it’s in.
Mineral oil is associated with allergies and may cause organ system toxicity and is derived from petroleum.
Bio Oil also contains fragrance and fragrances are associated with allergies, dermatitis and potential effects of the reproductive system especially if phthalates are involved in the mix. The preservative use is butylated hydroxytoluene which has strong evidence to show developmental effects at high doses in animal studies.
The problem is that we absorb all of these chemicals and bioaccumulate them. The levels build in our bodies as we continue to store them, mainly in fat cells and bones.
When a woman is pregnant, the unborn child becomes a natural detoxifier for her – the baby “downloads” chemicals and heavy metals. Proof of this has been shown in various studies. What you put on your body and in your body has a profound effect on your health and your child’s health. Here is just one research paper that demonstrates that babies are born with a chemical load derived from their mothers. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21349779
I am using Bio Oil as an example but once you start looking at the products you use (skincare, make up , body care, household cleaning, conventional food etc) I think you will be amazed at what you find. The average Australian woman puts 13 products on her body before leaving the house each day. There is potential here for accumulation of harmful chemicals and an increase in body burden.
A valuable resource book to read is “Slow Death by a Rubber Duck” written by two brilliant researchers and scientists. My resources also include the Skin Deep Database and the book “The Chemical Maze” by Bill Statham.
