It’s time to stop getting suckered into the spend on beauty products, which seem to go up in price the older we get, and could actually be doing us more harm than good.
A recently published survey done by beauty e-tailer SkinStore, showed that women in the United States spend about $300,000 just on their face during their lifetime. $300,000.
Interestingly research from financial comparison site Mozo.com.au found Aussies are spending $22 billion a year on their appearance with professional hair colouring and skincare products draining the most cash.
Beauty expert Meghan Brazier says many women are even wasting money on popular beauty treatments which could even be harmful.
In a recent blog post, Meg talks about products such as Bio Oil, which costs between $10 and $20 a pop, and how it contains potentially damaging ingredients.
“When i was pregnant I was paranoid about getting stretch marks and was lathering myself in Bio Oil … but I soon found out how toxic it was and it made me sick.”
She says Bio Oil scores a 7 on the Environmental Working Group. The highest scoring is a 10, which means it is the most harmful.
According to a study by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), one of the key ingredients in Bio Oil, Retinyl Palmitate, may when exposed to the skin and sunlight, speed the development of skin tumors and lesions.
Germany has actually banned the ingredient amid fears that it may lead to birth defects because of the large number of pregnant women who would use it.
Meg says there are other simple beauty treatments that women can use which are healthier and more cost effective.
- Drink water to make the skin more elastic
- Eat Protein-to make collagen. So have more legumes, meats and nuts
- Consume vitamin D-fish oil
- Consumer vitamin A, C andE to promote skin healing. So have more fruit and vegetables
- Eat lots of healthy fats such as salmon, avocado and eggs
- If you are shopping for a cream or oil for your skin, look for ones that use 100 per cent pure botanical oils mixed in with safe creams to hydrate your skin.
