I recently got an e-mail from Natalie and she asked, “Will you be doing a post on using all natural soaps/lotions/cosmetics, etc.? I would be curious to know what skin care products people use and how it works for them. Do you or anyone you know use Origins products? Origins is sold at Macy’s and perhaps other department stores of the same caliber.”
I don’t know a lot about this topic, so I hope you’ll share your knowledge by commenting below!
All I know is what I love…here are my personal favorites:
- I use Coconut oil for my skin after a day in the sun, or for moisturizing my legs after shaving. Knowing all the health benefits and that there are no other chemicals in there, just coconut oil, makes me feel good about using it. Here are the best deals I could find on organic virgin coconut oil.
- Burt’s Bees lip “shimmers”. They’re $5 at the store for a small tube, but I love the stuff, I’m almost addicted. Their ingredient list includes some natural oils, and I’m convinced that if I feel a cold sore coming on, I’ll use it often and they either don’t show up at all, or they’re much less severe than I used to get. It comes in a variety of colors. ***Depending on how many you want, I just found them cheaper at the link below!***
- Recently we’ve been trying a variety of all natural soaps, because when we try going back to regular store-bought soaps, they all have a fakey sweet smell to us now. But they’re expensive…
- When getting my hair cut recently I told the hairdresser that I still use Suave, and hadn’t gotten into the natural shampoos yet. She got the same look on her face that I get when I find out someone is using margarine instead of butter! So lately I’ve also been trying different all natural shampoos and conditioners, but haven’t found a favorite yet. For the kids I do like the Shaklee baby bath/shampoo, though. It’s very mild and I don’t have to worry about what is in there. Email me if you’d like to order some.
I also asked Jenn for her opinion:
I use a ‘potpourri’ of all-natural or organic products. I looked into the line called, Origins, and the first thing that shocked me was how expensive it is. Wow! I haven’t used this line or heard of anyone else using it. Below are some of the brands I use.
If you’re looking specifically for organics, there are a few other lines that are less expensive: Aubry Organics, Giovanni, Burt’s Bees and Kiss My Face. Real Purity is another line, but the prices are about as expensive as this brand. Real Purity has an INCREDIBLE deodorant. All-natural and it REALLY works!!!
Here are a few price comparisons on some random items:
- Origins Lip Balm: $15; Kiss My Face Organic Lip Balm: $3.49
- Origins Facial cleanser: 5oz $17.50; Burt’s Bees Cleanser (not organic, but all-natural): 6oz. $8.00
- Origins Shampoo: 8.5oz $12.00; Giovanni: 8.5 oz $8
- I saw Origins had a facial moisturizer: 1.6 oz. for $60. OUCH! Honestly, I use straight up coconut oil for moisturizer. It has so many healing properties and is MUCH cheaper. You can find it at the cheapest price out there through the Kelly’s coconut oil post: 15oz for $12 (plus free shipping). (Even less $ for larger amounts.)
Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmers:
Note: these are the lip shimmers I mentioned above, they are $2.95 through this seller, and if you just buy one, the shipping kills you and they’re much more costly than you can find at the store. But if you buy 5 or 6 of them at once (stock up or go in with friends?), then you can get them for less than at the store.
- Lip Shimmer – Champagne, 0.0975 oz., (Burt’s Bees)
This one is my favorite color.
- Lip Shimmer – Raisin, 0.0975 oz., (Burt’s Bees)
- Lip Shimmer – Nutmeg, 0.0975 oz., (Burt’s Bees)
- Lip Shimmer – Merlot, 0.0975 oz., (Burt’s Bees)
More Burt’s Bees Products
(Check out this fancy Amazon link I found! You can use the arrows to look at everything and then hover over the product for pricing info.)
- Do you wonder if I make any money when someone buys something through a link at my site? Read #3 at this FAQ post.
- I LOVE this easy recipe from Jenn: Mexican Lasagna
- Don’t be afraid of the SUNSHINE!
(Many more topics & recipes along the right in the sidebar)
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{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Bob A. 06.27.08 at 3:16 am
Hey Kel- For an all-natural soap, you might try Kirk’s Original Coco Castile Soap. It’s about a buck a bar at Meijer. I love it, it’s natural, and it’s not too expensive. I also use it as my shampoo! ; )
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Kelly the Kitchen Kop 06.27.08 at 3:45 am
Bob,
I’m putting this on my Meijer list! Most of the all-natural bars are $4-5 each…
Thanks!
Kel
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green mom for Jesus 06.27.08 at 3:46 am
Melaleuca has wonderful soaps, shampoos & conditioners. They also have natural kids soaps, lip balm, sun screen, make-up, etc…
I’ve been using their products for almost two years now and am very happy with them.
Check out my blog for more information at http://greenmomforjesus.blogspot.com
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Nicole 06.27.08 at 5:20 am
Avalon Organics has good skincare products without parabans. I avoid parabans so this was an important factor. It doesn’t contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or Sodium Laureth Sulfate(SLS) either. These are in many products. Melaluca cleansing products do contain parabans in many shampoos and washes. The company, like Shaklee, says they are working to make the products without parabans due to customer response. The danger of parabans is still debatable but if there is a risk I’m avoiding it.
Here is a link about SLS:
http://www.healthy-communications.com/slsmostdangerousirritant.html
As for shampoos I’ve found Nature’s Gate Tea Tree shampoos lather well and don’t make my hair greasy in hours or a day. I can go a few days without washing. Also no parabans or SLS.
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Kelly the Kitchen Kop 06.27.08 at 5:42 am
Hi Nicole,
Where do you get the Nature’s Gate shampoos? Do they also have a good conditioner?
Thanks,
Kelly
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green mom for Jesus 06.27.08 at 7:21 am
Nicole -
Thanks for the info on SLS.
It’s great to have a community bringing for information.
I do see that one brand of Shampoo from Melaleuca contains this, but others do not.
Many of the ingredients are derived from vegetable/plant based things.
The other products – kids,cleaning, and beauty products do NOT contain SLS
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Anna 06.27.08 at 9:19 am
The personal products issue is a real can of worms. I really find the lack of hard, credible information quite vexing, so mostly I have just cut down on the number of products I use, just to be on the prudent side. I really didn’t need so many anyway.
Like you I have started to use coconut oil and pure shea butter for keeping moisture in the skin they act as a barrier for moisture loss and do not *add* moisture). I didn’t like going without any antiperspirant, but didn’t like the “natural” deodorants without parabens, either. I’ve struck a happy medium with one of those mineral salts that you wet and apply (until I learn something awful about those, I guess). My husband and I also like Dr. Bonner’s Peppermint castile soap – bar and liquid (one of the few fragranced products I use anymore) because a) is it made locally in our county, and b) the peppermint oil has a great morning “wake-up” freshness.
I also look for products that don’t contain SLS, fluoride, fragrances (natural or synthetic) or parabens (preservatives that are endocrine-disruptors).
As skin is our largest organ, it isn’t clear how much we absorb or don’t absorb through our skin, but the amount of lifetime exposure to certain potentially problematic chemicals is quite high for the average person in a modern westernized society, between oral care products, cleansing, moisturizing, sunscreening, scents, and make-up.
But because these products aren’t ingested, they are considered safe to use topically (but that also ignores that we also breath in the fumes of some of these compounds, too). And they are tested only for a short time and in isolation, not as a cumulative effect over a long time or with many products. There is just so much that isn’t known, nor is it being investigated with any rigor.
The issue of endocrine-disruptors (estrogen-like mimics that bind with our estrogen receptors, in both females *and* males) is especially important, as they are being cited as potential factors in weight gain, diabetes, and sexual development issues.
Carcinogenic ingredients are also used in some products, particularly perfumes and colognes.
Synthetic chemicals are often cited, such as BPA in plastics that leach, -parabens, etc., but I even ran an across some info on natural frangrance oils, such as lavender oil, being a potential endocrine disruptor. Think about J & J’s “soothing” lavender scented baby wash! I’m trying to track down more info on lavender and other fragrance oils and their ability to interfere with hormone receptors.
And try to find products without any fragrance! “Unscented” doesn’t mean “no fragrance” chemicals, they can still have “masking fragrance” to cover the odor of the other ingredients. Unscented just means no obvious fragrance or a neutral fragrance. “Fragrance-free” is the thing to look for if you want to avoid fragrance chemicals. I finally found a fragrance free shampoo. Shampoo seems to be preferred highly fragranced, no matter how “natural” the ingredients. Some of the “natural” shampoos are smellier than the ones with lots of synthetic compounds!
Speaking of “natural” and “chemicals”, I tend to ignore those on labels and marketing claims. A chemical is just two or more elements bonded together. H2O (water) is a chemical. NaCl (salt) is a chemical. The word chemical is used the wrong way when people make “chemical-free” claims for “natural” products. Same with the word “natural”. Arsenic is natural, too. So is snake venom, as well as all sorts of other toxic things. Even water is natural and can be toxic, if over-ingested (or while drowning). Dare I say sugar is natural and toxic, too?
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Kelly the Kitchen Kop 06.27.08 at 9:46 am
Great info Anna, thank you!
Amy, thanks for checking on the SLS in those products.
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Jody 06.29.08 at 2:13 pm
I have had various favorites over the past six or so years, when I switched all of our personal care products over to more natural products. At first, I used more ready made organic products from UNFI or Burt’s Bees. Now I tend to order from Frontier because I get the best price from them. I tend these days toward simpler and even homemade products because they are so much cheaper and I know exactly what is in them. Anyway, my favorites:
coconut oil for face and body moisturizer, diaper rash, etc.
I recently found a recipe for homemade deodorant that is the *best* deodorant I have ever used! It is :
1/8 cup (2T.) baking soda
1/8 cup (2T.) arrowroot powder
1/8 cup (2T.) coconut oil
1/2 T. almond/vitamin E oil (because I have it, and need to use it, and I love the smell of it!)
a few drops thieves blend eo.
I also mixed the thieves blend from an online recipe.
For the kids, I often use Dr. Bronner’s liquid or bar soaps. Currently, since we have a baby in the house, I like to use California Baby wash because it is tear-free, and we are using another tear free AuraCacia Kid’s shampoo for my olders who are learning to wash their hair themselves. My new favorite shampoo is Lavagio Prima hair treatment.
I use Bare Minerals makeup currently and really like it.
I have used salt and baking soda as toothpaste for years, but recently tried the Tropical Traditions tooth cleaner. I like it, and may just try mixing up my own next time around , playing with the ingredient list. It is mainly coconut oil and baking soda.
I also like the Desert Essence Organic line of lotions . I am fond of their Pistachio Foot Cream.
I like to get handmade soaps from a couple of work-at-home moms online. I also try to get natural pump soaps for at the sink–we are currently using JASON satin soaps.
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Anonymous 06.29.08 at 6:18 pm
I’ve been using Burt’s Bees Facial cream cleanser and tomatoe toner for about 7mo. now and my face has never been better. I’ve struggled w/acne all my life. I’ve found that when I stopped using harsh products made specifically for acne…I’ve elimanted my acne?–go figure. Also I just recently bought Kiss my Face’s tinted moisturizer….GREAT STUFF. I have oily skin and this product doensn’t leave my face greasy or oily..it actually made my face appeare matte. It also evened out my skin tone and looks great. A must try!
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Kelly the Kitchen Kop 06.29.08 at 6:51 pm
Great tip for those who have acne issues!
Jody, when you mix up that deodorant recipe, how do you apply it?
Kelly
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Nicole 06.30.08 at 4:35 am
Kelly,
I purchased the Nature’s Gate products at GNC in the mall. I found many of them on clearance. I don’t think many people shop there for beauty products.
I also have the tea Tree conditioner and that works really well. Meijer carries the products too.
Another shampoo and conditioner I’ve tried is the Avalon Organics. They work well on the kids(really fine hair) but leave my hair really greasy in a few hours. They smell good though and don’t contain the items I don’t like.
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Jody 06.30.08 at 5:56 am
I mix the deodorant up in a half pint jar and put it on with my fingers, but I think it would also work to put it in an old deodorant stick container.
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Kelly the Kitchen Kop 06.30.08 at 6:20 pm
In an e-mail from Natalie:
“Thanks so much for doing the post on the natural care products. I find it most interesting to see what everyone uses. I would also love to know what laundry products people use.”
Personally I’ve only tried one: Meijer organics. It was terrible. Nothing got clean and stains stayed put. Now I’m back to Tide with bleach and it gets everything out.
If anyone knows of more natural products that actually work, and that aren’t outrageously expensive, let us all know!
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Nicole 07.01.08 at 3:54 am
Both Melaluca and Shaklee have awesome laundry detergents. I’ve used the liquid Mela-Power and the powder Shaklee Basic-L. I don’t pretreat stains and everything is clean.
The price might seem high at first but you only use a very small amount unlike your Tide. So it works out to be VERY econical.
If you don’t want to join a company like the above Allen’s Naturally is another good one. It is also highly recommended. I use it to wash my cloth diapers. For a load you only need a couple Tablespoons! You can order online. There are often co-ops on orders if you search the web you can find good deals.
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Natalie 07.01.08 at 5:42 pm
I currently use Tide as my laundry detergent with liquid Downey as my fabric softner. Everyone in my family has eczema of differing degrees with myself and my youngest son having the worst of it. I have not switched laundry soaps to see if this would help alleviate the skin issues. Someone told me to try Cheer Free and Clear as that has helped alleviate his children’s skin issues. Apparently Tide Free and Clear does not work well. I have also heard to not use fabric softner dryer sheets as these are a huge irritant to skin. I’ve also heard that some detergents work so well that a fabric softner isn’t even needed.
I can’t seem to find a laundry detergent that meets all of my requirements so if anyone knows of one, please let me know. I have an HE front-loading washing machine so I need an HE laundry detergent that is a liquid. I believe that the laundry soap needs to be specifically formulated for HE machines and don’t believe in just using less of a regular soap. I would love the soap to be great for sensitive skin, fragrance free, and “green”.
Has anyone tried Method, Seventh Generation, Charlie’s Soap, Country Save, Ecover, Bio-Kleen, Mrs. Meyers, etc.? I know some of these aren’t HE specific.
Since I suggested this particular post, thanks to everyone who has shared the products that they use for both personal products and laundry soaps. Keep them coming! It is nice to try a product based on someone’s recommendation.
Nicole, thanks for the recommendation on Allen’s Naturally as I have never even heard of that one before. Thanks for the reminder too about Shaklee. Someone has recommended their laundry products to me previously.
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Natalie 07.03.08 at 9:26 am
I’ve just returned from a trip to my local Meijer store and am very impressed by the number of natural personal care products that they carry.
It is worth browsing through the aisles if you are looking to try some new items like I am. It is even more fun when browsing and you see an item that has been recommended on this post!
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Jokes1941 09.28.08 at 11:31 am
I use Jason shampoos , I used up some of my other natural shampoos that I didn’t care for and found that coconut oil LIGHTY smoothed on after towel drying but still damp was the best conditioner, no matter what shampoo I used, I would not ever use Natures Gate after I read about Lauryl Sulfates that they use in most of their products , ( check it out on Google )I like Crystal deodarant as it is bacteria killer and that is what causes odor.I use Hydrogen peroxide 35% food grade diluted to 1%,squeaky clean teeth and whitens as well as kills bacteria.
Coconut oil is my only moisturizer and I LOVE it ,use it on entire body.
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Kelly the Kitchen Kop 09.28.08 at 7:17 pm
I’m not sure how you’re able to use coconut oil, however lightly, on your hair without it looking greasy. If I use coc. oil on my body (I love it too) then my hands even accidentally get by my hair a little, I look like a greaseball all day.
How do you know how to dilute the peroxide just right?
2 more questions:
Where do you find the Crystal deodorant and the Jason shampoos?
Thanks for all your great scoop!
Kelly
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Andrea 09.30.08 at 6:15 pm
We use baking soda to brush our teeth. I’ve tried Tom’s of Maine, Jason, and Kiss my face and did not like them. The Tom’s we got had the consistency of vaseline, and the other two tasted fine and worked okay, but left me foaming at the mouth until the next morning…my saliva literally BUBBLED! We use ecos laundry detergent for everything, even cloth diapers and baby clothes. The have a free and clear version we use when we can find it. We use sunlight for bleaching any stains that don’t come out in the wash. My friend told me she puts baking soda in to get her whites whiter. We don’t use fabric softener, but before we married, my husband used to use dryer sheets to keep his stuff from getting staticky. We found that if we slightly under-dry the clothes and then put it on “air dry/tumble/no heat” to get the last of the moisture out, then there is no static. I use coconut oil as well for skin, though I find if I put it on my face I need to put it on VERY lightly, like just using the residue left on my hands from purring it on the rest of my body, or it will feel very heavy on my face. We still use conventional shampoo and conditioner…haven’t gotten to switching those out yet. We use Dove soap, and should probably think of switching that out for something healthier, too. I don’t know if anyone has tackled this subject or not, but what about razors for shaving? I can’t seem to find anything without a moisturizer strip or a scented strip…even the cheapo disposables have moisturizer/scented strips! Any ideas?
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Kelly the Kitchen Kop 10.01.08 at 7:38 am
I haven’t bought razors in a long while, but last I did, they still had a bag of disposables with no moisturizer strip…?
Check out the first comment above – we really like that soap.
Thanks for all your info!
Kelly
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Trixiestixxx 02.21.09 at 8:37 am
I usually use ECOS laundry detergent because I like the smell, although it is faint, and no harsh chemicals. I have also used seventh generation detergent, fabric softener, cleaning products, & paper items and I am satisfied with their products, also. I use Bio-Kleen odor out and I like it and I feel like they make pretty trustworthy “green” products.
I have broken down & bought quite a few Method & Mrs. Meyers cleaning products several times because I just love the way they smell. However, after fully reading the ingredients list on all items made by both companies, I just can’t shake the feeling that their ingredients list is “hiding” a lot of things besides the fact that some of the products have SLS & parabens. I also am starting to wonder how “green” cleaning products really are when they smell really, really, really good.
As for organic skin care I keep coming back to Eminence. I really like it and you could almost eat these products. They are a little pricier but you only use a small amount and it goes a long way so I think it evens up with other cheaper products in the long run.
After much reading it just gets harder & harder to know if a product really is what it is. So many ingredients can be listed using a general blanket word like “fragrance” which contains at least 253 different things. A lot of ingredients are simply left off the list beause they are considered private information of the companies because it is their trade secret. I always wonder if company execs use their own products…..
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Kelly 02.21.09 at 1:34 pm
That makes me think of why I like to buy our food right from the farmers, so you can get to know them and you know they’re eating what they’re selling. It’s not as easy to know the person you buy your natural body care products from! Although, in the comments above and in this post (http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2009/02/treating-lice-with-coconut-oil-random-reader-question-1.html) readers tell how they make some of their own shampoo, etc. We can’t get much more sure of what’s in our products than that!
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Claudea 03.18.09 at 1:13 am
The Environmental Working Group has a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products called Skin Deep.
I always check it before I buy a product to see how safe it is.
Check it out at
http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/
You will be surprised to see that even the so called natural products are not that safe.
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Lauren 03.18.09 at 8:37 am
Claudea,
Thank you SO much for posting that incredible website! I had NO idea how horrible so many products are. I found that probably more than 75% of the products our family uses have a 7-10 rating! Yuck!!! I don’t have time to make my own products, so I hope more people will comment here. If anyone goes on that website that Claudea mentioned and sees a product that they have tried that has a 0-2 rating (low hazard) and loved it or hated it, please comment. I really don’t want to go through every category and spend all kinds of money trying so many products out. If there is a makeup that you absolutely love, or a baby shampoo that you could not do without, etc. please list it here. I’m sure there are a lot of working moms that read this blog too who are in the same boat as I am who cannot find the time to make their own personal care products. I stress out enough with “real food” and what to buy and what not to buy.
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Julie 03.18.09 at 9:01 am
I am a skin care products junkie. Over the years I’ve tried so many for my very sensitive, and in the past few years, rosacea prone skin. I recommend Suki’s Naturals. It really calms down the troubled soul of skin! The ingredients are pure and natural. My favorite is the facial oil for sensitive skin. the website is sukisnaturals.com
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MARIA 04.19.09 at 2:52 pm
“Good for your skin makeup”
Hello,
My oldest daughter is getting married and we would love to host a make up party for the bridesmaids and some of her close friends, however, I want to use makeup that is good for one’s skin.
Does anyone know of a makeup company that exist like this; does parties and has a makeup line that is good for your skin with no harmful ingredients? We are not heavy makeup users, we like the natural look and we don’t want to put things on our skin that isn’t good for it – we also have sensitive skin.
I use these skin care products, which I love – but they do not have a makeup line:
http://www.naturoli.com/
I really don’t want to use MaryKay or Beauty Control etc..
Any input that anyone could share would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Kelly, for all your great info!!!
-Maria
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Kelly 04.19.09 at 3:10 pm
Hi Maria,
Hopefully someone else will jump in, but my best suggestion is to just go back over this post and all the comments and read each link to see which one sounds the best to you. Not much help, I know, but that’s all I’ve got! One more that may not have been mentioned (can’t remember and no time to go look), is “Arbonne”, I’ve heard good things about that, too. Shaklee is also known for being safe and well-researched, and I think they have make-up.
Sorry I’m not much help!
Kelly
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Joanna 01.08.10 at 12:59 am
Sadly most companies, despite their lovely adverts have ingredients I would not want to put on my skin, or even wash down the sink! I searched for years for skin care & make up that I was happy with. I am now selling certified organic skin care as a result. I would not be so bold as to slate other companies, yet I do believe in us becoming “Ingredient Detectives” as the key to empowering ourselves.
Just like food, there are companies that one buys from, with the best of intentions only to later find the box did not tell the whole story. Let me leave it at that…
Be aware that many ‘eco’ branded companies, that started many years ago with great ethos, are now owned by bigger companies that make many polluting products with ingredients such as fluoride, oxybenzone, sodium lauryl sulphate, butylene glycol, and sadly profits usually dictate decisions.
I have a page on my website highlighting the dangers in regular skin care & cosmetics.
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