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04January   {Beauty} A Cancer-Survivor Comes “Clean” About her Beauty Products


A year ago, FOF Tracey Brown was willing to put just about anything on her skin. As the founder of the popular beauty blog Blinging Beauty, and a former Sephora executive, she received mountains of sample products. Creamy foundations, luxe lipsticks, smoothing peels and hydrating lotions--Tracey tested every one. She admits to especially loving super-powered cosmeceuticals: “If something burned me to death or turned my skin red--that was my thing,” she says. “I liked to feel it working.”

Then, in 2010, she was diagnosed with cancer.

Specifically, chronic lymphocytic leukemia--the very blood disease that had killed her mother at 67 and her grandmother at 98.

Suddenly, she saw beauty products differently. “Having cancer made me want to use less chemicals on my skin. Period.” she explains. “Your skin is your largest organ, and what you put on it is absorbed into your bloodstream. It also made me think about my own daughters and what they use.”


According to a report from The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a nonprofit that lobbies to keep dangerous chemicals out of consumer products, “more than 1 in 5 personal care products contain chemicals linked to cancer and 56 percent contain penetration enhancers that help deliver ingredients deeper into the skin.” While the chemicals in any one product are unlikely to cause cancer in an individual, there’s simply no definitive research on the cumulative effects of being exposed to multiple products every day.

For Tracey, finding products that were safe, but also effective, became a priority. “When it comes to skincare, I’ve gone 100% to clean products,” she says. “There’s no easy way to know what’s safe. A product labeled ‘natural’ can have some pretty scary ingredients. I look at the labels, at all the ingredients (not just the active ones), and compare them to the list of chemicals that we know are dangerous.”

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics recommends checking against this list of the 12 most harmful chemicals found in cosmetics, which includes pthalates, parabens, fragrance, petroleum and sulfates.

The good news: “The new generation of ‘clean’ products, as I call them, is amazing,” says Tracey. “I use them now because I actually prefer them to the products I used to use.”

Check out Tracey’s favorite products, below, and tell us in the comments, is there any ingredient you avoid when buying cosmetics or skincare products?





slide1


GreenBeautyRegimen1

VMV Hypoallergenics. “A bit pricy, but for someone who really wants active solutions and changes on their skin, it’s a beautiful brand. I love the Illuminants Line, specifically the toner and the Advanced Brilliance treatment. They work to reduce pigmentation from sun damage or acne scars and prevent further pigmentation as well. I also use the everything cleanser.” Founded in 1979 by a dermatologist, VMV formulates its products to be completely free of the 76 most common allergens.




GreenBeautyRegimen2

Ole Henriksen African Red Tea Products. “I’ve been using his products for years--ever since I worked as an executive at Sephora, before my diagnosis. He sources his active ingredients from fruit bases instead of man-made chemicals. His African Red Tea products are a great natural anti-ager and skin strengthener.”




GreenBeautyRegimen3

Made from Earth Grapefruit Glycolic Scrub. “This is a smaller brand that reached out to me through Blinging Beauty a year ago. They have a really nice variety including a scrub that uses a glycolic”--the potent ingredient found in the most effective facial peels--”from a natural source.”




GreenBeautyRegimen4

Vapour Organic Beauty Foundation and Multi Use Aura Cheek Stain. “I’m such a fan of this whole brand, which was recommended to me by a ‘green wedding’ planner. When you put on their foundation, your skin just feels great. It’s 70 percent organic and the rest is minerals and vitamins. The cheek stain provides such a healthy glow...no one over 50 should neglect blush.”




GreenBeautyRegimen5

Josie Maran Tinted Moisturizer and Organic Argan Oil. “I’m a big advocate for tinted moisturizer. As you get older, you should be wearing less heavy makeup. Josie Maran’s is like a drink of water for my skin. You look radiant and that’s what women in this age group want. I don’t want to look like i did when I was 25, but I want to look vibrant--like I have blood pumping through my veins. Her argan oil is an incredible skin healer that’s actually used in cancer centers.




GreenBeautyRegimen6

Tarte Smoldereyes Amazonian Clay Liner and Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascara. These liners give a great quick smoky eye with a little shimmer - a lightness and brightenss, so they’re not heavy. Perfect for FOFs--you can have a hip look without looking like you’re trying to look hip.




GreenBeautyRegimen7

Tarte Lipsurgence Line. “At our age, a matte lip looks horrible and a gloss looks like, ‘where are my lips?’ This line from Tarte comes in three formulations and gives you volume and moisture. The Lustre has shine, but it’s not too glossy. The Tint is excellent and includes a pretty, natural red called Lust. I always get asked ‘what red is that?’




newslide

BITE Beauty Lip Color. “The ingredients in this line are so green you can eat it. (Probably a good thing when it comes to lipstick). I wear a few of their reds.”




GreenBeautyRegimen9

Melvita ProSun Suncare. “I use this like crazy. Their products protect from UVA and UVB, don’t leave a white residue, and they don’t have nano-particles, which can be absorbed into the skin.”




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Vapour Organic Beauty X WISB* N°1. “I really struggled to find a safe fragrance, but Vapour created this solid fragrance stick as part of their program to aid Haiti and I really like it.”





Tracey Brown and her staff try out all sorts of products for her fab blog, Blinging Beauty. (But she uses the products above "day in and day out" she says.)
  

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34 Comments

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  3. Security

    Very great post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wished to say that I’ve truly loved browsing your blog posts. In any case I will be subscribing for your feed and I’m hoping you write again very soon!

    Reply ↓
    1. admin Post author

      Hi Karen – Stay tuned! We have product tests planned with several of these brands and we’ll be announcing them in the next few weeks! –FOF EDITORS

      Reply ↓

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  8. Laura McLendon

    I can’t tell you the names of all the chemicals etc that I try to avoid. but the more natural the better is my choice!! Always!!

    Reply ↓
  9. tracey

    Thank you to everyone for well wishes. It was hard to tell this story, but when I talked to friends and colleagues, I realized that I am not the only one! I am open to any questions about products and basic beauty!

    Thanks!

    Reply ↓
  10. bamr07

    Tracey,
    I want to use products that do not have chemicals that cause cancer. Thank you for giving a list of your favorites. It helps me in my search. Happy and Healthy New Year.

    Reply ↓
    1. tracey

      Hi there–

      I’m glad my story could help. If you need any more suggestions, please feel free to reach out to me. I am an FOF guru and a member here as well.

      Best to you too
      Tracey

      Reply ↓
  11. MARY

    Considering her mother and grandmother both died from this same cancer, this article really doesn’t make sense. Sort of scare tactics! Sorry!

    Reply ↓
    1. admin Post author

      Hi Mary – I think I see what you’re saying. We (The FOF Editors) didn’t intend to suggest that Tracey got cancer from her beauty products. Clearly this disease runs in her family! However Tracey felt strongly about lowering the number of carcinogens in her environment and her personal care products once she HAD cancer. (She also told us that she has reduced the BPAs in her household products, for example.)
      I hope that clarifies!

      Reply ↓
    2. tracey

      Hi Mary–

      This story is quite short, so it does not have every bit of information. The bottom line is that I do have a disease that is inherited. My grandmother ultimately died from CLL, but she was 98. She was vital until she was 97. My mom generally died from CLL, although it was aplastic anemia due to chemotherapy which technically killed her.
      To illustrate — I also have a predisposition to being a big girl. So that means that I avoid foods that cause me to gain weight, because it’s easy for me. So I prefer to err on the side of caution when it comes to my CLL. I do not want to exacerbate my condition by adding unnecessary chemicals, particularly ones that are known carcinogens into my body.

      As was noted, I am a product junkie. I still test main stream products daily. But for long term wear, I prefer “green” beauty products.

      I hope that clears things up.

      Best to you–
      Tracey

      Reply ↓
  12. Susan Goldstein

    Thank you, Tracey, and congrats on beating your cancer.
    I like your suggestions, and will follow through. I really like to try products that have been vetted by someone in the “know”, like you.

    Reply ↓
    1. tracey

      Hi Susan –

      Thanks for reading. I appreciate the support! By all means, try these products. For so long I poo-pooed green products because I frankly didn’t like the way “pay off”. However, the y are so much better now, I am a fan of the results for both beauty’s sake and for the sake of my health.

      Best to you
      Tracey

      Reply ↓
  13. BlueBear

    Fantastic article and I love the recommendations that go with it! I already use the Tarte lip stains and love them but I found some others from your slide show that I will try, specifically the Henriksen products. Thank you so much for this! May 2012 bring you only the best of health!

    Reply ↓
    1. admin Post author

      Hi BlueBear –
      So glad you liked the story! I interviewed Tracey for this and have found myself ordering several of the products in the days since I wrote the story. I’m especially interested in the Vapour Beauty foundations, which several people have now told me are amazing. Thanks for your comment.
      Best,
      Lina (FOF Editor)

      Reply ↓
    2. tracey

      Hi Blue Bear–

      I’m so glad you found the suggestions helpful. Please stay in touch! I found that the Bite products are wonderful for a variety of lip products.

      Best –
      Tracey

      Reply ↓
  15. Carolyn

    I don’t use anything that has fragrance in it. It is a double no no because it agrevates my sinuses and causes migraines in my husband. I try to keep away from most chemicals and use very little makeup. I always use sunscreen though and it is hard to find one without chemicals. Can’t wait to try some of these suggestions.

    Reply ↓
    1. admin Post author

      Hi Carolyn – I don’t use anything with fragrance either! (It gives me a terrible rash). It was interesting to learn that “fragrance” is an actual ingredient–not just the smell that a product has. I’ve since found some really good fragrance free products that actually still smell good. My latest favorite is Jonathan Product shampoos and conditioners. The ONLY good fragrance-free hair products I’ve been able to find.
      Let us know how it goes if you try any of the products mentioned in the story.
      Best,
      Lina (FOF Editor)

      Reply ↓
      1. tracey

        Hi,

        I also found that Jason’s Natural has a good fragrance free shampoo.

        Thanks for commenting.
        Best–
        Tracey

        Reply ↓
  16. Karen

    This was great. I can’t use anything with sorbital in it and many lipsticks have that. Anyone know brands that don’t?

    Reply ↓
    2. tracey

      Hi Karen –

      It looks like FOF has answered for me. You will love Bite Beauty. Not only are they gorgeous, but they have all lip products, even balms. They taste great and you don’t have to worry about eating them. ; )

      Best
      Tracey

      Reply ↓
  17. pamela willis (Asili Body Products)

    Tracey is one of a kind and one of my favorite! I met her on Facebook, but I feel like I’ve been knowing her for a lifetime! Thanks for sharing her all-natural beauty products. Her advice is invaluable.

    May God continue to bless you Tracey!

    Reply ↓
    1. tracey

      Hi Pam!

      Thanks for leaving your comment. And anyone reading these comments, please know that Asili body products are chemical free and amazing. Great for women post chemo and for cancer survivors as they are so healing and emollient.

      Thanks for your continued support.
      Best
      Tracey

      Reply ↓
  18. styleosophy

    Tracey,

    Just as I was going to ask what you thought was the best sunscreen available that will not make me (as a black woman) look ghostly, you mentioned it! I have searched high and low for a great full-body sunscreen that provides the coverage without all the chemicals. Thanks for your suggestion and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

    I wish you wellness and great health.

    Reply ↓
    1. tracey

      Hi there–

      Thanks so much for the well wishes. And I’m sure you will love Melvita products. They are pricey but worth it. I also use Alba Botanica, which a less expensive brand.

      Best to you
      Tracey

      Reply ↓

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