A little over two years ago, I left the doctor’s office for another appointment related to infertility. It stinks and, honestly, sometimes it’s hard that it’s been a part of our story. If you know the ache I’m talking about, I’m sending a giant, knowing hug your way.
Back to the doctor’s office.
That day, I got in the car after my appointment and called my mom. The doctor had told me I should be mindful of what I put on my skin and in my environment. Apparently, there are lots of things that can mess with our hormones (who knew! I sure didn’t.). My mom said she agreed (she had been telling me the same thing for several months).
- The primary preservatives in cosmetics are endocrine disruptors!
- Our skin is our largest organ – we absorb between 60% and 80% of what is put on our skin directly into our bloodstream.
Of course it could affect my hormones and my fertility.
She told me about this great company called Beautycounter that she had been using and loving. From her research (and boy does she research – she is a former lawyer and NICU nurse), she had found that Beautycounter was the cleanest, most impressive cosmetics company on the market. The leader in clean. But the products “actually work” she said.
Did I listen right then? Well… Let’s just say, I went to a local store, brought home a lotion that looked pretty clean, used it that night, and my husband said “you smell like my grandma” as soon as I stepped out of the bathroom. Not exactly the thing you want to hear when you’re newly married!
I called my mom back and she bought me my first skincare regimen from Beautycounter for my birthday the next week. As I used my new skincare regimen, I began to do my homework. What exactly does clean beauty mean? Why is it important?
I was truly shocked by what I found.
The FDA hasn’t regulated personal care in the US since 1938 and only bans 30 ingredients. To give you an idea, the European Union bans over 1,500 ingredients that are harmful to human health. Right now, there is no accountability for the ingredients that go into our personal care products and how they can affect our health.
Berkley, Oxford, CNN, Retuers, etc. are studying and reporting on the connections between personal care and human health, specifically in relation to hormones and fertility because of how many ingredients can be endocrine disruptors. That information shocked me! It made so much sense once I knew more. I realized that most women just don’t know what they’re putting on their skin, but I also believed that once women knew better, they would choose better.
Once women knew better, they would choose better.
Elizabeth Marcolini
The rest (as they say) is history. I couldn’t believe the products worked so well. I cut up my Sephora VIB Rouge membership (yes, I was a total Sephora makeup and skincare lover for a couple years before Beautycounter!) and never looked back. So I’m laying it all out there for you friends. That is my honest journey to Beautycounter, ache and all. I’m sharing my story with you because the hormone disrupting ingredients in the majority of our personal care products are a big, dirty secret no one will tell you about. So, I’m telling you.
My hope is that you can learn from my experiences and make safer choices for yourself and your family.
You are worthy.
