Saturday, March 21, 2009

Trivani's “Do No Harm” Products

To understand the superior nature of Trivani products requires a little education. Trivani’s Chief Scientist, Dan Miser, takes questions on Trivani products via email, and then posts answers on the Trivani web site (http://www.Trivani.com/ under the “Health” menu). Here is a sample question and answer on harmful ingredients often present in personal care products, contrasted with Trivani products made without them!

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Question:

Can you please explain why parabens and phthalates can be so bad for the body and children in particular, and how Trivani products lead the way in the industry without these potentially harmful substances?


Answer #1: Parabens

Parabens commonly used in personal care products as preservatives are weak environmental estrogens. They can also support the growth of estrogen-dependent breast cancer cells grown in tissue culture (Byford et al., J. Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 80(1):49-60, 2002; Gomez et al., J. of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, 68:239-251, 2005).

Both in vitro and in vivo studies conclusively establish that parabens are able to penetrate human skin intact and have also been isolated from human breast cancer tissue.

Parabens have also been identified as being endocrine disrupting substances (EDS). While animal studies reveal EDS to adversely affect male reproductive systems, it is adolescent females that are most at risk. Young women are exposed to parabens more frequently than males due to their higher rate of use of cosmetic products. Health risks to adolescents using products containing EDS is many times higher than for adults because young people’s biologies are under constant change and are more susceptible to the adverse effects of EDS.

Answer #2: Phthalates

Phthalates are used to make plastics flexible and sometimes used to stabilize fragrances. People come into contact with phthalates every day. Look at the bottom of your water bottle. If it has the letters PET or PETE or PETG then you’re holding plastic containing phthalates. PET is an acronym for Polyethylene Terephthalate. Many fingernail products contain phthalates, as well as many packages containing products that we either ingest or apply to our bodies.

The problem with phthalates is similar to parabens with the exception that males are more affected with issues such as low sperm count, testicular cancer, and genital deformities.

Fortunately, there is no reason today why parabens or phthalates need be used in our consumable products. Preservatives are a necessary safety feature for topical products meant to be used over a lengthy period of time, but there are many effective alternatives available today. They are a little more expensive, but the added cost is worth the safety.
Word of Caution: even though parabens may not appear on a product’s ingredient listing, they may still be in the product. Many ingredients used to make creams, lotions, gels, etc. use parabens as preservatives, but because they are a part of the ingredient they are, under U.S. FDA definitions, considered processing aids and are not required to be listed in the ingredient panel. Many countries follow this rule.

Regarding phthalates, Trivani avoids these by using HDPE (high density polyethylene) and LDPE (low density polyethylene) for its topical products and glass for liquid supplements.

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Please Note: All Trivani trademarks and copyrighted materials (including photos, text, etc.) that appear on this blog are used with permission and are © Trivani International, Inc. All rights reserved.
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