Non-Toxic or approved toxins?

As parents, we all want to see our kids smiling, happy and healthy!

So when we see products marketed for little ones that contain toxins, it can be alarming. Kids play makeup is no exception, there can be all sorts of "approved toxins" in makeup for kids such as talc, titanium dioxide, bismuth oxychloride and nano-particles! 

Take Claire's in the US as an example, a few years ago there was a class action against the retail giant after asbestos was found in some of their teen makeup sets that were manufactured in China. You can read one of many articles about that here on CBS news.

When we formulate products for No Nasties Kids we take our ingredient selection so seriously that one product alone took 4 years to get just right. We would rather go without than market toxic but approved ingredients for our children.

When our nail polish formula was finally brought to life, after much trial and error and a smelly batch of "fruit and veggie" polish out of the US that literally arrived smelling like slimy brown off fruit and veggie mash. When we finally cracked our formula it contained only a few ingredients with no added synthetic colours, and of course, no nail polish remover necessary! 

Is it all natural? No. We tried that and it didn't work, but little ones still want polish! Is it non-toxic? Yes. Does it contain heavy glues to give it the type of staying power that requires nail polish remover? Absolutely not!

Like we say, our polish is for "play not stay"! If "kids' nail polish requires nail polish remover, I wouldn't be using it on my little one!

I remember as a child having such severe eczema that I was covered head to toe and even hospitalised. I couldn't use makeup or face paint at parties, the hypoallergenic and natural options just weren't available - gosh I am showing my age! 

No Nasties Kids is hypoallergenic and so easy to wipe off, which is a good thing because kids can be really messy when using ply makeup and face paints! 

So, what are these "approved toxins" I am talking about? They are ingredients used in everyday products, which are approved by the Governments around the world (some stricter than others) that have potential side effects such as increased irritability, loss of focus, headaches, tummy aches, carcinogens, rashes and more. There are certain ingredients that I just won't touch, such as phenoxyethanol.

Now, many people would argue that it is safe in small dose, as a preservative commonly used in cosmetic and personal care products. It is a cheap and commonly used preservative. 

But let's take this into account... It is deemed safe is small doses but let's run through our average day... You wake up and cleanse your face with a cleanser containing PX (we will use that as code for phenoxyethanol moving forward), then apply moisturiser and sunscreen containing PX. Then BB Cream, cream blush and a setting spray. So now you have had 6 touch points and you haven't even started your day let alone showered with another product containing it!

Food for thought right?

There are just so many cleaner alternatives and stores in the know with owners who deeply care about natural based, non-toxic products.

Check out Jo at Shop Naturally and Mariana at The Well Store! They are both a wealth of knowledge, and dear friends of mine who have been working with me since my launch in 2015.

There are just so many great options on the market now, I really implore you to understand ingredients and read labels before bringing products into your home and onto your families skin. You can only be better for it!

xx Nat