What Is A Safe Body Moisturizer?

Dry skin is not allowed here.

*looks in the mirror*

In all seriousness, you know as Black women we don’t play about our lotion and giving our skin the moisture it needs & craves.

So whenever I use a lotion that seemingly soaks into my skin almost instantly, I can’t help to stop and think ‘what exactly did I just give my body to drink?’.

It can be a startling thought process to open up to. The truth is our body does absorb the ingredients in the products we put on our skin, such as body lotion. That means those chemical ingredients are getting a first class ticket to our insides.

Don’t believe me? Even scientists have confirmed our body does, in fact, absorb chemicals.

Some of those chemicals are:

Parabens - think cancer, allergy risk
Phthalates - organ toxicity & development issues
Bisephenol A - linked to cardiovascular problems
Oxybenzone - hello to endocrine disruption & harm to coral reefs

When you start looking for a safer lotion, you should be on the lookout for body moisturizers that contain coconut oil and/or shea butter.

Be aware of those that say they are hypoallergenic and those that claim to have extra vitamins for your skin. The FDA has no authority or processes to verify these claims. So basically companies can lie however they see fit (aka, whatever lie fits to make the sale).

Here are the major ingredients you should watch for and avoid in your lotion...

Petroleum (listed as PEG, propylene glycol) because it’s carcinogenic.

Fragrance due to its link to respiratory issues and neurotoxic symptoms.

Retinyl Palmitate due to its ability to cause hair loss and cause liver damage.

Mineral Oil because it cannot be metabolized by our bodies and has been linked to an overproduction of estrogen.

But. As always, I don’t want to overwhelm you, so here are a couple of my favorite safer alternatives.

Body Balm by Emanate Essentials