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Antoinette's love of her scents and lotions may have cost her life. It is said that whilst preparing to flee France, her departure was delayed by her insistence on preparing and taking with her a full toilette' of scents and lotions, thus arousing suspicions and resulting in her guillotine.

Research on skincare products

Many women use the same beauty routine for years with little thought to what they are actually putting onto their skin. Recent research on a number of well known brands of skincare products has highlighted the sometimes potentially dangerous chemicals contained within them. In the extreme, some ingredients are linked to cancer and allergies, amongst other things; this is the case for some well known, and trusted, baby brands too.

Carcinogenic chemicals, which seem to be the hot' topic at the moment, are to be found in a lot of our beauty products including shampoo, lipsticks, fragrances and lotions. It is reported that the levels of lead in lipstick are higher than they should be; a lot of well known lipstick brands are amongst these. It is estimated that, in independent laboratory testing, more than 70% of beauty and health products tested contained phthalates. Phthalates, a group of chemical compounds used in plastics and many health and beauty products, have been known to cause liver or kidney damage and disrupt the endocrine system.

Natural skincare is an alternative to some of our better known high street brands. Some natural' products do contain some of these chemicals, including some commercialized aromatherapy' brands. Therefore, it is essential to know what is actually in a product.

Using aromatherapy for skincare

Aromatherapy, in one form or another, has actually been used for centuries by our ancestors. Sometimes used as a perfume' to disguise the less desirable odours which availed, it was also useful for the therapeutic properties which it has. Today, aromatherapy skin care products carry some of the same ingredients that our ancestor's lotions and potions' did. In contrast to synthetic substitutes and modern-day brands' by large cosmetic companies, true aromatherapy skin care products should not contain any artificial ingredients which may damage the skin.

Aromatherapy essential oils are absorbed by the skin and enter into the body's fluids. Essential oils are made up of small molecules which are able to pass through the skin's layers to cells, lymph ducts and capillaries. The essential oils absorbed by the skin do not normally pose

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