Everything seems to be made in China but can we trust these products!

I have a rock crystal deodorant that my DiL brought me from France. Moistened and rubbed on the skin, it does seem to work. I've seen them advertised in magazines here too.

Bionsen deodorant does not contain aluminum or block pores (not an anti-perspirant though)

Thank you all for some very good suggestions and links. This is a website I have ordered from and has products which are free from parabens. I use the deodorant - expensive but worth it IMO. It took a bit of getting used to the fact it's a deodorant and not an anti- perspiring (so not completely dry underarms - but hopefully controls the whiff)

http://m.greenpeople.co.uk/default.aspx

That does look like an interesting article. But case that they cause cancer a long, long way from proven. It's just someone's pet theory at the moment. There is little research done on the extent to which cosmetic ingredients get absorbed through skin. They would like us to believe that their products "nourish" our skin and include vitamins, deliver oxygen to the skin and contain miraculous skin regenerating ingredients derived from nature. I think the only way to nourish skin is by eating and drinking. But they don't want us to think about all the recently-invented compounds that don't sound so healthy - and whether they are absorbed and enter body cells.
Cosmetic companies do not release their own research for publication in scientific journals.
Chapter 3 in Ben Goldacre's book Bad Science is a useful read on the subject.

Thank you for that link, nightowl. By the way, has anyone noticed that Johnson's Baby Powder doesn't have the same scent now?

margaretm74 Hi interesting link re parabens and cancer, I don't use underarm deodorant with aluminium only sanex zero% after hearing a doctor on the radio talk about this and I never use aluminium cooking pans. My daughter has an organic meat and veg box delivered weekly, I would love to go organic but unfortunately can't afford to, so just try my best and watch what I put in my mouth most of the time.

Interesting!

Most of Method's products are made in USA, although some are made here or in Germany or China. It was bought out by Ecover in 2012.

Not sure - DD1 is adamant I should avoid them especially since I was ill

Found this:

www.besthealthmag.ca/look-great/beauty/parabens-what-are-they-and-are-they-really-that-bad

Please can somebody explain why parabens are harmful?

Method cleaning products are good (I can only find them in my local Homebase, used to be in Tesco but they do not stock them any more). They also do a handwash.

DD1 uses Enjo cleaning products, you only use cold H2O (or they recommend Method products as well):

www.enjo.com/html/uk

Have just licked an envelope and wondered where it was manufactured.

Good to see an OP return to the question which they asked.

durhamjen Hi thanks for the information will have a look. Just trying to keep healthy and keep my exposure to chemicals minimal. On a tight budget so not easy but making a start with personal products for face and body. Do not use air freshener or spray polish. Also trying to watch what I eat with regards to additives etc.

Ninny, how far does your search for natural products go?
Household cleaning products, there's a company called Bio-D which is a Hull company. They also make handwash.
Ecover is a Belgian company, so do you mind European?

I'll drink to that

And hard luck if your doctor's teetotal...!

Health warning!

DO NOT DRINK MORE THAN YOUR DOCTOR DOES!

Not mine!

Mine is etc!

My rescue remedy?

Aghhhhh!
Acid!
Poison!
Nasty!

Warning!

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

Oxygen hydroxide? Can't find that reference Jess ... wanders off to find a rescue remedy.....

We had a science teacher (for Chemistry) whose first name was Murdo - no idea of his suname any more but his memory lives on in the rhyme that went round the school
"Murdo was a scientist
Alas he is no more
For what he took for H2O
Was H2SO4"

Sorry got it the wrong way round. Thus compounding the error. Was horrified when given a 3rd year GCSE Chemistry class to teach for a year. I was one page of the text book ahead of the little so and sos. Eventually grasped basics when DS2 was doing his GCSE. We got a B!!! Big improvement on the original O level, attempted 3 times before a pass was achieved.
Someone, elegran, mentioned oxygen hydroxide. does not make sense. Then neither did I.
Anyway the Chinese medicines being often contaminated thing is the important point here, not the chemistry of water.

Ah!