CosBeauty Magazine #76

Xenoestrogens
What
they are
& why
we need
to avoid
them
The impact of
oestrogenmimicking
ingredients on
our health. Words
by Terri Vinson
(BSc.DipFormChem.
DipEd.), founder and
cosmetic chemist at
Synergie Skin.
There is mounting concern
over the use of xenoestrogens
in our environment and
the long-term effects on natural
hormone balance.
Xenoestrogens are simply hormone
disruptors. They are foreign
oestrogen ‘mimickers’ that increase
the oestrogen load in our bodies
and can disrupt hormone activity.
Oestrogen is a natural hormone
produced by men and women and
is constantly regulated by the
body, signalling different types
of cells and organs to perform
specific functions.
Studies suggest that xenoestrogens,
or synthetic oestrogens, enter our
bloodstream and cells and ‘fool’
our bodies into accepting the
chemicals as our natural biological
oestrogen. This can potentially
block or bind the natural oestrogen
hormone receptors.
When xenoestrogens enter the
body, they increase the total
amount of circulating oestrogen
resulting in a phenomenon called,
‘oestrogen dominance’.
Medical research has linked
xenoestrogens with a range of serious
human health concerns and can
influence the following functions:
immunity; bone development;
blood clotting; reproduction;
reproductive development in babies
and adolescents of both sexes;
development of organs such as the
uterus and the breasts.
Once they enter the bloodstream,
xenoestrogens are not biodegradable
and are readily stored in our fat cells.
These hormone disruptors can
be found in more than 50,000
commonly used chemicals and
are present in soil, water, air, store
purchased foods, personal care and
household products.
70 www.cosbeauty.com.au