We are all exposed to many different chemical substances from all the things we surround ourselves with in our everyday lives. This includes electronics, food, packaging, and dust, among others. We absorb these substances when we eat, through the skin, and by inhaling particles. You cannot avoid contact with chemical substances, but if you want to take extra care of yourself, you should pay attention to what you eat and what cosmetic products you use. This may include hair and skincare products that are closer to you and your skin, and therefore have a greater impact on you and your health.

It is especially important to avoid unwanted chemicals, as well as hormone-disrupting and allergenic substances. But how do you do that? For most of us, the ingredient list on the back of a product is difficult to interpret. Therefore, it is important that we have external and independent labels that can help and guide you.

Hormones are molecules that are formed in the body and carried through the bloodstream to various cells to control what the cells do. It is important to keep our hormones in balance as they are crucial for our body to function properly. Hormone-disrupting substances can enter the bloodstream from the food we eat or the products that our skin comes into contact with. From there, they can disrupt the hormones and affect several functions in your body. Hormone disruptions can be several things, including disturbances in hormone production. These disruptions can lead to harmful effects and diseases such as affecting fetal development, our fertility, or increasing the risk of cancer. Hormone-disrupting substances can come from natural hormones, natural chemicals, synthetic hormones, and synthetic chemicals.

Migraine is among the most common diseases, and recent research shows a connection between hormone-disrupting substances and migraine pain. These substances, which can, for example, be found in cosmetic products, affect our nervous system and release a signaling molecule that triggers migraines. Women are particularly affected by migraines.

The Nordic Ecolabel (Svanemærket) does not permit chemicals and substances such as parabens or other ingredients on the EU's list of suspected hormone-disrupting substances. Similarly, the Nordic Ecolabel does not allow MI or other preservatives classified as sensitizers. The Nordic Ecolabel is the official Nordic environmental label, which, in addition to strict health requirements, also sets requirements for sustainability in all phases of the product's life cycle. Read more about the Nordic Ecolabel here.

According to the Knowledge Center for Allergy (Videnscenter for Allergi), at least 20% of Danes suffer from contact allergies, which can cause discomfort and limitations in everyday life. Contact allergy is an allergic reaction to substances that we have come into contact with through the skin. These substances penetrate the skin and affect our immune system, triggering an allergic reaction. If one develops a contact allergy to a particular substance, they will have the allergy for the rest of their life.

When choosing products that are AllergyCertified, you can be confident that there is minimal risk of allergy. They have examined each ingredient in the product, conducted a risk assessment, and found that the product is as gentle and mild for the skin as possible. Perfume and allergenic preservatives are not allowed in products certified by AllergyCertified. Read more about AllergyCertified here.

If you want a scented product, you can opt for products certified by the Nordic Ecolabel (Svanemærket). The Nordic Ecolabel ensures that products for adults meet strict requirements for perfume. Nordic Eco-labelled products for babies and small children must be completely free of perfume.

Hormone-disrupting and allergenic substances can come from nature. For example, extracts from certain plants are among the most allergenic ingredients we know. Therefore, it is not enough to only choose products with natural ingredients, although this can be confused with healthiness. ZENZ's products have a high content of natural and certified organic ingredients. These ingredients are primarily chosen with your health in mind, and it is important for us that the ingredients we use can be approved by both the Nordic Ecolabel (Svanemærket) and AllergyCertified. In this way, we do what we can to ensure that we avoid hormone-disrupting and allergenic substances in our products.

ZENZ also works with the labels Ecocert COSMOS Organic and Vegan Society. Ecocert COSMOS Organic is a globally recognized label for certified organic beauty products. When specific ingredients have different criteria with the Nordic Ecolabel and Ecocert COSMOS Organic, ZENZ follows the criteria of the Nordic Ecolabel, as it has a greater focus on health and is a governmental institution. Vegan Society is the international standard for vegan products, where none of the ingredients or elements in the product originate from animals. Therefore, Vegan Society does not consider your health in this regard.

Many of us don't necessarily think about all the products we use throughout a day. The combination of many different products and thus many different substances, also known as the cocktail effect, affects us. The mixture of various exposures from multiple products poses a risk to your health. There is still much to learn about the effects of individual chemicals separately and their combination effects. But fortunately, you can do a lot to prevent it. You can create good habits for yourself by, among other things, opting for products with independent certifications.

If you want to take good care of yourself and avoid unwanted chemicals, we at ZENZ recommend that you opt for hair and skincare products approved by external and independent certifications. This ensures that they meet strict requirements from a third party, giving you peace of mind. These certifications also make it easy for you to navigate products that suit your needs and preferences without having to investigate each ingredient on the back of the packaging. This is precisely what the Nordic Ecolabel (Svanemærket) and AllergyCertified do for you. They not only review the ingredient list but also delve deeper into where the ingredients come from - information that is not always listed on the product.

Our understanding of chemicals and how they affect us is constantly evolving. We are exposed to a mixture of substances from many different products, and these exposures affect us. The Nordic Ecolabel and AllergyCertified are continuously evolving and regularly tighten their requirements to keep up with the latest research and knowledge. Read more about the certifications we work with here.

Sources: Forbrugerrådet Tænk (taenk.dk), Videnskab.dk, Videnscenter for Allergi (videncenterforallergi.dk), Svanemærket (svanemaertket.dk), AllergyCertified (allergycertified.com), Statements to Femina from David Møbjerg Kristensen (Professor at the Department of Science and Environment at Roskilde University and Senior Researcher at Rigshospitalet) and Rikke Holm Rasmussen (Ph.D. student at the Danish Headache Center at Rigshospitalet), Danish Environmental Protection Agency ”Chemicals and fertility – Note regarding exposure to chemical substances and effects on men's and women's fertility”, Environmental Project no. 1620, 2014.