If you're already familiar with the importance of using pure products for yourself and your family, we hope you'll join us in repurifying each and every day.

But if you're new to the notion of pure cosmetics and personal care products – as many of our shoppers are – we thought we'd provide a few of the reasons why we are passionate about not only providing these products, but also using them for ourselves and our families each day.

This company was founded on the realization that toxic chemicals have crept into the lives of families around the world – from formaldehyde in our furniture to phthalates in our makeup. These toxins, along with hundreds of others, have been linked in various studies to all kinds of health problems from irritating skin to more serious conditions.

There's a lot of conflicting information out there. Some is from non-profit groups with nothing to gain or lose from reporting it, and some is from companies that stand to gain – or lose – hundreds of millions of dollars based on consumer perceptions.

Amidst all the information we've researched and sorted through, three facts drive us to repurify our lives each day with pure cosmetics and personal care products:

Fact 1: The government has limited powers to oversee the production of cosmetics and other personal care products.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has limited jurisdiction over the ingredients that go into cosmetics and personal care products. Quoting from the FDA website:

"The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) does not authorize FDA to approve cosmetic ingredients, with the exception of color additives that are not coal-tar hair dyes. In general, cosmetic manufacturers may use any ingredient they choose, except for a few ingredients that are prohibited by regulation."

"FDA's legal authority over cosmetics is different from other products regulated by the agency, such as drugs, biologics, and medical devices. Cosmetic products and ingredients are not subject to FDA premarket approval authority, with the exception of color additives."

"Cosmetic firms are responsible for substantiating the safety of their products and ingredients before marketing… The FD&C Act does not subject cosmetics to FDA premarket approval in order to be marketed legally."

www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/ucm074162.htm

Fact 2: Our bodies absorb the chemicals from the products we use every day.

In 2007, the Environmental Working Group (a non-profit consumer-advocacy group) tested ten people from around the United States and found an average of 200 toxic chemicals in each, representing 287 different toxins. The real shocker: the people tested were babies still in the womb.

In December 2009, the U.S. Center for Disease Control released the Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, which provides an ongoing assessment of the exposure of the U.S. population to environmental chemicals. The CDC "has measured 212 chemicals in people's blood or urine—75 of which have never before been measured in the U.S. population. The new chemicals include acrylamide, arsenic, environmental phenols, including bisphenol A and triclosan, and perchlorate."

The fact that the CDC is measuring the chemicals in people's bodies, and the fact that they've added measurement of 75 additional chemicals for this fourth phase of research, certainly indicates the scrutiny the organization places on this issue.

Fact 3: Traditional stores are outlets, not watchdogs.

Just as the natural and organic food trend has exploded, many groceries, drug stores, and chain stores have expanded their natural personal care and makeup sections. But the claims on many of these packages touting them as "natural" and even "organic" actually do very little to ensure that they are truly pure products. It's surprisingly easy to categorize a product as natural, even if it contains toxic chemical by-products. Unfortunately, in the eyes of most retailers, profits stand ahead of purity.

It's easy to see for yourself – just grab a few cosmetics and personal care products that you buy at these stores and see how they stack up according to the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database, a resource assembled by the non-profit Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org).

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It's shocking that the only real control over the chemicals being sold to the public is provided by the companies that make them. In many cases, synthetic chemicals (with unregulated by-products) are less expensive and easier to formulate than more wholesome ingredients. This creates a serious conflict of interest, and leaves us, as consumers, to wonder how much our best interests are really considered.

We at Repurify are not radicals, and we're not planning to march on Washington anytime soon. But we are conscientious about doing all we can to support the health and well-being of ourselves, our families, and the members of our community. Simply put, we need to get toxic chemicals out of our lives whenever possible. We've armed ourselves with information to help ensure we do just that by making the best choices towards repurifying each day. We hope you'll join us!