What Not to Put on Your Body: Protecting Your Skin, Your Health, and Your Hormones

Your skin is so much more than a protective layer—it’s your body’s largest organ, a vital part of your immune and detox systems, and one of the most absorbent gateways into the bloodstream. Unlike food, which is filtered by the liver before it’s fully circulated, what you put on your skin often enters your body without any internal checkpoints.

From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, the skin is closely tied to the Lung and Large Intestine meridians—systems that help us eliminate waste, protect against pathogens, and regulate qi flow at the body’s surface. Overloading the skin with synthetic chemicals, hormone disruptors, or heavy preservatives doesn’t just burden the skin—it puts stress on the entire system.

At The Violette House we regularly help patients address skin concerns, hormone imbalances, fatigue, and mood changes that can be traced back, in part, to environmental exposures. One of the simplest and most empowering places to start? Your personal care routine. Below, we explore common products to avoid—and safer, more nourishing swaps to consider.

1. Synthetic Perfumes and Fragrances

Artificial fragrances are found everywhere—from perfumes and lotions to shampoos and cleaning supplies. These products often contain hundreds of unlisted ingredients, including phthalates, which are known hormone disruptors.

TCM Insight: The Lung meridian opens to the nose. Constant exposure to synthetic fragrances can weaken Lung qi and compromise respiratory and emotional health.

What to try instead: Choose clean, plant-based alternatives scented with pure essential oils like bergamot, rose, or frankincense. Better yet, look for labels with fewer ingredients—and ones you can pronounce.

2. Aluminum-Based Deodorant

Aluminum salts block sweat glands to prevent perspiration, but they also interfere with your body’s natural detox process. Sweating is one of the main ways your body releases toxins.

Why it matters: Aluminum is a known neurotoxin, and while research is ongoing, applying it near breast tissue and lymph nodes daily is worth rethinking—especially during pregnancy or while trying to conceive.

What to try instead: Natural deodorants made with baking soda, magnesium, charcoal, or mineral salts. Look for options with the shortest possible ingredient list to avoid hidden irritants.

3. Chemical Sunscreens

Conventional sunscreens often contain oxybenzone, octinoxate, avobenzone, and homosalate—all of which are easily absorbed and known to disrupt hormone function. They’ve also been detected in breast milk, urine, and even amniotic fluid.

What to try instead: Choose 100% mineral-based sunscreens with non-nano zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These physical blockers sit on top of the skin (rather than being absorbed), offering broad-spectrum protection without the toxic load. Bonus: they’re safer for coral reefs and your endocrine system.

4. Fluoride Toothpaste

Fluoride has been widely used in dental products, but overexposure—especially in young children—has been linked to thyroid suppression, neurological changes, and pineal gland calcification.

What to try instead: Fluoride-free toothpastes that use natural ingredients like xylitol, clay, sea salt, or herbal extracts such as neem and myrrh to support oral health without the added risks.

5. Conventional Laundry Detergents (like Tide)

Your clothes, sheets, and towels are in constant contact with your skin. Popular detergents such as Tide contain synthetic fragrance, sulfates, optical brighteners, and preservatives that can linger in fabric—and by extension, on your skin.

Why it matters: These residues are absorbed through the skin day and night, contributing to rashes, hormone disruption, and low-grade inflammation. In TCM, this kind of chronic exposure creates dampness and stagnation.

What to try instead: Fragrance-free, plant-based detergents with biodegradable ingredients. Pair them with wool dryer balls and a drop of essential oil to naturally freshen laundry. Remember: the fewer the ingredients, the better—especially for children, sensitive skin, and those trying to reduce their toxic load.

6. Petroleum-Based Lotions and Moisturizers

That silky finish often comes from silicones, parabens, and artificial fragrance—none of which actually nourish the skin. Instead, they sit on the surface, trap heat and toxins, and can interfere with the body’s ability to regulate.

What to try instead: Use oils and balms made with ingredients you recognize and trust—like calendula, jojoba, rosehip, or coconut oil. Herbal-infused oils are especially supportive from a TCM view, as they help harmonize qi at the surface and support healthy Wei Qi (defensive energy).

7. Synthetic Body Washes

Many conventional washes include sulfates, dyes, microplastics, and perfumes that strip the skin’s natural oils and damage the microbiome.

What to try instead: Switch to castile soap, herbal bar soaps, or gentle washes with transparent, short ingredient lists. Olive oil, goat milk, or calendula-infused blends are all great options that cleanse while preserving your skin barrier.

8. Toxic Dish Soap

Dish soap touches your hands every day—and trace amounts of its residue can remain on plates and utensils, especially baby items.

Why it matters: Many popular brands still contain triclosan, sulfates, artificial color, and fragrance—some of which are banned in hand soaps, but allowed in other household products.

What to try instead: Look for plant-based dish soaps free of synthetic dyes and fragrances, especially if you’re washing bottles, pump parts, or toddler dishes.

Supporting Fertility Through Cleaner Living

When you're preparing to conceive, every system in the body benefits from reduced toxic exposure—especially the endocrine system. Many of the ingredients found in conventional skincare and household products are classified as endocrine disruptors, meaning they can interfere with hormone signaling, ovulation, and the delicate balance of reproductive function. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Liver is responsible for smoothing the flow of qi and regulating hormones. When it’s burdened by synthetic chemicals, hormonal cycles can become erratic or sluggish. By switching to cleaner products, you support not only your skin—but also your hormonal rhythm, egg quality, and overall reproductive vitality.

Safer Choices for Pregnancy and Baby

During pregnancy, your skin becomes even more permeable, and the products you use daily can cross the placenta or influence fetal development. Babies, too, are especially vulnerable to chemical exposures—their detox systems are immature, and their bodies absorb more relative to their size. This is why it’s so important to choose products with the least number of ingredients, free of synthetic fragrance, dyes, and preservatives. Whether you're washing baby bottles, moisturizing your belly, or folding baby clothes, every small switch adds up to a gentler, safer environment for you and your growing family.

Your Skin is Always Listening

Located in Groton, MA, at The Violette House, we often remind our patients: your skin absorbs what you feed it—both physically and energetically. And while the wellness world can sometimes make “clean living” feel overwhelming, the truth is: small changes make a big difference.

Start with one or two swaps. Choose fewer ingredients. Choose what’s closest to nature. Let your skincare routine reflect your commitment to hormonal health, long-term vitality, and daily rituals of care.

Because what you don’t put on your body… may be the most powerful healing choice you make.