Can someone tell me what MSG is doing in my shampoo? Or why an ingredient that is listed on the CDC's list of toxic substances is in my body lotion?

I am in the habit of reading labels. As someone who must eat "gluten free", reading labels is a pre-requisite before purchasing anything to eat. It wasn't until last night that I realized I must read the labels on EVERYTHING.

Last night, my sister happened to notice "glutamic acid" on her shampoo bottle. (As she is eating "gluten free" also she takes it a step further to rid herself of ALL gluten.) She did a little research and found that it was simply another name for MSG (mono-sodium glutamate). Now, first of all, our bodies are able to produce its own glutamic acid. We have no need to ingest it in any form. And unless you have lived in a cave the last 30 years, you have surely been made aware of the dangers of MSG (learning disabilities, neurological disorders, various allergic reactions,obesity, brain lesions). Since the skin absorbs 60% of what is put on in, how does it make any sense to blindly continue to use shampoos that have glutamic acid in them?? Or body lotions for that matter?

After the MSG in the shampoo discovery, further label reading showed that my FAVORITE body lotion contains sodium hydroxide. The ASTDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) lists sodium hydroxide as a toxic substance. Here is a quote from the ASTDR report on sodium hydroxide: "Sodium hydroxide is used to manufacture soaps, rayon, paper, explosives, dyestuffs, and petroleum products...Sodium hydroxide is very corrosive and can cause severe burns in all tissues that come in contact with it...Ingestion of solid or liquid sodium hydroxide can cause spontaneous vomiting, chest and abdominal pain, and difficulty swallowing...Skin contact with sodium hydroxide can cause severe burns with deep ulcerations...Products containing sodium hydroxide should be stored out of the reach of children." For the sake of space I will stop there but trust me, there is much more. If you would like to research it yourself check out http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts178.html.

So the question is... what are we doing to ourselves? Or what are we letting be done TO us?? Is a "little" contamination ok? If we expose ourselves to small amounts of toxic substances is that ok? Even if that were true... a little here and a little there certainly adds up to overload in our systems. If you have a little MSG absorbing into your skin from your shampoo; if you are ingesting it at some point daily in your processed foods; if you would not rub a liquid drain cleaner (a popular product containing sodium hydroxide) all over your skin for fear of what it might do, are you sure you want to chance it with a moisturizer?

So what are our choices? Do we live in a cocoon? Do we avoid ALL things out of fear of SOME things? Even if we wanted to, we can't.

I, for one, would like to see some responsibility on the part of manufacturers and advertisers. Is it too hard to throw a little olive oil in a product for moisturizing, as opposed to sodium hydroxide? If it is for exfoliation is it too difficult for us to use a washcloth or a skin brush?

Now I'm rambling... so what is my point? My point is.... why do we need sodium hydroxide and other toxic substances in our beauty products? What good is a moisturizer for our skin if our livers are so overloaded with toxins that they can't function, leading us to disease?

I close with the question I opened with... Can someone tell me what MSG is doing in my shampoo?