The Top 12 Ingredients to Avoid in Beauty Products
by Michelle Bexelius
As a mother, I check the labels on the food I bring home and encourage our children to eat well. I’ve come to realize the importance of also looking at the labels on ALL the products we put ON as well as in our bodies, this means soaps, shampoos, cosmetics and lotions.
Beauty isn’t only skin deep. The products we use on our skin go well beneath the skin and into our bloodstream. Studies show that consumers buy roughly $20 billion worth of personal care products every year. Unfortunately, many ingredients in these potions and lotions are linked to damaging effects on human health as well as the environment.
Contrary to what you might think, the government does not require skin care manufacturers to tell you all of the ingredients in the beauty products nor do they require testing before they go on the market. Shop wisely. Your body and the planet will thank you.
This mother’s day, do something special for yourself by looking at your labels on all your beauty products. See if they list the following toxic ingredients and replace them with healthy alternatives (see recommendations below).
The Dirty Dozen in Body Care Products:
1. ANTIBACTERIALS
These are found in cleansers, deodorants, soaps and other cosmetic products. Antibacterial agents such as Triclosan encourage the rise of drug-resistant bacteria, and are shown to be harmful to the liver according to studies in the April 1999 Journal of Biological Chemistry and the July 13 2000 Nature.
Tip: Encourage your child’s school to ban all soaps with anti-bacterial ingredients. Suggest regular soap, it does the same job without the chemicals.
2. COAL-TAR COLORS
Classified as “FD&C” or “D&C” colors used in makeup and hair dye. FD&C Blue 1 and FD &C Green 3 are carcinogenic, and impurities in other colors — D&C Red 33, FD&C Yellow 5 and FD&C Yellow 6 — have been shown to cause cancer when applied to the skin.
3. DIETHANOLAMINE (DEA)
Widely used in shampoos, DEA is a suspected carcinogen, and its compounds and derivatives include triethanolamine (TEA), which can be contaminated with nitrosamines — compounds shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals. Contamination is more likely if the product also contains Bronopol.
4. FORMALDEHYDE
Found in eye shadows, mascaras and other cosmetics, formaldehyde is “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen,” according to the National Toxicology Program’s “Ninth Report on Carcinogens” (January 2001). The EPA classifies it as a probable human carcinogen.
In its liquid state, formaldehyde, present in the ingredients DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, and quaternium-15, can be absorbed through the skin and nails. As a volatile organic compound, or VOC, formaldehyde evaporates when the product is wet; levels drop sharply once it’s dry. Consumer concern has led many manufacturers to remove it from their nail polishes. Quaternium-15 causes more dermatitis complaints than any other preservative, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Bronopol, often listed as 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, can contribute to the formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines, according to the FDA. It can also break down to produce formaldehyde.
5. GLYCOL ETHERS
Widely used industrial solvents found in nail polish, deodorant, perfumes and other cosmetics, some glycol ethers are hazardous to the reproductive system. Other effects of overexposure include anemia and irritation of the skin, eyes, nose and throat. Avoid those listed on labels as EGPE, EGME,EGEE, DEGBE, PGME, DPGME and those with “methyl” in their names.
6. HEAVY METALS: LEAD AND MERCURY
A brain- and nervous-system toxin as well as a known carcinogen and hormone disruptor, lead accumulates in the bones. It is found in lead acetate in hair dyes and makeup, especially lipstick. Mercury: A tiny amount of this potent nervous-system toxin, which accumulates in the body, is allowed as a preservative in eye-area cosmetics.
7. PARABENS
Used in underarm deodorants, parabens have recently been found in tissue samples from human breast tumors according to a study published in the Jan/Feb 2004 Journal of Applied Toxicology. The estrogenic activity of parabens may be linked to the development of breast cancer, since estrogen is “a major etiological factor in the growth of human breast cancer,” according to an editorial accompanying the study. Parabens of many types, including methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, butyl-, isobutyl- and others, have shown hormonal activity. This study did not show how the parabens entered the breast.
Tip: use crystal deodorant or natural deodorants
8. PETROLATUM (vaseline, petroleum jelly)
Commonly used in cold creams, lipsticks, lip protection, baby creams, eye shadows. Petrolatum can cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Furthermore, since it is a petroleum product, its use depletes a non-renewable resource. It also makes it so your skin can’t breathe, not allowing toxins to escape.
9. PHENYLENEDIAMINE (PPD)
Found in many hairdyes,PPD is linked with skin irritations, and respiratory disorders. PPD is mutagenic and reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen, and has been banned in Europe. Also called oxidation dyes, amino dyes para dyes, or peroxide dyes.
Tip: Use eco-friendly hair dyes
10. PHTHALATES
Used widely in fragrances, deodorants, nail polishes, hair products and lotions, the oily texture of phthalates acts like a moisturizer and helps lotions penetrate skin. Various members of this family of chemical plasticizers have been found to produce cancer of the liver and birth defects in lab animals. Since, phthalates often “hide” behind the term “fragrance;” choose products labeled “fragrance-free” or that are scented exclusively with pure botanical or essential oils.
11. SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE (SLS)
The Cosmetics Ingredient Review (CIR), a panel of cosmetics-industry experts established to safety-test ingredients (cir-safety.org), reported that SLS also causes “severe epidermal changes” to mouse skin, a finding that “indicates a need for tumor-enhancing activity assays.” This year, after review of over 250 existing SLS studies, the CIR concluded that SLS is not cancer-causing. However, Samuel Epstein, M.D., says he is not convinced and recommends avoiding SLS.
12. TOLUENE
This solvent found in nail products can cause liver damage and is irritating to the skin and respiratory tract.
Links to My Favorites:
Hand Sanitizer: Benedetta Hand Sanitizer
Cosmetics: La Bella Donna, Dr. Haushka, and Jane Iredale
Shampoo/Conditioner: Dr. Haushka, Olive Oil shampoo and Conditioner
Skin Care: Benedetta, Dr. Haushka, Jane Iredale, La Bella Donna, Enfusia
Spa: Benedetta