ARE YOUR COSMETICS TOXIC?
Probably!
Here's just a few of the harmful ingredients found in
personal care products!
Are you wondering what could make your cosmetics toxic? Well, there's a whole array of costmetic chemicals harmful to your health that you may not have been aware of.
There's toxins in most shampoos, soaps, lotions, makeup and almost any other personal care items. Hopefully after reading this you will make healthier choices for your cosmetics and by doing so you'll help eliminate the production of these harmful chemicals.
Here's a few of the most common personal care and beauty toxins and a few answers as to what makes these chemicals harmful.
- SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE / SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE
(sometimes mispronounced laurel sodium sulfate)This chemical is a detergent that's used as a thickening and foaming agent. It is used in high concentrations in degreasers, floor cleaners and other industrial products. In lower concentrations it is found in most toothpastes, bubble baths and soaps. It is also a very common shampoo toxin and just one of the ingredients that make cosmetics toxic.
It is a known skin and eye irritant and said to be carcinogenic when mixed with some other chemicals.
You can identify it on labels by finding any of these words:
Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate, Anhydrous Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Irium, SLS, SLES, MSDS, ALES and ALS.
- PHTHALATES (FRAGRANCE)
Phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates)can make your perfume and your cosmetics toxic. They are commonly added to plastics to increase their flexibility, transparency, durability, and longevity. They are used in just about anything that contains plastic including your water bottles, children's toys, modelling clay, waxes, paints, printing inks and coatings (recent news states that store reciepts are a common source of BBP), pharmaceuticals, air fresheners, food products, candles (wicks), textiles, etc.
Phthalates are easily released into the environment because there is no bond between the phthalates and plastics in which they are mixed. Phthalates are estrogen-mimickers that wreak havoc on the endocrine system in the human body and cause unwelcome hormonal disruptions. This can cause irritability, depression and hyperactivity to name a few. Unfortunate since we obviously have a very high exposure to this chemical!
As far as a make up chemical, phthalates can be found in products such as perfume, moisturizers, soap and shampoos. It can look like any of these on a label:
Fragrance, DEHP, DBP, BBP, DINP, DIDP or DNOP.
FYI: In Europe, three phthalates (DEHP, DBP and BBP) are banned for use in cosmetics and in all toys. - LEAD can make your cosmetics toxic. Even though lead was banned from paint (due to health concerns) in 1978 it is not required to be listed as an ingredient in cosmetics! It is most commonly found in hair dyes and red lipstick. Look for products that are labeled "Lead Free". Lead poisoning can effect every organ of the body including the brain and kidneys. just for starters, high lead levels may cause less pliable arteries, an irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure.
- MERCURY Like lead, mercury is another toxic heavy metal. It's an ingredient that can cause damage to brain and autism in children. It is used in most vaccines and dental amalgrams but in cosmetics it is widely used in mascara and other eye products. Check the label for mercurous chloride or thimerosal (also known as Thiomersal).
- PROPYLENE GLYCOL
Propylene glycol is related to anti-freeze and derived from petroleum, a fossil fuel product. It is widely used and propylene glycol is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use as a direct food additive by the FDA. Yet it's been linked to liver abnormalities and kidney damage, and is also a skin and eye irritant.
Here's a just a few things propylene glycol is used for:
As a moisturizer in medicines, cosmetics, food, toothpaste, mouth wash, and tobacco products
As a carrier in fragrance oils
As an ingredient in massage oils
In hand sanitizers, antibacterial lotions, and saline solutions
In electronic cigarettess to deliver vaporized nicotine
As the main ingredient in deodorant sticks
As a prescribed laxative
As a solvent for food colors and flavorings
Please be aware that propylene glycol has shown toxicity to dogs and cats also!
Here's how it looks on a label:
Propylene Glycol, Proptylene Glycol, 1,2-Propanediol. Related synthetics: PEG (polyethylene glycol) and PPG (polypropylene glycol). - Triethanolamine can make your cosmetics toxic. This ingredient is used as a pH balancer in cosmetic preparations for variety of different products ranging from skin lotion, eye gels, moisturizers, shampoos, shaving foams etc. This substance may form carcinogenic compounds called nitrosamines in the body after absorbed which are among the most potent cancer-causing agents found. It is commonly abbreviated as: TEA or TEOA.
- Methylparaben - Propylparaben - Butylparaben and Ethylparaben can make your cosmetics toxic! Parabens are a class of chemicals widely used as preservatives in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. They can be found in shampoos, moisturizers, shaving gels, personal lubricants, topical pharmaceuticals, spray tanning solution, deodorants and toothpaste. Parabens are linked to: Breast cancer Estrogenic activity Allergic reactions
- FORMALDEHYDE (methanal)
Formaldehyde is classified as a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It is used as a preservative and has been linked to cancer, developmental and reproductive problems and asthma.
Some of its uses are:
In building materials such as an adhesive for plywood and carpeting
As a preservative in vaccines
In nail polishes, shampoos and bleach
For embalming
Topical medicine for warts
In textiles to make fabrics crease-resistant
It looks like this on a label:
formaldehyde, formalin, formic aldehyde, oxomethane, oxymethylene.
FYI: Japan and Sweden have banned formaldehyde! Check your labels! Are your cosmetics toxic?
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