COSMETICS DANGERS
The Hidden Dangers of Makeup
Women who wear makeup absorb 2.26 kg of toxic chemicals per year.
Most of personal care products contain ingredients that have not been assessed for safety by any liable agency and do not meet standards of safety.
CANCER
One out of five adults are exposed on a daily basis to all seven of the common carcinogens found in personal care products: hydroquinone, ethylene dioxide, 1,4-dioxane, formaldehyde, nitrosamines, PAHs, and acrylamide.
HORMONE DISORDER
• 20 teens tested had an average of 13 hormone-altering cosmetics chemicals in their bodies.
• Environmental Working Group (EWG) detected 16 chemicals from 4 chemical families (phthalates, triclosan, parabens, and musks) in blood and urine samples from 20 teen girls aged between 14-19. Studies link these chemicals to potential health effects including cancer and hormone disruption.
TEENS & COSMETICS
• Teens use an average of nearly 17 personal care products while the average adult woman uses just 12 products daily.
• Teens may unknowingly expose themselves to potential health effects of cosmetic ingredients at a time when their bodies are prone to chemical damage.
WARNING
Biochemist Richard Bence warns absorbing chemicals through our skin is more dangerous than swallowing them.
“If your lipstick gets into your mouth, it is broken down by the enzymes in the saliva and in the stomach,” he told the Daily Mail. “But if the chemicals get straight into your bloodstream, there is no protection.”
FACTS
• According to Environmental Working Group (EWG), the average woman applies around 168 chemicals to her face and body every day.
• One out of 24 women is daily exposed to personal care ingredients that carry reproductive and developmental toxins, linked to impaired fertility or developmental harm.
• The average woman puts 515 synthetic chemicals on her skin every day. 60% of what we put onto our skin is absorbed into our bodies.
• The average woman absorbs 1.8kg (177ml) of chemicals from toiletries and make-up every year.
DANGEROUS CHEMICALS
• Parabens are the most dangerous toxins in cosmetics (widely used in soap, shampoo, deodorant and lotion).
• Petroleum derivatives (mineral oil, petrolatum, petroleum) are actually crude oil that dries out the skin.
• Phthalates are a group of chemicals that may be disruptive to the endocrine system, which is responsible for hormone production.
• Lead is a proven neurotoxin linked to miscarriage, reduced fertility, and delays in the onset of puberty for females.
• Quaternium-15 and other formaldehyde-releasing preservatives are human carcinogen.
• Octinoxate is found in foundations, it is an unstable chemical linked with endocrine disruption and thyroid disorders.
• p-Phenylenediamine is a type of coal tar dye sometimes listed as CL followed by a five-digit number. It’s a respiratory toxicant.
• Carbon black is found in eyeliners and linked to cancer and organ toxicity. Other names: channel black, pigment black 6, 7, acetylene black, froflow, arogen, arotone, arovel, arrow, atlantic, and black pearls.
• Siloxanes disrupt the endocrine system and are toxic to the reproductive system. Look for ingredients that end in -siloxane or -methicone.
PRECAUTIONS
• Comprehensive safety standards for cosmetics and other personal care products must be set.
• Primers and/or protective serums should be always applied before make up in order to limit the action of toxic chemicals.
• Teens should make healthy choices for themselves by reducing the number of products they use, and by refering to a Shopper’s Guide to select safer products.
• Companies must reformulate products to protect consumers from exposure to potentially toxic chemicals, untested ingredients, and noxious impurities.
Credit: Time, Jamanetwork, returntonow, ewg
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