What's in Your Beauty Products?

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What's in Your Beauty Products?

 

Don't Take a Chemical Bath

 

By Judi Ketteler

 

With literally thousands of chemicals and fragrances added to

everything from moisturizer to nail polish, how do you know if your

beauty product is safe?

 

We live in a chemical-infused world. Although there are some benefits

-- clean drinking water, for example -- when it comes to beauty

products, chemicals are thought by many to cause adverse health

effects. That's because chemicals from beauty products don't pass

through your digestive system where they might be filtered; instead,

they head right into your bloodstream.

 

It's important for consumers to understand that the cosmetic industry

is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Companies

are required to list all the ingredients in order of use, but they're

not required (by federal law) to test products for safety. The FDA can

only act if they have strong scientific knowledge that a product is

dangerous. That doesn't mean that companies don't have safety

standards, but it does mean that claims like " natural, " " botanical " or

" organic " are basically useless.

 

So where does this leave the consumer? The Environmental Working Group

(EWG) -- a non-profit, non-partisan organization working to educate

consumers about chemicals in cosmetics -- created Skin Deep a

searchable database that analyzes about 25,000 beauty products and

10,000 different ingredients.

 

" It's about trying to pick better products in the same category, " says

Kristan Markey, a chemist and research analyst for EWG. For example,

it's not reasonable to stop using all soap, but you can choose milder

soaps with fewer ingredients. " It's a big challenge, but basically,

it's just a matter of slowly going through your bathroom cabinet, "

Markey says. The best place to start is by looking at the ingredients.

However, even that can feel like a Herculean task, given that most

ingredients are multi-syllabic words you can't even pronounce, let

alone have any idea what they do.

 

Here are some tips to get started:

 

Minimize Fragrances

 

Beware of the word " fragrance. " You might think it's something that

simply smells pretty, but scents are chemicals. The truth is, it's

impossible to know exactly which chemicals are in a fragrance. There

are more than 5,000 different fragrances used in cosmetics and skin

care products, reports the American Academy of Dermatology. Plus, not

all chemicals are listed on a label. To complicate matters, fragrance

chemicals are a leading cause of allergic reactions to cosmetics.

Choose " fragrance free " whenever possible. Or, if the bouquet of

lavender fields is crucial for your morning shower, look for products

with no chemical preservatives. "

 

Scrutinize Nail Polish

 

Phthalates -- used widely in nail polish -- are a big topic of

controversy and research. Scientists have been studying this group of

chemicals for at least 20 years and have found that they may be linked

to birth defects in humans (they're definitely toxic to animals).

Unfortunately, phthalates often get hidden under " fragrance, " so it's

hard for the consumer to know if the nail polish contains it or not.

The best tactic: Use less nail polish -- perhaps just paint your toes

and skip the nails.

 

Use Hair Dyes Less Often

 

Salons are not required to list the ingredients in their hair dye,

Markey says, but we know that many contain coal tar ingredients --

chemicals that have been linked to cancer. Black hair dyes for men

have also been found to contain lead (called lead acetate), which has

been restricted in both Canada and the European Union. Avoiding hair

dye altogether is a tough pill to swallow -- but try to go as long as

possible between uses.

 

Avoid Skin Lighteners

 

" You want to avoid anything that changes your skin composition, "

Markey says. Watch out for products that have hydroquinone -- a

chemical that bleaches the skin and can cause lesions. The FDA has

issued warnings about it and recommended that it no longer be

generally recognized as safe and effective.

 

Choose Shampoo Carefully

 

Be especially wary of dandruff shampoos, because they often contain

selenium sulfide -- a neurotoxin and possible carcinogen. If you can,

avoid shampoos that list ethanolamine or diethanolamine -- called TEA

or DEA on the label. These are nitrosamines, says Markey, which are

thought to be carcinogenic (though it's not clear in what amounts).

The FDA has also been monitoring the contaminant 1,4-dioxane, which on

a label could be called " PEG, " " Polyethylene, " " Polyethylene glycol, "

" Polyoxyethylene, " " -eth-, " or " -oxynol-. "

 

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify

 

Once you start digging into the ingredients of many of your favorite

beauty products, it's easy to become disheartened. After all, who

doesn't like to look nice, smell nice and have smooth skin and pretty

nails? But try to look for ways to cut down the amount of products

you're using: Drop a step from your skincare routine, give your hair

days off from washing, use fragrance free whenever possible and always

look for products with less ingredients.

 

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