How to Make Sure Your Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Are
Safe
Choosing safe products can be a daunting task without the proper
knowledge and tools. Many product packages are deceptively
designed to make you believe that the product inside the package
is herbal, all natural, safe and gentle, when in fact the
product contains little or no natural or herbal ingredients, is
contaminated with carcinogens and is irritating to the skin.
This is the case because of the lack of regulation in the
cosmetic and personal care product industry. But armed with a
little knowledge and some helpful tools, there is much you can
do to protect yourself.
Here are 10 things you can do to make safer and healthier
choices when selecting your toiletries.
Read the ingredients on the label. The packaging may say such
things as natural, herbal or hypoallergenic. This has nothing to
do with what's really in the product or how safe it is.
Manufacturers make a lot of claims on the package to "sell" the
product. They can do this because some of the terms don't have
official definitions and they can use them however they want. To
really find out what's in a product, you must read the
ingredients in the small print, you know, the ones that you
sometimes need a magnifying glass to be able to see.
Interpret and understand the ingredients. Once you find the
ingredients, you have to be able to know what they are and if
they are safe, harmful, questionable or untested. A great many
ingredients have chemical names that only a cosmetic chemist
would understand. However, you don't have to be a cosmetic
chemist. The book, Dying To Look Good, makes it easy for you to
choose products with safe and healthy ingredients.
Choose products without parabens. Parabens are xenoestrogens or
endocrine disrupters. They disturb the hormone balance in your
body. They are also skin sensitizers and have the potential to
cause allergic reactions. They have been found in breast cancer
tumors, but it is not known if they cause breast cancer.
Stay away from products containing amines. Chemicals that fall
into the category of amines can combine with nitrosating agents
to form nitrosamines, which cause cancer. Nitrosamines are
formed during the manufacturing process when an amine combines
with a formaldehyde-releasing preservative. Some of the amines
commonly used in cosmetics and personal care products are
Cocamide MEA, Cocamide DEA, TEA, sodium lauroyal sarcosinate and
amino methyl propanol. Several of the formaldehyde-releasing
preservatives include sodium hydroxymethylglycinate,
quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin and diazonlidnyl urea.
Steer clear of products containing talc. Talc is found in talcum
powder, baby powder and makeup. It is a carcinogen if it
contains asbestiform fibers. The quantity of asbestiform fibers
in cosmetic-grade talc is unregulated in the U.S. Some research
suggests a link between talc and ovarian cancer.
Be cautious about products that contain fragrance. Manufacturers
are not required to disclose the ingredients used in frgrances.
A single fragrance may contain hundreds of different chemicals.
Some of the chemicals used in fragrances are hazardous, such as
benzyl chloride, methyl ethyl ketone, methylene chloride,
toluene and phthalates. Fragrances may also contain chemicals
that cause cancer. Even products listed as fragrance free may
have fragrance added to mask offensive odors.
Avoid D&C and FD&C Colors. Most D&C and FD&C colors are derived
from coal tar which is a carcinogen. Most coal tar colors are
potential carcinogens, may contain carcinogenic contaminants and
cause allergic reactions. These colors must be certified by the
FDA to contain not more than 20 ppm of lead and arsenic, but the
certification does not address any other harmful effects these
colors may have on the body.
Beware of products containing chemical preservatives. Chemical
preservatives can be irritating and are the number one cause of
contact dermatitis. Some preservatives you should watch out for
are benzethonium chloride, BHA, BHT, diazolidinyl urea,
imidazolidinyl urea, phenoxyethanol and methylisothiazolinone.
Watch out for "and other ingredients." This means there are one
or more ingredients that the manufacturer considers a trade
secret and does not want to list on the label.
Be wary of products with long lists of ingredients. Many of the
chemicals used in cosmetics and personal care products have not
been tested or have not been adequately tested. Even those that
have been tested have only been tested individually, not in
combination with other ingredients. Nobody knows the effects of
the many different ingredients used in thousands of different
combinations, the effects of using numerous different products,
one on top of the other, or the effects of repeated use of
ingredients or products over time.
Protect yourself and your loved ones. Become a label reader and
learn how to decipher the ingredients for safety.