With a bit of due diligence, you can find killer makeup that won't kill
you.
By Leah Zerbe
Spring is right around the corner, inspiring us to reach for bright
colors, not just in the closet, but in cosmetic aisles, too. But every time you
slather a flash of color across your lips, you could be applying an alarming
dose of lead to your mouth, a part of the body where the heavy metal is easily
absorbed and ingested. In fact, a new report found lead contamination in
cosmetics is more widespread than previously thought—400 lipsticks tested
positive for the brain-damaging contaminant, with L'Oreal lipsticks being the
worst offenders.
The lead—which isn't listed on the ingredient breakdown—could be coming
from the colorant or another contaminated ingredient, explains Stacy Malkan,
cofounder of Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and author of Not Just a Pretty Face:
The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry (New Society Publishers, 2007). Short of
sending the lipstick to a lab for lead testing, there's not much consumers can
do to avoid it (besides just not wear it).
"It shouldn't be this hard for consumers to avoid toxic
products," Malkan says. "That's why we need to update the 1938
cosmetic regulations and give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the
authority and resources to ensure the safety of cosmetics," she adds,
referring to the outdated 75-year-old law that the FDA uses to monitor safety
in the beauty industry.
When it comes to cosmetics, lead is just one thing to watch out for.
Many of the complex chemicals used in makeup have never been tested for
long-term impacts on human health before being introduced to the market. And
these routine exposures to harmful makeup chemicals could be harming the health
of millions of people whose only crime is trying to look cuter. "The
average woman uses a dozen personal care products every day containing more
than 180 chemicals, so the toxic exposures are adding up," explains
Malkan.
Malkan says she avoids products that contain any of the following
substances because they indicate that the company is not doing the best job it
can to formulate the safest products.
To look your best without wrecking your health, learn how to avoid
these 5 toxic ingredients commonly used in cosmetics.
1. Fragrance
If a cosmetic product's ingredients info lists "fragrance" or
"parfum" as an ingredient, you might want to put it right back on the
store shelf. These terms are catchall phrases that can indicate any of
thousands of different chemicals, including some linked to asthma, allergies,
hormone disruption, and even infertility. "The best advice is that simpler
is better," Malkan says. "Choose products with fewer chemicals, avoid
synthetic fragrance, and use fewer products overall, especially on kids and
while pregnant."
2. Parabens
Parabens, preservative chemicals that have been linked to breast
cancer, can be found in 70 to 90 percent of cosmetics, according to The David
Suzuki Foundation, an organization that focuses on sustainability and health.
Parabens are readily absorbed by the skin, and may even interfere with a man's
reproductive system. Avoid any ingredient with "paraben" in the word,
including methylparaben.
3. Triclosan
Triclosan is an antimicrobial chemical linked to thyroid damage and
partially blamed for the rise in hard-to-kill superbugs like MRSA. It's a
common ingredient in antimicrobial soaps, but some cosmetic companies sneak it
into lipstick and other products, too. Look for triclosan on ingredient labels,
and particularly on labels making claims of being antimicrobial or germ free.
4. Formaldehyde-Releasing Preservatives
Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen, something you definitely
don't want to be applying to your body. The problem is, many common
preservatives in cosmetics and personal care products mix with other
ingredients and start releasing formaldehyde. Ingredients like DMDM hydantoin,
diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, methenamine, quaternium-15, and sodium
hydroxymethylglycinate should be avoided; doing so will protect you from
formaldehyde exposure.
5. Sodium Laureth Sulfate and
Other PEG Compounds
Sodium laureth sulfate is a foaming agent used in shampoos and facial
scrubs and to help your skin absorb lotions and other cosmetics. It's commonly
contaminated with potential and proven cancer causers like 1,4-dioxane and
ethylene oxide, and products listed as PEG or polyethylene glycol often face
carcinogenic contamination problems. Used in many cream-based cosmetics and as
moisture carriers, other PEG ingredients should be avoided whenever possible.
When you shop, use these easy ways to find safer cosmetics and avoid
the nasty stuff:
• Befriend this detailed database. This website will change your life,
and for the better. Search Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep cosmetics
database to check the safety of your current products, and to seek out safer
products. Malkan recommends opting for products with scores ranging from 0 to
2, the safest picks. In addition, look for the Campaign for Safer Cosmetics'
Champion Companies, organizations that pledge to disclose all ingredients and
to avoid chemicals banned in other countries.
• Do your homework when it comes to "natural" makeup. For
food to be labeled organic, farmers and food manufacturers need to follow
strict laws. That's not yet true in the cosmetics industry, meaning there
aren't regulations to keep products from using label terms like
"natural" or "organic" when they actually contain harmful
ingredients. The exception? If you see an actual USDA organic logo on a
personal care product, it does indicate it has been made following strict
organic standards. Without that logo, you should still read ingredient labels
thoroughly and investigate the product on the Skin Deep database.
• Look for less-tainted lipstick. With the latest proof that many
lipsticks contain lead, be particularly wary of this type of makeup. "Lead
builds up in the body over time and lead-containing lipstick applied several
times a day, every day, can add up to significant exposure levels,"
explains Mark Mitchell, MD, MPH, policy advisor of the Connecticut Coalition
for Environmental Justice and cochair of the Environmental Health Task Force
for the National Medical Association.
Check the FDA lead-in-lipstick test results to look for brands with
lower levels. As an added measure, you can call your favorite brand's
manufacturer and ask if the company has a policy in place to protect against
lead contamination in cosmetic products.
Source: http://www.rodale.com/safe-cosmetics-0?cm_mmc=ABCNews-_-Top%204%20Moisturizers%20For%20Dry%20Skin-_-Article-_-5%20Things%20That%20Should%20Never%20Be%20In%20Your%20Makeup%20RL
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This document is provided for reference purposes only and not necessarily reflect the opinion of bynaturael’s team . Train your mind to test every thought and keep on searching the final truth that satisfies the conscience inside you. Please visit our blog: bynaturael.blogspot.com
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