Here is a list of the common cosmetic ingredients to avoid in personal care products. There is a much longer list, but I chose to highlight the most common ones in order to not overwhelm you.You can click on the picture below for more information on cosmetic ingredients to avoid in certain products as well.
1. Mineral Oil, Paraffin, and Petrolatum – Petroleum products that coat the skin like plastic, clogging pores and creating a build-up of toxins, which in turn accumulate and can lead to dermatological issues. They slow cellular development, which can cause you to show earlier signs of aging. They are suspected causes of cancer and are disruptive of hormonal activity.
2. Parabens – widely used as preservatives in the cosmetic industry including moisturizers). An estimated 13,200 cosmetic and skin care products contain parabens and studies implicate their connection with cancer. They have hormone-disrupting qualities – mimicking estrogen – and interfere with the body’s endocrine system.
3. Phenol carbolic acid – found in many lotions and skin creams. They can cause circulatory collapse, paralysis, convulsions, coma and even death from respiratory failure.
4. Propylene glycol – used as a moisturizer in cosmetics and as a carrier in fragrance oils. It has been shown to cause dermatitis, kidney or liver abnormalities, and may inhibit skin cell growth or cause skin irritation.
5. Acrylamide – found in many hand and face creams. They are linked to mammary tumors in lab research.
6. Sodium laurel or lauryl sulfate (SLS), also know as sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) – found in car washes, engine degreasers, garage floor cleaner, and in over 90% of personal care products! SLS breaks down the skin’s moisture barrier, easily penetrates the skin, and allows other chemicals to easily penetrate. Combined with other chemicals, SLS becomes a “nitrosamine”, a potent class of carcinogen. It can also cause hair loss. SLES is sometimes disguised with the labeling “comes from coconut” or “coconut-derived”.
7. Toluene – Poison! Danger! Harmful or fatal if swallowed! Harmful if inhaled or absorbed through the skin. It is made from petroleum or coal tar, and found in most synthetic fragrances. Chronic exposure is linked to anemia, lowered blood cell count, liver or kidney damage, and it may affect a developing fetus. Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) contains toluene. Their names may include benzoic and benzyl.
8. Dioxane – found in compounds known as PEG, Polysorbates, Laureth, and ethoxylated alcohols. It is common in a wide range of personal care products. The compounds are usually contaminated with high concentrations of highly volatile 1,4-dioxane, which is easily absorbed through the skin.
Dioxane’s carcinogenicity was first reported in 1965 and later confirmed in studies including one from the National Cancer Institute in 1978. The nasal passages and liver are the most vulnerable. Dioxane is easily removed during the manufacturing process by “vacuum stripping”. Warning: it is a synthetic derivative of coconut, so watch for hidden language on labels, such as “comes from coconut”.
Now you may be asking yourself “Why are these things being allowed in the United States”? The FDA is supposed to be regulating them but they don't. Let the buyer beware is the best advice I can give you along with this list of cosmetic ingredients to avoid.
There is a wonderful site on the web called "The Story of Stuff" and if you haven't seen it already, I highly recommend it. As a subset of that, you can watch a video all about cosmetics and exactly what I have been talking about here by going to the URL www.storyofstuff.org/cosmetics, which is also excellent.
Please see Natural Personal Care Products for what to buy to avoid the issue entirely.
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