The beauty industry needs a makeover, and so does your bathroom cabinet.
It is highly likely that most of the cosmetic products that you use every day contain toxic chemicals. But for our friends across the pond in Europe, this isn’t the case; the majority of their personal products are safe and non-toxic.
Already over 1000 toxic chemicals that are common ingredients and preservatives in beauty and personal products have been banned in the E.U., whereas in the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration has banned only 10. Some of these extremely hazardous ingredients, are carcinogens - cancer causing, and have been linked to birth defects, genetic mutation, and organ damage. The shocking studies for these ingredients are not difficult to find with a simple Google search, so why is it that the regulation system is so different and less stringent in the U.S.? The FDA does not currently have authority to test chemicals used in cosmetics, nor to require safety testing before products hit the shelves, or to recall products once a toxic chemical is discovered. The responsibility lies with the cosmetic manufacturer who must ensure that the production of their products adheres to the FDA’s guidelines. This is how companies get their toxic products into your hands, because they are not required to register their cosmetic labs, file data on ingredients, or report cosmetic related injuries to the FDA. According to the FDA, a cosmetic is defined as a product for “cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance.” The European Union Cosmetics Directive (EUCD) defines it much more thoroughly, as “any substance or preparation intended to be placed in contact with the various external parts of the human body (epidermis, hair system, nails, lips and external genital organs) or with the teeth and the mucous membranes of the oral cavity with a view exclusively or mainly to cleaning them, perfuming them, changing their appearance, and/or correcting body odours and/or protecting them or keeping them in good condition.” The EUCD also mandates that products “must not cause damage to human health when applied under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions of use,” which is why when an ingredient in the E.U. is discovered to cause any damage, the product is taken off the shelves immediately, and the chemical banned from any further use in the manufacture and production of any cosmetic products. “Many of these chemicals are considered safe in low doses by themselves,” said Nneka Leiba, a senior analyst at the consumer organization the Environmental Working Group (EWG), in a recent Newsmax Health article. “What we are concerned about is the damage they can cause repetitively over time and synergistically with each other. There is no research or data for this.” EWG launched the Skin Deep database in 2004, after finding that one in 30 products sold in the U.S. fails to meet industry or government safety standards. They concluded that people apply, on average, 126 unique ingredients topically on a daily basis, most of them containing highly toxic chemicals. The organization urges consumers to educate themselves and to learn how to read the ingredient labels on the products that they are using. |
Skin Deep rates over 80,000 popular cosmetic products, ranking them from 0-10 in terms of the toxicity of the product. It clearly explains the function of ingredient use within a product and its effects on the body.
Ingredients are listed in order of the amount used within the product, therefore what is listed at the top of the label is what the product contains most of. Most fruit extracts and healthier ingredients, the ones that you can normally pronounce the names of, tend to be listed at the bottom, which means that they are used in extremely small quantities. Usually this is only to add some sort of fragrance to the product, and has little benefit for the skin or body. Understanding all of the ingredients on the labels of products can sometimes be difficult and time consuming. To make it much easier, EWG created the Skin Deep app in 2013, transforming the way we shop for personal care products. It allows the consumer to scan a barcode of a product in-store to get a toxicity rating. In November of 2015, they took an even further dive into regulating the cosmetics sold in the U.S. marketplace by launching the EWG Verified seal, a mark that indicates that a product has met their strict standards. Only products that qualify can bear this seal. The EWG’s criteria is based on products scoring a “green” in their Skin Deep database, not containing any ingredients on their “unacceptable,” or “restricted” lists, and fully disclosing all ingredients on labels including those used in fragrance. They must also follow the E.U.’s requirements for labeling allergens and nanomaterials used in cosmetics, and finally indicating expiration dates or a “period of time after opening.” EWG has created stringent guidelines because the government does not require long-term safety studies or pre-market testing. Many companies use the very low FDA approved percentages of toxic preservatives and fillers because they are cheaper to use than their safer, natural or organic alternatives. They also increase the shelf-life of the product. What the government doesn’t take into account when approving these doses in small quantitates, is how toxic the ingredient is in larger quantities. When the body is exposed to such chemicals on a daily basis, it makes the risk for damage by toxic chemicals considerably higher. People often have the misconception that if something is applied topically to the skin, like creams, lotions, and makeup, it can be wiped straight off and therefore we aren't absorbing it. Scientists and dermatologists have since found out that's not the case. Over 60 percent of what one puts on their body goes directly into the bloodstream. As consumers we have a right to know what is in our products and how common ingredients are affecting our bodies for the long-term. Even though the information was traditionally hard to find, it is now readily available online thanks to EWG and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Advocacy websites have spurred an influx of organic and natural brands that want to market themselves as safe, non-toxic, and made without any harmful ingredients. Perhaps in the future the toxic offenders will be in the minority. |
Six of the most common, toxic, skin-care ingredients that are used in the U.S. but are banned in other countries are:
1. Formaldehyde: This chemical is used as a preservative and also includes a group of substances known as “formaldehyde donors,” which effectively releases formaldehyde into a product.
One of the most controversial of these donors is quaternium-15, which until recently was found in the popular Johnson & Johnson’s baby shampoos. The American Academy of Dermatology warns that formaldehyde can cause severe allergic reactions. Canada has banned it in personal care products.
2. Petroleum distillates: The same oil refineries that pump out oil for heating and cars also produce petroleum that is often found in mascaras and lip balms sold in the United States. Petroleum distillates are used as emollients and are also found in eye shadow, lotions, creams, hairspray, and foundation makeup.
3. Hydroquinone: This bleaching agent is often used to lighten dark patches of skin called hyperpigmentation, dark spots, age spots, or liver spots. It has also been linked to lung irritation and tumors in mice. Canada and some Asian and African countries have banned the use of hydroquinone in skincare products.
4. BHA: Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) is used as a preservative in moisturizers, shaving creams, fragrances, and makeup, particularly lipsticks. It is linked to endocrine disruption and cancer, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The EU prohibits its use in fragrances, and California requires a warning label on all products that contain BHA. It adversely affects the environment by accumulating in water, killing wildlife.
5. Parabens: These chemicals are used as preservatives in a variety of cosmetics. They are suspected endocrine disruptors and may interfere with the male reproductive function. They are commonly used in deodorants and antiperspirants and have been linked to breast cancer. The EU banned parabens in 2012.
6. Methyl cellosolve: This solvent is used in anti-aging creams, moisturizers, and serums. According to the EWG, methyl cellosolve is a neurotoxin that causes DNA mutation. It’s an obscure ingredient that is sometimes not explicitly listed on labels. It has been banned in Canada and restricted in the EU.
1. Formaldehyde: This chemical is used as a preservative and also includes a group of substances known as “formaldehyde donors,” which effectively releases formaldehyde into a product.
One of the most controversial of these donors is quaternium-15, which until recently was found in the popular Johnson & Johnson’s baby shampoos. The American Academy of Dermatology warns that formaldehyde can cause severe allergic reactions. Canada has banned it in personal care products.
2. Petroleum distillates: The same oil refineries that pump out oil for heating and cars also produce petroleum that is often found in mascaras and lip balms sold in the United States. Petroleum distillates are used as emollients and are also found in eye shadow, lotions, creams, hairspray, and foundation makeup.
3. Hydroquinone: This bleaching agent is often used to lighten dark patches of skin called hyperpigmentation, dark spots, age spots, or liver spots. It has also been linked to lung irritation and tumors in mice. Canada and some Asian and African countries have banned the use of hydroquinone in skincare products.
4. BHA: Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) is used as a preservative in moisturizers, shaving creams, fragrances, and makeup, particularly lipsticks. It is linked to endocrine disruption and cancer, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The EU prohibits its use in fragrances, and California requires a warning label on all products that contain BHA. It adversely affects the environment by accumulating in water, killing wildlife.
5. Parabens: These chemicals are used as preservatives in a variety of cosmetics. They are suspected endocrine disruptors and may interfere with the male reproductive function. They are commonly used in deodorants and antiperspirants and have been linked to breast cancer. The EU banned parabens in 2012.
6. Methyl cellosolve: This solvent is used in anti-aging creams, moisturizers, and serums. According to the EWG, methyl cellosolve is a neurotoxin that causes DNA mutation. It’s an obscure ingredient that is sometimes not explicitly listed on labels. It has been banned in Canada and restricted in the EU.