ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- By now, most of us know to check labels for harmful ingredients before buying food. But what about the beauty products you know and love? You spray, slather, and brush them on every day, but do you know what’s in the beauty products you use?
Alyssa Hudson, Esthetician, told Ivanhoe, “People should absolutely be reading all of the ingredients in the products they’re purchasing.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says to avoid cosmetics that contain parabens. These preservatives have been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and decreased sperm counts.
Also stay away from triclosan. It’s found in toothpastes, soaps, and deodorants and can disrupt thyroid and reproductive hormones. And don’t buy anything with “fragrance” listed as an ingredient. The chemicals can worsen your skin!
“When you’re using chemicals or fragrance on the skin, it disrupts the natural PH levels of your skin. So, that can lead to skin stress, skin dehydration, your lipid barrier will get impaired,” Hudson said.
Toluene is another ingredient to dodge. It comes from petroleum or coal tar and can affect your respiratory system, irritate your skin, and cause nausea.
You might see it listed as benzene, toluol, phenyl methane, or methylbenzene on nail polish or hair color products.
Sodium lauryl sulfate is found in more than 90 percent of personal care and cleaning products. But it can cause skin, lung, and eye irritation.
Lastly products that contain synthetic colors, which may be listed as FD&C or D&C, could be linked to cancer and childhood ADHD. So remember to read those labels before you apply those products!
In March of 2019, the California legislature proposed a bill that would ban the use of cosmetics that contain 20 highly toxic chemicals that are known to cause health problems such as mercury, lead and formaldehyde. The U.S. Federal Government currently exercises very little oversight over cosmetics and personal care products. By contrast, more than 40 other countries have prohibited or restricted the use of thousands of chemicals in cosmetics.
