Back to Articles Main Page

Is Your Makeup Killing You?

by Carol Yeh-Garner

Women absorb five POUNDS of chemicals from cosmetics every year from cancer-causing compounds in face cream to arsenic in eyeshadow.  The average woman applies twelve toiletries or cosmetics every day.  But here's the rub: these toiletries can introduce them to at least 175 chemical compounds.  Recent studies have found that when women use health & beauty products they ingest through their skin and occasionally through the mouth up to five POUNDS of chemicals a year.  Take your favorite lip-gloss for instance: you love its color and the fact it 'tastes nice', but according to the list of ingredients, it contains 28 manmade chemicals. Look at your deodorant, which contains 26 chemicals.  Of course, the manufacturers would say these chemicals and resulting products are safe, but a growing school of thought begs to differ.

Cosmetics contain many different kinds of chemicals, but of particular concern are a group of preservatives called parabens, which by some estimates are found in 99 percent of all 'leave on' cosmetics, and 77 per cent of 'rinse off' cosmetics.  Even so-called "organic" companies can claim to be paraben-free, but use methyl parabens, which have been extracted from coconut oil with a carcinogenic chemical.

These are known hormone disruptors: evidence suggests they can mimic the female hormone oestrogen, and a lifetime of increased exposure to oestrogen is linked to a heightened risk of breast cancer.  One study found parabens present in 18 out of 20 breast cancer tissue samples (though it is important to note that the study did not prove they had actually caused the breast cancer).  Parabens are also thought to adversely affect male reproductive functions.

Another troubling chemical is the antibacterial agent and pesticide triclosan, which is used in toothpastes, soaps, household cleaning products and body washes.  It belongs to the chlorophenol class of chemicals, which are suspected of causing cancer in humans and taken internally, even in small amounts, can cause cold sweats, circulatory problems and - in extreme cases - coma.

Also of concern are phthalates, a substance that gives our lotions that silky, creamy, texture, but which are also a 'plasticiser' used to make plastics flexible.  Certain phthalates are known carcinogens, and studies have suggested they damage the liver, kidneys, lungs and the reproductive system, as well as affecting the development of unborn baby boys.

The list goes on.  Sodium laureth sulphate, a frequent ingredient in shower gels and shampoos, is a skin irritant; Propylene glycol, found in soap, blushers and make-up remover, has been shown in large quantities to depress the central nervous system to make it function less effectively, and aluminum in deodorants is linked to breast cancer by medical research.  And did you know that certain eye shadows contain arsenic?

One thing is for sure: few of us would want to rub any of these chemicals into our eyes, far less ingest them in liquids by drinking them.  Yet, every day, we rub them into our skin, and allow them to enter our bodies.  Given the facts, it's hardly surprising that a growing number of experts believe these substances have a cumulative effect on our bodies.  They think the 'chemical cocktail' inside us is contributing to the increased frequency of a host of illnesses ranging from eczema to cancers as well as developmental problems such as autism and dyslexia.  "It's difficult to see the link between chemicals in cosmetics and damage to health unless you stand back and look at the wider picture," says Dr Paula Baillie-Hamilton, author of Toxic Overload and supporter of the campaign group Chemical Safe Skincare.  "Man-made chemicals first emerged 100 years ago, and every decade since, the overall production of these synthetic chemicals has doubled.  "We are surrounded by chemicals: in the air, in our food, in our water and especially in our cosmetics, and the fact is that our bodies can't break many of these substances down.  Our systems are becoming more polluted and we are beginning to see the results of that in terms of increased illnesses and even birth defects, especially in boys.  There is no doubt that one of the ways we are exposing ourselves to these chemicals is through our cosmetics."

Dr Baillie-Hamilton also thinks that absorbing chemicals through our skin is more dangerous than swallowing them.  "At least if you ingest chemicals through your mouth, your digestive system can do something towards dealing with them," she says.  "If they go through your skin they hit your blood stream immediately and are then transported to vital organs such as kidney and liver, where they may be stored for many years."

What can you do to protect yourself & your family?

1)  Educate yourself. The cosmetic industry's definition of natural is: any ingredient "derived from" a natural substance?  You will often see long chemical names followed by the phrase "derived from coconut oil".  For example, to create cocoamide DEA from coconut oil requires the use of the carcinogenic synthetic chemical diethanolamine (DEA).  It is therefore no longer natural.

The cosmetic industry's definition of organic is: any compound containing carbon.  That is the organic chemistry definition.  Carbon is found in anything that ever lived. That's how the toxic petrochemical preservative methyl paraben can be called "organic" because it was formed by leaves that rotted over thousands of years to become the crude oil used to make it.

Certified Organic means in the cosmetic industry? It means that the company must comply with stringent international standards that cover all aspects of the processing chain to ensure that the organic integrity is maintained from seed, growing, harvesting, storage, transporting & processing through to the finished product.

2) Start looking at the ingredient lists on your health & beauty products, along with your cleaning products.  There are alternative products out there... it just takes a bit of research to find them.  As stated above, just because the label says "natural" or "organic" doesn't mean it is THE safest product out there.  If you would like to research more ingredients, you can utilize the "SIRI MSDS" online chemical database search facility by going to:

http://ull.chemistry.uakron.edu/erd/ 

3) Advocate for yourself & your family by contacting the manufacturers of the products you use & tell them that you demand that they remove carcinogenic & toxic chemicals from their products.  The more people they hear from, the more they will need to change their standards of practice.

Carol Yeh-Garner is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a HypnoBirthing instructor & a Miessence Representative.  Miessence skin & body care products are Certified Organic to food grade levels, are freshly cold-pressed from certified organic fruit, nut or seeds, retaining all of the vitamins, minerals & other bioactive nutrients, & are cold-formulated.  To learn more about Miessence products, please visit Carol's website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net & click on the Miessence tab.