Harmful makeup ingredients – 7 COMMON MAKEUP ITEMS POISONING YOUR BODY
The ugly truth
Who doesn’t like that added beauty on your face? A little darker shade of pink on your lips that makes you think in the dark? Even listing ideas about it makes me crave it – but wait. There is a dark side to everything. Have you ever in the wildest dream thought about the possibility of makeup poisoning your body? Sorry to break it this way, my friend, but it happens.
While makeup is meant to enhance your beauty, do you know all the ingredients and chemicals they are made with? There has been a debate on and off by cosmetic health advocates since 1930 when the FDA approved 12000 chemicals for use. The news still flatters the lab these days that many of these chemicals are still a danger to human health and skin.
“Cancer is on the rise, infertility is on the rise, allergies in children are on the rise, and people can’t figure out why,” said Nneka Leiba, the director of healthy living science at EWG “The increases are not just due to genetics and new diagnostic techniques.”
EWG has been examining and testing chemicals in cosmetics for over a decade. With that, people need to care and take notice of such substances – because if you don’t look out today, it might kill you tomorrow.
I am listing here common chemicals in your makeup products that we should be holding a caution sign against.
1. The deadly chemical of sunscreen:
Have you ever in your wildest dreams thought that the product you use for protection could be harming you? Well, it’s time for you to know. Sunscreen chemicals are added to beauty products as they are helpful against solar radiation. Shockingly, some UV filters can have side effects with impending health risks to the consumer.
The first and most heartbreaking side effects are said to imbalance our hormones. The most common and harmful chemicals in sunscreen or a product which has the effect of sunscreens are oxybenzone and retinyl palmitate. If you’re concerned about potentially toxic chemicals, Avoid products containing these chemicals.
What you can do is make sure you read the labels and try avoiding these – and make it work for the sake of your life and the generation you are about to bring to life.
2. Fragrance might smell good, but could it harm you?
“EWG revealed that approximately 75 percent of products that list fragrance includes the hormone-disrupting chemical, phthalate.”
Fragrances or perfumes are present in nearly half of all cosmetic products. These blends give beauty products their brand scents, but they are said to be often chemical cocktails. We all know the magic of hidden witty marketing – the aroma is the term used to protect the name of the secret product used in it. The problem with fragrance is that law does not apply to companies to tell customers what is actually in these secret “blends.” Therefore, it is impossible to know what any blend could be made of. Don’t you like knowing what your food constitutes? Makeup gets applied onto your skin and goes inside into your system. Are you okay, not knowing about it?
Some clean cosmetic companies introduce fragrance-free products. These products are often referred to as those with sensitive skin and are best for babies. It doesn’t mean that the product doesn’t smell like anything. It just shows that the products hold their natural scent and not cloaked by a fragrance blend.
3. Coal tar dyes – the next time you wear eye shadows:
Who doesn’t like smoky eye makeup as it makes you look more attractive and gives you a standout a look than many others? Or what about that hair dye? The coloring of hair will make you look magical. Are you planning to get it done again? Let me tell you something before it.
There is use of coal tar dyes in eye shadows and hair colors as they make them look sleek and enhance the color pigment. But on the worst side – they can make your skin irritated and sorry, and can even make you blind.
4. Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)
Sodium lauryl sulfate was manufactured more than 60 years ago as an emulsifier or detergent. Coming back to this generation, my dear people, this product is used as the primary detergent in many products such as skin cleansers, shampoos, and shower gels. Worried? Well, there is more for you to know.
They are known to cause skin reactions such as irritant contact dermatitis or may irritate. For people who may have a skin disorder, they can lead to some severe diseases. I know the dirt has to go, but what about you? The issue is that sulfates in cleansers, shampoos, and toothpaste may strip a lot of your skin or oils and proteins from your hair by drying them out. Washing your hair less as often as possible can help with that, but look for sulfate-free shampoos – because we have to live healthily.
5. Phthalates:
Remember the last time you used your moisturizer? Well industrial plasticizers in cosmetics
It is what you have in it. These are also called phthalic acid esters, and they are multifunctional chemicals. There have been concerns over phthalates’ introduction to the body due to their exposure in the blood, amniotic fluid, and breast milk of women in many countries.
Currently, all phthalates have been forbidden from cosmetics in the European Union under category two substances (which may have considered as impairing fertility.) However, some countries, such as the USA, still utilize phthalates in cosmetics and skincare products.
According to EGW research in 2005, these are the harmful effects of Phthalates:
- Testicular atrophy — a disease that results in the least capacity to form sperm and male sex hormones;
- Hypospadias — a deficiency of the penis in which the opening is at the bottom in spite of the tip;
- Undescended testicles — a state in which the testes do not drop away into the scrotal sac during pregnancy;
- Ectopic testes — an illness in which the growth of testes is outside the scrotal sac;
6. Silky petroleum. Dangerous?
According to research, petroleum jelly is an active ingredient of petroleum.
“Petroleum jelly was first introduced as a by-product making on oil rigs in the mid of 1800. … But before it’s cultured, petroleum jelly does contain carcinogenic compounds or stuff that could result in cancer.”
It should be avoided in case the human body is fragile and limited to its actions. It is time for us to care about all the products that are available for harm in the market. It is our life, and we need to care for it.
7. Parabens:
Would you let the ingredients in your makeup affect your hormones? Growth and effect on your bacterial rate? Well, without you even knowing it, ingredients like parabens can harm you in ways you never even imagined.
“A 2017 University of California, Berkeley study suggests parabens might be more dangerous than previously thought–even in small amounts.”
The only thing you can let play with your hormone should be your periods and the uncalled stress. We can’t let products like these mess with our hormones. They are present in products such as makeup, moisturizers, hair care and shaving creams. It is your time to care because nobody would if you didn’t.