Fashion & Style

Your everyday beauty product might contain harmful or even dangerous ingredients.

Before you next head to your bathroom to cleanse your skin, shampoo your hair, or apply your make-up, you might want to take a gander at the ingredients in your beauty products. Additives, fillers and chemicals are more common in commercially bought brands than we might realize. These common ingredients can dry out the skin and hair, clog the pores and accelerate the aging process.

Many beauty, skin and hair care products contain ingredients that are actually harmful to our hair and skin (not to mention our overall health). What’s worse, some of these ingredients, due to clever marketing campaigns and buzz words, are actually thought to be harmless– sometimes even thought to be good for us. The truth is, they are not. Because of shrewd advertising tactics, the general public is sadly misinformed.

If you are concerned about harmful effects of common beauty products, you may want to avoid products that contain the following ingredients:

Mineral Oil– This product is typically found in lipsticks, lotions, make-up removers, liquid foundations, and is usually the main ingredient in baby oil. The word “mineral” makes this product sound like a nutrient, but in fact it is a crude oil derived from petroleum. Mineral oil literally coats the skin like a film, preventing the pores from doing their job. The skin cannot breath or rid itself of toxins through the substance.

Petroleum– Another like mineral oil, this product can clog the pores and smother the skin. You may find petroleum in your face creams, lotions and lipsticks.

Paraffin– Derived from coal or petroleum, paraffin is a wax filler; the same kind of wax found in cheap candles. It is used to solidify products such as bath bars (they aren’t even allowed to be called soap), and liner pencils. It can be a skin irritant and clogs the pores.

Alpha-Hydroxy Acids (AHA)– AHA is organic and generally thought to be a desirable moisturizing ingredient and natural exfoliant. It is found in skin cleansers, masks and moisturizers. It does exfoliate, but so powerfully that it removes not just dead skin cells, but the skin’s natural protective layer as well. It can make the skin up to 50% more susceptible to harmful UV rays, leaving one vulnerable to the sun’s aging effect, and even skin cancer.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)– This ingredient is commonly found in cosmetics, toothpastes, shampoos, garage floor cleaners and engine de-greasers. Not only is SLS bad for your skin, as it is a detergent that dries the skin out, but when combined with other common chemicals it can form carcinogenic compounds. This chemical is actually used in labs to cause skin irritations on which other products can be tested, but since it is cheap and creates foam, many commercial cosmetic companies use it in their products.

Formaldehyde (formalin)– Yes, the same substance used in labs to preserve dead bodies can often be found in our nail polish, shampoos and skin creams. This substance can be irritating and cause allergic reactions when in contact with the skin. Its fumes are linked to asthma and cancer.

Alcohol or Isopropyl Alcohol– This petroleum-derived chemical found in perfumes, hair sprays, after-shave lotions, body lotions, and hair color products can also be found in products such as anti-freeze and solvents. It is a toxic substance. Its fumes can cause nausea, headaches, dizziness and depression. It has a drying/aging effect when used directly on the skin.

Talc– found in loose and pressed powders, such as blushes, powdered foundations, and baby powder. This mineral is a potential carcinogen when inhaled.

Laquer– Generally added to water-proof mascara to make lashes look full and keep color from running, prolonged use of this hardening chemical will eventually lead to the loss and thinning of eye lashes.

Collagen– Many of us are under the impression that collagen is good for our skin. And indeed, the body’s naturally produced collagen keeps our skin healthy and elastic. Unfortunately, the collagen added to cosmetic creams, moisturizers and other skin care products are extracted from animal skins and ground chicken feet. The protein cannot penetrate the pores by rubbing it on the skin; it only serves to clog the pores and keep the skin from functioning properly.

Lanolin– Another product we are often under the impression is healthy for our skin, it is a fat derived from wool and is known as a skin sensitizer which causes irritations and rashes.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of the harmful ingredients found in many products we use daily. If you are concerned about the effects such additives will have on your beauty and health, you may want to make yourself aware of just what you are putting on your body by reading ingredients before making purchases. Don’t let catch words like “natural” or “organic” fool you; just because something is natural doesn’t mean it won’t harm you. Manure is natural, but you wouldn’t rub it all over your body, would you?

Written by M.S. Beltran – 2002 Pagewise