{"id":141,"date":"2011-09-18T09:13:13","date_gmt":"2011-09-18T13:13:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/truebeauty\/?p=141"},"modified":"2011-09-16T15:17:00","modified_gmt":"2011-09-16T19:17:00","slug":"ten-deadly-secrets-of-your-cosmetics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truebeauty\/2011\/09\/ten-deadly-secrets-of-your-cosmetics.html","title":{"rendered":"Ten Deadly Secrets of Your Cosmetics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cosmetics and personal care products are made from numerous chemicals and there is growing but not totally convincing evidence that some of these ingredients are dangerous. Today, I\u2019m going to offer my \u201cbe on the lookout for\u201d warning about the top 10 substances you should try and avoid.<\/p>\n

In the interest of fairness, these substances are legal and regulators in charge of such things do not consider them dangerous at least when used in cosmetics. However, there are some compelling reasons I\u2019ll share below that some of these ingredients are problematic. When at all possible, they should be avoided.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Methylisothiazoline (MIT)<\/strong> has been suspected of impairing the way that nerve cells communicate with each other. Look for it mainly in shampoos. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that MIT \u201cis highly acutely toxic when applied dermally or to the eye.\u201d If you put this substance in insecticide, the EPA requires that a warning label appear on the container and those \u201cexposed to methylisothiazoline products must wear long-sleeved shirt and long pants, chemical resistant gloves, and shoes plus socks.\u201d However, we are supposed to believe that you can take it into your shower and wash your hair with it safely!<\/li>\n
  2. Sodium lauryl sulfate<\/strong> (and its cousin sodium laureth sulfate<\/strong>) appear in lots of \u201cfoamy\u201d products, including soaps, shampoos, and even toothpaste. This substance is approved for use but is known to be irritating to the skin. It\u2019s the same stuff mechanics use to degrease engines.<\/li>\n
  3. Phthalates<\/strong> are used in many cosmetics and perfumes and even medical products (like blood transfusion bags and tubing). There are numerous chemicals in this family and while government regulations allow them in cosmetics and perfumes, the EPA has published a toxicity summary on these ingredients and even states that exposure of young ones to these phthalates is \u201cof concern for children\u2019s health.\u201d The EPA report mentions that phthalates have been associated with rashes, colds, birth defects, cancer, liver damage, lung disorders, and skeletal abnormalities. One study in mice found that excessive exposure to these chemicals resulted in exencephaly (brain growth outside the skull).<\/li>\n
  4. Coal tar<\/strong> is perhaps a less common ingredient, but it has been linked to cancer. Look for it in hair dyes, dandruff and specialty shampoos, and some anti-itch products.<\/li>\n
  5. Petroleum distillates<\/strong> are a category of products produced by the petroleum industry and often used in mascara, foundation, lipstick (including lip balms), and perfume.\u00a0 Petroleum distillates may contain impurities and are suspected carcinogens.<\/li>\n
  6. PEG (polyethylene glycol)<\/strong> or PPG (polypropylene glycol)<\/strong> are two chemicals that appear in numerous cosmetics although they are known to be harmful. The government allows these ingredients in cosmetics because small amounts of the substances are thought to be relatively safe.\u00a0 PEG is an ingredient in antifreeze and is regulated by the EPA, although it is considered of \u201clow toxicity.\u201d<\/li>\n
  7. Dyes,<\/strong> often labeled as FD&C or D&C with a color and number (such as FD&C Red No 3). These are synthetic colorings that are frequently used in color cosmetics (blush, foundation, nail polish, hair dye and so on) and even in food. Some of these dyes are known to be carcinogenic.<\/li>\n
  8. The Paraben<\/strong> Family: Methyl, Propyl, Butyl, and Ethyl. Parabens refer to a class of chemical ingredients which help cosmetic products stay fresh by inhibiting the growth of germs.\u00a0 Some parabens block UV radiation and are used in sunscreens. It is believed that certain parabens are irritating to the skin; animal studies suggest parabens have a pro-estrogenic effect.<\/li>\n
  9. Formaldehyde<\/strong> seems like an obvious substance to avoid, but this chemical is widely used in everything from embalming fluid to fabric softeners and even cosmetics. Formaldehyde is reported by the US National Toxicology Program as a substance \u201cknown to be a human carcinogen.\u201d It may appear in shampoo, bubble baths, shower gels, antibacterial cleansers, nail hardeners, and liquid hand wash products.<\/li>\n
  10. \u201cFragrance.\u201d<\/strong> This seemingly harmless term on a product label may be most dangerous of all since manufacturers can use it as a catch-all to describe any or all \u201cmasking agents\u201d intended to camouflage an undesirable odor in the product. The FDA allows manufacturers to call certain ingredients \u201cfragrances,\u201d \u201cflavors,\u201d or \u201cother ingredients\u201d without disclosing them as a type of trade secret.\u00a0 This means that a whole laundry list of chemicals may get an exemption from disclosure so you do not know what you are using! The FDA gets to find out what the product contains, but not you and I, the consumers. All companies have the right to disclose all ingredients without hiding behind the \u201cfragrance\u201d designation, so I have to assume that a company that goes to the trouble to get an exemption to conceal ingredients with a \u201cfragrance,\u201d \u201cflavoring,\u201d or \u201cother ingredients\u201d label must be trying to hide something from me.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Sources:<\/p>\n

    http:\/\/www.epa.gov\/oppsrrd1\/REDs\/factsheets\/3092fact.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

    http:\/\/www.natural-health-information-centre.com\/sodium-lauryl-sulfate.html<\/a><\/p>\n

    http:\/\/www.epa.gov\/teach\/chem_summ\/phthalates_summary.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

    http:\/\/www.healthfoodemporium.com\/index_dangerous-ingredients.php<\/a><\/p>\n

    http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Formaldehyde<\/a><\/p>\n

    http:\/\/www.health-report.co.uk\/formaldehyde.html<\/a><\/p>\n

    http:\/\/www.fda.gov\/cosmetics\/cosmeticlabelinglabelclaims\/cosmeticlabelingmanual\/ucm126444.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Cosmetics and personal care products are made from numerous chemicals and there is growing but not totally convincing evidence that some of these ingredients are dangerous. Today, I\u2019m going to offer my \u201cbe on the lookout for\u201d warning about the top 10 substances you should try and avoid. In the interest of fairness, these substances…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":394,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,3],"tags":[100],"class_list":["post-141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anti-aging","category-beauty-tips","tag-cosmetics"],"yoast_head":"\nTen Deadly Secrets of Your Cosmetics - True Beauty Starts Inside<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truebeauty\/2011\/09\/ten-deadly-secrets-of-your-cosmetics.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ten Deadly Secrets of Your Cosmetics - True Beauty Starts Inside\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cosmetics and personal care products are made from numerous chemicals and there is growing but not totally convincing evidence that some of these ingredients are dangerous. 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He is the author of Dr. Tabor's Slim & Beautiful Diet and FIGHT NOW: Eat & Live Proactively Against Breast Cancer. Dr. Tabor\u2019s diet clients have appeared on numerous national magazine covers, and he is frequently quoted as a beauty, diet and anti-aging expert. The National Institutes of Health has funded Dr. Tabor\u2019s medical research. His work with leading hospitals and experts include nutritional cosmetics for younger-looking skin, hair, and nails; anti-wrinkle and wound-healing gene therapy drugs; weight loss and low-glycemic index benefits; anti-breast cancer diet; heart disease risk reduction; pain relief; and, menopause relief. Dr. Tabor created the Slim & Beautiful Diet\u00ae to help his mom Suzanne cope with the health challenges of midlife, including an expanding waistline. The dramatic turnaround he witnessed in his mom\u2019s health made him passionate about helping others with natural anti-aging solutions. Over 1 million women have already trusted Dr. Tabor for better nutrition and health education, and thousands of doctors have recommended his products. He educates other physicians about diet and lifestyle research as the Diet & Alternative Medicine Section Editor for The Journal of Medicine. He has authored numerous books, papers, and patents in the fields of medicine and nutrition. His recent book Nutritional Cosmetics: Beauty from Within is the first medical textbook on \u201cinside-out makeover\u201d science\u2014foods and supplements to make you look younger from the inside out. Dr. Tabor is also the Founder of Gene Facelift, a Johns Hopkins' biotech spin-off, developing anti-wrinkle drugs. Gene Facelift\u2019s drug technology is designed to boost damaged skin DNA in order to heal wrinkles and reverse the aging process. Dr. Tabor appears regularly on the QVC home shopping channel with his Slim & Beautiful Diet\u00ae line. You can try Dr. Tabor\u2019s Slim & Beautiful Diet\u00ae, including his new Beauty Shakes and Gorgeous Roses\u2122 Beauty Vitamin for younger-looking skin, hair, and nails at www.QVC.com. Learn more about Dr. Tabor\u2019s research at www.DrTabor.com and join his Facebook\u00ae page at www.Facebook.com\/DrTaborDiet His academic memberships include: The Johns Hopkins Medical and Surgical Association American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine American Medical Association American Heart Association American Diabetes Association Men Against Breast Cancer National Consortium of Breast Centers North American Menopause Society Advisory Committee for Biotechnology in the Piedmont Triad","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truebeauty\/author\/atabor"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truebeauty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truebeauty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truebeauty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truebeauty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/394"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truebeauty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truebeauty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":214,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truebeauty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141\/revisions\/214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truebeauty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truebeauty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truebeauty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}