What are harmful ingredients to look out for?

What are some of the ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products that are potentially harmful? The following ingredients have either been identified as potentially harmful or potentially carcinogenic by themselves or when combined with other commonly used ingredients. This information is well documented in Dr. Samuel Epstein's books `The Safe Shoppers Bible` and The Politics of Cancer`. Dr. Samuel Epstein MD is a world renowned Professor of Occupational And Environmental Medicine at the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois Medical Center. He is an internationally recognized authority on the toxic and carcinogenic effects of ingredients and contaminants in food, cosmetics and household products. He has authored over 280 scientific articles and ten books, including the prize winning 1978 'The Politics Of Cancer' and the 1998 'Politics Of Cancer Revisited'. In addition, Dr. Epstein is the founder of the Cancer Prevention Coalition. One of the Cancer Coalitions primary goals is to expose consumer products that contain carcinogenic ingredients. He is also the winner of the 98 Right Lively Hood Award also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize. I will not attempt to review all 884 which the federal government has identified as toxic. Instead I will focus on a few of the most commonly recognized. If you are interested in further documentation of these findings, you can find them online at the Cancer Prevention Coalitions website at www.howtopreventcancer.com

• ALCOHOL: May cause body tissues to be more vulnerable to carcinogens when ingested. Poisonous when ingested in quantity. Mouthwashes with high alcohol content have been connected with oral cancer.
• ALPHA HYDROXY ACID (AHA): Used in skin care products to exfoliate dead skin cells, but removes the skins protective barrier. Continued use may result in long term skin damage and potential increase in vulnerability to skin cancer.
• ALUMINUM: An ingredient in antiperspirants, antacids, and antiseptics. David G. Munoz,* Howard Feldman? CMAJ 2000;162:65-72 From the Canadian Medical Association Journal.`Aluminum is neurotoxic. When injected into the brains of experimental animals it produces an acute encephalopathy accompanied by neuronal inclusions that resemble neurofibrillary tangles. The acute encephalopathy seen in some dialysis patients has been traced to the aluminum in dialysis water, indicating that aluminum is also neurotoxic for humans if it reaches the brain.` Aluminum's small molecular size allows it to penetrate the skin. This certainly would suggest that concerned consumers would do just as well to avoid antiperspirants containing aluminum compounds.
• ARTIFICIAL COLORS: Some artificial colors, such as Blue 1 and Green 3, are carcinogenic. Impurities found in commercial batches of other cosmetic colors such as D&C Red 33, FD&C Yellow 5, and FD&C Yellow 6 have been shown to cause cancer not only when ingested, but also when applied to the skin. Some artificial coal tar colors contain heavy metal impurities, including arsenic and lead, which are carcinogenic.
• BENTONITE: Bentonite is the chemical used by fire bombers to put out forest fires. It smothers the fire by consuming the oxygen. It is a porous clay that is commonly used in cosmetic foundations. Bentonite, which expands to many times its dry volume as it absorbs water, may clog the pores and suffocate the skin.
• BRONOPOL(2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol): Bronopol may break down in products into formaldehyde and also cause the formation of carcinogenic nitrosomines under certain conditions. One of the most expensive lines of cosmetics today, Chanel, often uses this chemical. So do many leading brands of baby products. And The Body Shop, whose sales are built on a reputation of containing natural ingredients, also offers products containing this chemical. There are many safer yet equally effective products available.
• COLLAGEN: Too large a protein to be absorbed, collagen is normally `bovine collagen` (scrapings from animal hides) or `avian collagen`(ground chicken feet). These collagens stay on the skin's surface forming a film that may suffocate it.
• DIETHANOLAMINE (DEA): Used in Shampoo, bubble bath, shaving gel etc. to enhance foaming. CBS reported government tests confirming its carcinogenic effect on animals from skin contact. DEA is a very common ingredient in mainstream cosmetics and toiletries. DEA was shown in Studies by the National Toxicology Program to induce cancer of the liver and kidney when applied to the skin of mice and rats. It was shown to be rapidly absorbed through the skin, and to accumulate in the organs. We've known since 1976 at least that DEA will react with nitrites which are present often as preservatives or contaminants in personal care products, to produce a carcinogen known as N-Nitrosodiethanolomine. According to the IARC (International Agency for Cancer Research) `There is signifigant evidence of a carcinogenic effect of N-Nitrosodiethanolomine in experimental animals. Of over 44 different species in which N- Nitroso compounds have been tested, all have been susceptible. Humans are unlikely to be the exception to this trend.` (IARC), Monograph on the evaluation of the carcinogenic risk of chemicals to humans: Some N-Nitroso Compounds 17:77-82, 1978 After this clear cut study you would have expected the mainstream industry to have acted on this and to have replaced DEA. Instead there has been denial and attempts to trivialize the risk. We have had this info since 1976, but what about consumers who are exposed without any information N-Nitrosodiethanolomines in virtually every cosmetic that contains DEA. Toward the end of 1979 the FDA warned the cosmetic industry that DEA was dangerous because of this. What do you think happened? Nothing at all. The toiletries industry dug its heels in and ignored it. While in Europe there was strong action taken to phase out the use of DEA. Watch for Laurimide DEA, Oleamide DEA, or Cocamide DEA.
• FLUOROCARBONS: Commonly used as a propellant in hair spray, gases can produce upper respiratory tract irritation.
• FORMALDEHYDE: This toxic colourless gas is an irritant and a carcinogen. It is commonly found in cosmetics and nail care products. The Occupational & Health Administration states `Short-term exposure to formaldehyde can be fatal; however, the odor threshold is low enough that irritation of the eyes and mucous membranes will occur before these levels are achieved. Long-term exposure to low levels of formaldehyde may cause respiratory difficulty, eczema, and sensitization. Formaldehyde is classified as a human carcinogen and has been linked to nasal and lung cancer, and with possible links to brain cancer and leukemia.` There are a group of chemicals that release formaldehyde when they come in contact with certain ingredients in the bottle. They are: BRONOPOL, QUATERNIUM 15, DIAZOLIDINYL UREA, IMIDAZOLIDINYL UREA, and DMDM HYDANTOIN
• GLYCERIN: Used as a moisturizer in creams and lotions. If humidity is below 65%, glycerine draws moisture from inside the skin to the surface where it evaporates, leaving the skin dryer than before, potentially contributing to skin damage.
• HAIR DYES: The use of permanent or semipermanent hair color products, particularly black and dark brown colors, is associated with increased incidence of human cancer. The use of these products places women at increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and Hodgkin's disease, In fact there is growing evidence that the use of hair coloring products accounts for 20 percent of all non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cases in all U.S. women.
• KAOLIN: A fine white clay used in cosmetics, kaolin may smother and weaken the skin similar to bentonite.
• LANOLIN: Itself is safe, and its presence in cosmetics is generally good for your skin.(although some develop allergic reactions to lanolin) But cosmetic grade lanolin is often contaminated with carcinogenic organochlorine pesticides such as DDT, dieldrin, and lindane, in addition to other neurotoxic pesticides. The National Academy of Sciences has expressed concern over the frequency of contamination of cosmetics containing lanolin with pesticides. Sixteen pesticides were identified in lanolin sampled in 1988 (including the neurotoxic organophosphate pesticide diazinon, which was found in twenty-one out of twenty five samples, and readily penetrates the skin). The FDA recognizes that the contamination of lanolin is a problem, especially in the case of skin products used by nursing mothers directly on their nipples, because their infants may end up ingesting these carcinogenic impurities.
• MINERAL OIL: Derived from petroleum, mineral oil may block normal respiration and suffocate the skin.
• PADIMATE-O (octyl dimethyl PABA): PABA is found in cosmetics, especially sunscreens. It can also cause the formation of nitrosamines. At present it is not known whether the particular nitrosamine formed in this product is carcinogenic. Some experts have recommended that consumers continue to use sunscreen with padamate-O. The jury, however, is still out on the nitrosamine formed from padimate-O, and nobody knows for sure whether it will prove carcinogenic. So the most prudent consumer will prefer sunscreens without padimate-O, until the industry proves that the nitrosamine by-product that may be formed is not carcinogenic.
• PETROLATUM: A petroleum based grease, petrolatum exhibits the same harmful properties as mineral oil.
• POLYSORBATE: Both polysorbate 60 and polysorbate 80 is often contaminated with 1,4-dioxane which is carcinogenic. Studies show that dioxane readily penetrates human skin. It can be removed from cosmetics through vacuum stripping during processing without an unreasonable increase in raw material cost. Doing so is not mandatory but should be. Other chemicals likely to contaminated with 1,4-dioxane are Polyethylene, Polyethylene Glycol, Polyoxyethylene, or oxynol.

• PROPYLENE GLYCOL:: Commonly used as industrial antifreeze Propylene Glycol is also the main ingredient in brake and hydraulic fluid. This common ingredient is found in many beauty creams, cleansers, makeup, and childrens personal care products. The American Academy of Dermatologists Inc. published a clinical review in January 1991 which showed propylene glycol to cause a significant number of reactions and was a primary irritant to the skin even in low level concentrations. It has been shown that it has severe adverse health effects and has been found to cause contact dermatitis. Propylene Glycol may also cause liver and kidney abnormalities. It inhibits skin cell growth in human tests, and damages cell membranes causing rashes, dry skin and damage to the skin. The Material Safety Data Sheet for Propylene Glycol clearly states to `AVOID SKIN CONTACT`.

• SILICA: Some silica used in cosmetics, especially amorphous hydrated silica, is often contaminated with small amounts of crystalline quartz. Crystalline silica is carcinogenic. Exposure via inhalation is assumed to be limited to special use situations; for example, people who use facial makeup, especially powders, may inhale the silica. The situation is obviously more perilous for beauty care professionals, as they may end up inhaling contaminants continuously.

• SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE(SLS): Used as a detergent in all types of foaming personal care products from liquid soap and shampoo to toothpaste. Industrial uses of SLS include garage floor cleaner, engine degreaser, car wash soap etc. MSDS (Material and Safety Data Sheets) show it to be a skin irritant and warn against skin contact. SLS is routinely used in clinical studies to deliberately irritate the skin so that the effects of other substances can be tested. Dr. Kenneth Green Ph.D., D.Sc., of the Medical College of Georgia warns that eyes affected by SLS take five times as long to heal. `There is an immediate concern relating to the penetration of these chemicals into the eye and other tissues. This is especially important in infants... exposure to SLS results in accumulating in eye tissues, a process that could retard healing as well as potentially having long-term effects` SLS is absorbed into the body and retained in the eyes, brain heart, liver, and other organs. SLS causes skin to flake and to separate and causes significant roughness on the skin. SLS is such a caustic cleanser that it actually corrodes the hair follicle and impairs its ability to grow hair. SLS may retard healing., cause cataracts in adults, and keep children's eyes from developing properly. Children under six are especially vulnerable to improper development (summary of report of Research to prevent blindness, Inc conference.) Other research shows that SLS can react with other ingredients in the bottle, forming potentially cancer causing nitrates and dioxins. Large amounts of nitrates may enter the blood stream from just one shampooing.

• SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE: SLES is the alcohol form of SLS. Concerns regarding SLES are very similar to SLS. SLES is slightly less irritating to the skin, but may cause more drying.
• SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCES: Fragrances are made up of hundreds of chemicals. Some such as methylene chloride, are carcinogenic. Because manufacturers are not required to disclose hazardous chemicals used in manufacturing fragrances, consumers have no way of knowing whether their brands' fragrances contain carcinogens. The wise consumer will make the assumption that all synthetic fragrances contain carcinogens.
• TALC: A soft grey-green mineral that is ground into a fine powder and used in cosmetic products, including baby powder. In Nature, Talc normally co-exists with asbestos, and in industry, the purity of talc may be stated as the percentage of its asbestos content. Talc is recognized as a potential carcinogen, and inhaling talc dust could be harmful. Talc has also been linked to cervical and ovarian cancer.
• TRIETHANOLAMINE (TEA): Used in personal care products to enhance performance. TEA is known as a toxin that is a potential carcinogen. TEA is also a nitrosamine precursor like DEA, Bronopol, and Padimate O(octyl dimethyl PABA). Despite the known dangers associated with many of the ingredients in cosmetic and personal care products, manufacturers continue to use them. This is because they are inexpensive and can be used to create products with a look , feel, and smell that can be marketed successfully. `These toxic chemicals don't have to be in consumer products,` says consumer advocate Ralph Nader. `Yet corporations continue to expose people to health hazards unnecessarily.` The U.S. government has no program in place too appropriately regulate the use of synthetic chemicals. Only 3% of the 75,000 commercial chemicals used today have been tested for safety, according to the article `Cancer Inc.` in the September/October 1999 issue of Sierra Magazine. Industry observers say that of those chemicals which are known to be toxic, some are totally unregulated and others are allowed to be used in formulations if they meet regulated safety levels. These experts say that while a single safe level exposure to a chemical like sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) may not cause any lasting harm, long term continued use can. The chemicals can accumulate in the cells and fatty tissues until harmful levels are reached. We are exposed to these chemicals from conception to death.

It simple go the Skin Deep database and it will tell you whats in most of the major's brands products, well as links to different clinical tests: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/