Harmful Chemicals in Cosmetics

This post will be more of an informative note (although I will obviously add my opinion and personal recommendations in the topic!) but I think it's such an important one to touch when speaking of beauty related products. I also decided to make a post about it since I think many people are not aware of some of the downsides of cosmetics. Not to be a downer or anything by any mean! Come on I'm a beauty blogger so I obviously deeply LOVE cosmetics but the idea is to raise awareness and be more conscious about the use of these amazing products.

Using cosmetic products can make you look and feel beautiful! But it can also have an ugly side to it...say hello to harsh and harmful chemicals. Many cosmetic companies opt to add to their products harmful ingredients that could possibly cause cancer and/or other biologically disruptive actions on your body. There are several reasons to add these ingredients, the most common of them being to preserve the products which can stand for months on store shelves and can last months and even years in a consumers possession. Some of these so called ''preservatives'' are necessary for the product to last without acquiring bacteria and/or molds but the problem is that many of them have been linked to adverse effects in the human body.

So why would they add them or why would the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) permit the use of these ingredients? Well, research can be inconclusive at times and in order for a chemical to be banned from use it needs to be proved that there is a direct link between adverse events and the substance being studied. By law, cosmetic companies can't surpass the maximum quantity allowed to be added of these talked about substances which at the majority of time is a very small one. Even when many of these chemicals are present in very low concentrations and could possibly not be directly linked to adverse effects I do personally worry about them. Go back and think how many cosmetic products you use per day...moisturizing body lotion, face cleanser, antibacterial soap, body wash, face cream, eye cream, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, makeup, and the list can go on and on! And many of these we use more than once a day! So even if it's only an insignificant amount of a certain harmful chemical in each product you own, you can see that the amount of it accumulates and multiplies in concentration with every product you use.

For these reasons I have been trying to be a more conscious buyer by looking at the ingredient labels before buying a product to at least be aware of what I'm applying to my body. The reality is that it could be very difficult and at times expensive to completely change your cosmetic products to ''organic'' or free-from-harmful-chemicals ones but I think it's definitely worth it reducing the amount of harmful containing products that I use on a daily basis. There are many emerging beauty companies that are introducing to the market more ''safe'' products that clearly state that their products do not contain substances such as parabens. But don't be fooled and keep your eyes open. Many times they market their product as Paraben-Free but when you look at the ingredients label they contain another form of harmful substance such as Methylisothiazolinone.

I know...we live in such a complicated world, but that's just how it is. It can be annoying and time consuming to be reading the freaking labels on the store but when it's for the safety of your body and your own health, I believe it is definitely worth it. Below I provided a list of some of the most common substances or chemicals that can be assaultive to your body.

• Phthalates
• Parabens
• Triclosan
• Nitrosamines
• Diethanolamine (DEA)
• BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole)
• BHT(butylated hydroxytoluene)
• Formaldehyde
• Methylisothiazolinone
• Talc

Below are some links for those of you who want more information on these or other harmful substances found in cosmetic products.

1. EWG's Deep Skin Cosmetics Database (EWG's Skin Deep is an online database which contains easy to understand safety information for thousands of ingredients, products, and brands. Really cool site!)

2. Breast Cancer Fund

3. Safe Cosmetics

So again, it's not about totally abstaining yourself from the use of cosmetics that contain these substances since they are still subject of ongoing research. It's about being conscious about the possible hazards and making more intelligent buys by looking at the labels as well as sometimes opting for the product that does not contain these substances. Obviously it's YOUR decision, I just wanted to make you aware of this topic!

Hope this was an informative post. What is your take on this topic? Where you aware of these substances?