Ten. Ten is the number of ingredients that has been banned in the U.S. for use in personal products due to health concerns. 1,110. That’s the number of ingredients banned by the European Union for the same reason. Due to growing concerns over the risk that different cosmetic ingredients pose to human health-- including cancer, birth defects, and reproductive problems- many consumers are turning towards organic cosmetic brands rather than the typical non-organic brands. This movement is known as the organic movement and has been around since the early twentieth century. The goal of the organic movement was to improve the living quality of humans and sustainability of the environment by promoting the use of organic products. These products …show more content…
This leads to disastrous effects that will be discussed later in this essay. At the end of the day, makeup is washed off the skin, and these chemicals and compounds make their way through the wastewater into aquatic ecosystems. As the amounts of these chemicals increase, aquatic ecosystems can end up damaged beyond repair. When a product runs out, the containers are thrown away into landfills and the plastics do not break down very fast. Since the use of cosmetics affects both human health and the environment, both human health and environmental impact must be considered when evaluating the safety of organic brands compared to non-organic brands.
One major source of hazards to human health can be found in the ingredients of non-organic cosmetics. These ingredients have been shown to be significantly more hazardous to human health than those in organic cosmetics. Two ingredients found only in non-organic brands are parabens and phthalates. Parabens are found mainly in hair care products and skin lotions. These compounds are not water soluble and are able to be absorbed by the skin. Parabens have been linked to endocrine disruption, skin cancer, developmental problems, and reproductive problems (Campaign for safe cosmetics- parabens). As an endocrine disruptor, parabens have been linked to increase the cell division in cancer cells in the breasts. In one study, 19 out of 20 women
Further, L’Oreal abides by the principles of sustainable and responsible innovation on a daily basis. Product safety is an absolute priority for this cosmetic giant, and has contributed massively to the study of toxicology due to its constant scientific commitment. The team at the Ultramodern Global Center is responsible for
The majority of Americans apply products to their body multiple times a day without knowing what ingredients are in those products. Most of the products sold in the United States are considered toxic because of their ingredients. Shockingly, U.S Law states that “cosmetic products and ingredients do not need Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval before they go on the market” (Prohibited & Restricted Laws). Without regulation, harmful ingredients are slipped into products. These harmful ingredients can cause dangerous side effects such as cancer, skin irritations, hormone disrupters, and more. With a push for FDA product regulation, toxic ingredients in cosmetics could eventually be prohibited in regards to our country’s safety.
In cosmetics containing water, a combination of different types of parabens was often used. Parabens are able to pass through the cell membrane, and they are often used due to their extensive solubility. The formation of preservatives in cosmetics occurs through amino acids and parabens reacting to eliminate all water in a substance, therefore eliminating the possibility of mold growth. This mold growth-inhibitor is referred to as a fungicide. After this fungicidal reaction, too few amino acids remain to allow for protein biosyntheis to occur, which causes alterations in the metabolism of microorganisms, providing carcinogenic reactions in these endocrine disruptors (Farsa et al., 2011). Endocrine disruptor refers to any chemical that disrupts the endocrine system. One of the ways this can occur is by the chemical mimicking a natural hormone that the body already produces, as seen in figure 2. This causes the body to overproduce a
Most shampoos, body lotions, and cosmetics contain some form of paraben. Not all studies agree about the effect parabens have on the human body, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Canada have ruled them safe at current exposure levels.
So many of beauty products have chemicals that aren't good for your health in them but a
these chemicals and beauty products to help our appearance when being healthy is the most
There are many types of drugstore cosmetics that contain artificial preservatives, silicons, and fragrances known to destroy the natural lipid barrier that your skin constantly produces. This is probably the major cause for dry skin and wrinkles even at an early age, and a host of other skin conditions. However, harmful components in cosmetics should not be a
2. Parabens - Used as preservatives, these have been associated with increased risk of breast cancer, although a link has not been clearly established by authorities. These chemicals also mimic hormones which can potentially affect various hormone-regulated processes in your body.
As the consumer attitude gradually changes, people are more in favor of the natural and safe products in cosmetic market. Australia consumers are not exception. They respected green-added cosmetics, namely, they are increasingly in pursuit of natural, pollution-free cosmetics with no chemicals added. Consequently, the products of chemical-free will gain competitive advantages in Australian cosmetic market to meet the consumer’s psychological needs for green, organic skin care products.
For instance the ingredient formaldehyde, phthalates, etc can have its harmful effect on person’s skin. With regards to this there were about 400,000 American women working with these chemicals in salons and spas day in as well as day out.
Concurrent to the backlash against parabens, there has been an impetus toward alternative preservatives. Yet, the cosmetics industry responded to this issue by merely tricking their consumers once again. In an effort to remove paraben from the ingredient list, most cosmetic companies replaced parabens for another synthetic preservative, such as phenoxyethanol (Rovan). According to a Montreal pharmaceutical chemist, Ben Kaminsky, phenoxyethanol proves to be nothing but a synthetic compound that reduces the formation of microbes, and the same is true of paraben (Rovan). In switching from parabens to other synthetic preservatives, the expectation is that the new preservative would not have any of the same issues that the parabens caused.
Many people have no knowledge of personal care product danger and the chemicals that are used in production. The chemical ingredients are more often than not unregulated and are harming consumers with each use. However, consumers who are aware of the danger associated with many products lack the availability of safe products within their communities. A group of students at Simmons College went into Boston neighborhoods looking at product safety, price and location and recorded all the data in a Ground Truthing Survey. Focusing specifically on the neighborhood of Jamaica Plain, a small but popular neighborhood in Boston, the results are not quite as great as a member of this community would hope. Personal care products are made up of combinations of different chemical and natural ingredients.
Having laws banning the use of all dangerous chemicals in beauty products will be a step further into dodging many health dangers. On average, most women use approximately 12 beauty products with 168 different ingredients daily, some of which may be associated
The cosmetology industry has been infamously known for their lack of regulations on companies that produce beauty products. The companies do not operate through the FDA, so they are able to exclude important information from labels. In the past, manufacturers could omit ingredients from labels, claiming the right to protect trade secrets (Nguyen 2). More than 9,000 chemicals are found in cosmetic products; however, only half of them can be found on the labels (Pak 2). Because of the label loopholes, the chemicals in the products have also become unregulated. According to Nguyen at Organic Consumers Association, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not saftey test ingredients used in cosmetic or personal care products before they are sold to the public (2). This leads to toxic chemicals being circulated in the public market. Additionally, if there is not a way to
In 1984, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) evaluated the safety of methyl, propyl, and butylparabens, stating that they were “safe for use in cosmetic products at levels up to 25%,” which is a generous limit, considering the approximate level for parabens ranges from .01 to 3%. However, there are still claims that parabens do more harm than good. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported in December of 1999 “the chemical preservatives called parabens—methyl, propyl, butyl, and ethyl—displayed estrogenic activity in several tests.” Essentially, they found that parabens have the capability to mimic the body’s own hormones, which can lead to disruptions in the endocrine system, developmental and reproductive toxicity, allergies, and immunotoxicity. Even though parabens occur naturally in low levels in foods, like strawberries, blueberries, onions, carrots, etc, they are metabolized when consumed, making them less estrogenic. Yet, when the