Natural beauty is always appreciated more than artificial enhancement. But cosmetic manufacturing companies are combining many chemical ingredients to formulate different beautifying products to give an artificial aesthetic boost. These products have become well accepted due to their instant effect. But if you consider the long-term health effects of these product ingredients, then definitely you concentrate on the composition of the products.
Some common cosmetic items usually present in our routine skincare and personal care items are:
- Skincare products like moisturizers
- Ornamental items like make-up
- UV-ray protection like sunscreen creams and lotions
- Oral hygiene products like toothpaste and mouthwash
- Nail care products like nail polish and removers
- Soaps and bathing items like bubble bath
- Haircare products like shampoo, dyes
- Shaving products like foams, aftershave
- Deodorants and antiperspirants
- Fragrances like perfumes and colognes
- Foot care products like anti-fungicides
Women are more susceptible to experience cosmetics-induced health hazardous. On average, a woman uses 12 personal-care products daily and exposes 168 unique ingredients due to this routine practice. Male members have relatively less risk as they use personal care products almost half of the female users.
According to research, more than ten thousand ingredients are used to formulate different beauty products. But safety assessments have been done only for 11% of these ingredients. The suspected toxic effects obtain from these chemicals include hormonal disruption, hypersensitivity reaction, carcinogenic effects, and neurological disorders.
Beauty products and harmful chemicals
Some identified harmful chemicals present in different beauty products are as follows:
- Make-up contains coal tar colors and parabens.
- Hair dye contains lead, coal tar colors, phenylenediamine.
- The shampoo contains formaldehyde, diethanolamine, parabens.
- Blush, mascara, eye shadow, nail polish, contain formaldehyde and its derivatives.
- Skin-lightening cream contains mercury, parabens.
- Lipsticks contain lead
- Perfume and deodorant contain glycol ethers, phthalates.
- Shaving cream contains parabens.
How do cosmetic chemicals exert harmful effects on our bodies?
Skin is the largest organ in our body and covers vital organs. The topically applied substances readily absorb by the blood vessels present beneath the skin and mix into the bloodstream. Nanoparticle-sized ingredients used in skincare products like sunscreens or other cosmetic items can freely penetrate the skin deep. Thus, the cosmetic ingredients reach different vital organs and provide multiple harmful effects.
Harmful effects of different Beauty products containing cosmetic products
Carcinogenic effect
Coal tar, Diethanolamine, 1,4-Dioxane, Petroleum distillates, chromium, formaldehyde have a carcinogenic effect but are widely used in different beauty products. If you check the composition details of anti-dandruff shampoos and anti-itch creams, you will found coal tar is one of the main ingredients present in most of these products. 1,4-Dioxane is a contaminant present in sodium Laureth sulfate-containing products. Chromium that can cause stomach cancer is a common ingredient of lipsticks, lip balm, etc. Petroleum distillates are used in mascara, odor removal powder, and other products formulations in the USA. Some of these chemicals impart estrogen-mimicking activity that increases the risk of breast cancer, early onset of menstruation. Paraphenylenediamine and coal tar present in hair dye can increase the incidence of non-Hodgkins lymphoma and bladder cancer. Triclosan containing anti-bacterial soaps have a link with thyroid cancer.
Endocrine disruption
Some chemicals like parabens, triclosan, oxybenzone, and phthalates can disrupt endocrine functioning. Among these ingredients, parabens are widely used as preservatives and a common ingredient of many toiletries. This chemical has estrogenic activity and can induce breast cancer. Sunscreen containing oxybenzone acts as a hormone disruptor. Hormone-disrupting phthalates can cause female infertility and early breast enlargement and negatively affect fetal growth during pregnancy.
Hypersensitivity or allergic reaction
Chemicals present in beauty products often bring on an allergic reaction. Hypersensitive individuals are more susceptible to develop an allergic response, such as contact dermatitis, skin irritation, itching, etc. Some users also have a complaint of burning sensation, visible changes, the occurrence of acne and pimple. Chemicals like formaldehyde, para-aminobenzoic acid, paraphenylenediamine, glycerol thioglycolate, ammonium thioglycolate usually act as allergens. Hypersensitive individuals may have a greater risk to develop irreversible immunological changes that trigger the sensitivity reaction and evoke the critical condition.
Heavy metal poisoning
Mercury, lead, aluminum, cadmium, and manganese are some of the metallic substances added to different beauty products. But if these ingredients reach our blood circulation, then many dangerous consequences can happen. For example, some skin lightening products contain mercury. Severe vital organ damage can occur if this harmful chemical reaches the brain, kidney, or nervous system. Manganese can cause nervous system disorder. Lead and mercury-containing products are deleterious to use during pregnancy as they can hurt the fetus, such as impaired growth or restrict brain development, etc.
Alternatives of chemical ingredients in Beauty products
Herbs are natural and organic alternatives to chemical ingredients in beauty products. Natural and organic ingredient-based beauty products provide nourishment to the skin and scalp. These products rejuvenate beauty by regenerating collagen, elastin in skin tissue and improve hair re-growth.
The advantages of using natural and organic herbal ingredients are as follows:
- Natural ingredients are free from harmful synthetic chemicals and do not cause any toxic reaction.
- Natural and organic products are safe to use. They usually do not induce hypersensitivity reactions.
- Natural and organic ingredients are suitable to use for all skin types.
- There is a vast range of natural and organic ingredients obtained from herbs or other natural sources. These can provide a wide range to select your preferable beauty products.
- Herbs containing natural beauty products are generally not too much expensive. Most importantly, they do not cause any side effect that requires treating further.
I am sure the above mention evidential research information can change your pick-up style of beauty products. NitaNaturale does not recommend any specific brand to avoid biases. But during the cosmetic and personal care product selection, you concentrate on the product composition and concentration of each ingredient enlisted on the label. It is always preferable to take natural and organic beauty products to avoid unnecessary chemical exposure. Ultimately our skin is the integration of organic cellular structures that readily accept natural products. Thus, natural beauty products enhance inner skin health by nourishing the underlying skin tissues without repealing any adverse effects.
References
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/0b82/131752fac7b61abfc9f08a7d0f55343d2d9f.pdf
Janeth Arm
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