Is Safe Cosmetic a Myth?
Just how safe and natural can your beauty product be, or is this some urban myth that you have to give up for good? There are plenty of beauty and personal hygiene products in your local drugstore or beauty counter and the promise of instant gratification have made many women skip the very important question on these products’ safety.
The FDA ( US Food and Drug Administration ) keeps regulations on the safety and standards of these beauty products and the substances it contain. The laws are strictly different from those of medical devices and prescription medications. The sad thing is that with the exception of color additives, the manufacturer has the right to use any ingredient for the production of these cosmetics. Whereas the FDA bans nine harmful ingredients, the European Union has over 1,100 chemicals in its list. There is just no definite criteria on the safety of these beauty products inside the US.
If you’d like to check the toxicity of a certain cosmetic, you might as well check with the Cosmetic Ingredient Review or CIR. They have guidelines on measuring the safety of cosmetic products, though, this is not a requirement and many may ignore it. As many lather and pamper their skin, eyes, lips, face, and many more, no one can really tell how close they are to getting the risks of skin allergies, hormone disruptions, or even cancer in the long run. There is always a hidden danger that are ignored in the name of BEAUTY.
How to Buy Safer Cosmetics:
1. When you are choosing hair coloring products, read your labels very well and make sure that the chemicals are not enlisted as toxic. You can always choose those that are herbal. You may also wash your hair after coloring it, and not before.
2. Skin creams can truly confuse many consumers out there and look for those with natural ingredients like Vitamin E, honey, aloe, algae, oleic acid, fumaric acid, chamomile, and many more. Again, read your label. Choose natural skin care products, specially when it comes to sunscreen lotions.
3. When shopping for oral care products like toothpaste, always go herbal and avoid anything that contains triclosan.
4. Avoid perfumes that contain phtalates and stick to those that have nitrate musks.
5. Use deodorants that don’t contain aluminum salts and any forms of parabens as they are highly linked to cases of breasts cancer. You can opt for those with ammonium alum instead.
6. Don’t be tricked into believing that mineral makeup are safer options for your skin. Beware of ingredients such as bismuth oxychloride, which is a by-product of copper and lead. Mineral makeup needs binders to make it feel smoother and you need to avoid those that contain ferric ferrocyanide, chromium green oxide, magnesium stearate, zinc stearate, fragrances, or parabens. These are added to prolong the life of your cosmetics.
In the end, when you feel any discomfort in using any beauty product, just stop and ditch it in the nearest trash bag. A few bucks is not worth all the health risks it involves. You may think you have wasted a few dollars, but making wiser and healthier choices the second time around can spell the difference between what’s truly healthy and what’s not! Don’t pay a high price for beauty’s sake..
A Short Video on Skin Care Product Safety:
