Many recent articles on ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products that cause adverse skin reactions provide valuable information under certain circumstances of use. Unfortunately the circumstances of use are not included in such articles and conclusions as to risks for “harm” are misleading.
Dividing these into risk categories and discussing the risk based on circumstances of use and discussing what can be done to reduce risks with such products might be helpful. Groups such as the Environmental Working Group should be supported in their efforts to make improvements, especially their efforts to add labels with ingredients to products that are ingested. The risks with intake of chemicals into the body with breathing or with eating and drinking need to be prioritized above that of cosmetics that are designed to be used on skin only.
Of course avoiding toxins in cosmetics is highly desirable and a good place to start is to avoid lipstick with lead and propylene glycol in cosmetics and shampoo, for example.
Avoiding harmful chemicals relative to the environment such as oxybenzone or other bleaching agents in chemical sunscreens is also a good idea for saving the planet, in this case the coral reefs that are being destroyed in the world’s oceans.
But first consider supporting the efforts to label such things as water in plastic bottles. The industry has steadfastly resisted having labels indicating the source of the water and whether or not it was purified. Toothpaste ingredients are not required to be on the label because it is not to be swallowed. Obviously children and everyone else should not be using toothpaste with ingredients that are harmful on ingestion and we deserve to know. Consider joining the effort to label anything that can enter our bodies.
And consider that air-borne carcinogens are more mobile and therefore can be transmitted into our lungs more easily so that air quality is even more important that what is ingested. See the article on diesel fumes and carcinogenic soot and realize that children on school buses with unfiltered diesel exhaust are subjected to excessive levels of such fumes and soot and can acquire childhood asthma or worse.
Then, prior to getting into cosmetics, consider using particle-based sunscreen with zinc oxide in a mineral oil/petrolateum/beeswax or similar (shea oil, green tea or almond oil are possible alternatives, although not necessarily as inert) purified carrier is proven to be the best sunscreen to prevent melanoma and other skin cancer. Some cosmetics also have this protection built into the formula for protection against sun damage and aging as well as against skin cancer.
Now consider the warnings about personal care product ingredients and know that such information can be investigated using the label on the product.
Some articles have painted artificial colorants, artificial fragrance, petroleum (unfortunately this description is then confounded with the terms mineral oil and petrolateum that are used for medical grade ointments are safe for baby skin in USP preparations that have been used for generations), parabens and phthalates as being “substances to avoid”. Other than the last two, which are dangerous and should never be used for any personal care product, this is just wrong. Colorants and fragrances can be harmful whether organic or artificial, and so can associated chemical carriers, so these must be evaluated case by case. Certain organic fragrances, such as lavender, are known to be soothing and not harmful on ingestion. Contrary to some articles, the term organic in this context is definitely meaningful and refers to the fact that no pesticides are applied to the plants and the extraction has no chemicals added so that the extract is pure and organic.
The list of ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products that can be irritating and sometimes severely so is long. Lanolin and many of the chemicals in chemical sunscreen are known to be irritating to many people but are found in hundreds of products on shelves in stores. A look on websites associated with skin care and the EWG site for products will help make decisions easier.
Some artificial colorants and artificial fragrances are considered questionable for harm. The dyes and colorant D&C Red –19, -31, and 36 and Yellow –11 have been questioned and fragrances that evaporate that use solvents such as tolulene or benzene or other such volatile and harmful chemicals are certainly good to avoid although warning bells go off for just about everyone when finding such ingredients in personal products. The best advice is to look up ingredients on the web and determine the problems directly.
Mineral Oil is nonirritating but it is not by itself a UV block
Recent research has shown that UVB exposure with mineral oil applied to skin on lab animals allows formation of skin lesions and cancer at an accelerated rate and that chemical formulations containing a mixture of UVB absorbing chemicals such as propylene glycol applied to the skin shows a reduction of such skin lesions with the same exposure. The notion that mineral oil is not good for the skin is an incorrect interpretation of the results; the actual finding confirms that mineral oil transmits and enhances (optically couples) the UVB radiation to the skin which then causes the lesions. To be of value for skin protection against UV radiation, zinc oxide particles need to be present in the mineral oil. In that case the skin will also be protected against melanoma with safety, unlike the propylene glycol mixture which provides no UVA protection. UVA radiation was not part of the test but is the radiation associated with by far the most dangerous form of skin cancer, melanoma.
One report on the web regarding mineral oil is reproduced in part below:
Cosmetics-grade mineral oil and petrolatum are considered the safest, most nonirritating moisturizing ingredients ever found (Sources: Cosmetics & Toiletries, January 2001, page 79; Cosmetic Dermatology, September 2000, pages 44–46). Yes, they can keep air off the skin to some extent, but that’s what a good antioxidant is supposed to do; they don’t suffocate skin! Moreover, petrolatum and mineral oil are known for being efficacious in wound healing, and are also considered to be among the most effective moisturizing ingredients available (Source: Cosmetics & Toiletries, February 1998, pages 33–40).
Dividing these into risk categories and discussing the risk based on circumstances of use and discussing what can be done to reduce risks with such products might be helpful. Groups such as the Environmental Working Group should be supported in their efforts to make improvements, especially their efforts to add labels with ingredients to products that are ingested. The risks with intake of chemicals into the body with breathing or with eating and drinking need to be prioritized above that of cosmetics that are designed to be used on skin only.
Of course avoiding toxins in cosmetics is highly desirable and a good place to start is to avoid lipstick with lead and propylene glycol in cosmetics and shampoo, for example.
Avoiding harmful chemicals relative to the environment such as oxybenzone or other bleaching agents in chemical sunscreens is also a good idea for saving the planet, in this case the coral reefs that are being destroyed in the world’s oceans.
But first consider supporting the efforts to label such things as water in plastic bottles. The industry has steadfastly resisted having labels indicating the source of the water and whether or not it was purified. Toothpaste ingredients are not required to be on the label because it is not to be swallowed. Obviously children and everyone else should not be using toothpaste with ingredients that are harmful on ingestion and we deserve to know. Consider joining the effort to label anything that can enter our bodies.
And consider that air-borne carcinogens are more mobile and therefore can be transmitted into our lungs more easily so that air quality is even more important that what is ingested. See the article on diesel fumes and carcinogenic soot and realize that children on school buses with unfiltered diesel exhaust are subjected to excessive levels of such fumes and soot and can acquire childhood asthma or worse.
Then, prior to getting into cosmetics, consider using particle-based sunscreen with zinc oxide in a mineral oil/petrolateum/beeswax or similar (shea oil, green tea or almond oil are possible alternatives, although not necessarily as inert) purified carrier is proven to be the best sunscreen to prevent melanoma and other skin cancer. Some cosmetics also have this protection built into the formula for protection against sun damage and aging as well as against skin cancer.
Now consider the warnings about personal care product ingredients and know that such information can be investigated using the label on the product.
Some articles have painted artificial colorants, artificial fragrance, petroleum (unfortunately this description is then confounded with the terms mineral oil and petrolateum that are used for medical grade ointments are safe for baby skin in USP preparations that have been used for generations), parabens and phthalates as being “substances to avoid”. Other than the last two, which are dangerous and should never be used for any personal care product, this is just wrong. Colorants and fragrances can be harmful whether organic or artificial, and so can associated chemical carriers, so these must be evaluated case by case. Certain organic fragrances, such as lavender, are known to be soothing and not harmful on ingestion. Contrary to some articles, the term organic in this context is definitely meaningful and refers to the fact that no pesticides are applied to the plants and the extraction has no chemicals added so that the extract is pure and organic.
The list of ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products that can be irritating and sometimes severely so is long. Lanolin and many of the chemicals in chemical sunscreen are known to be irritating to many people but are found in hundreds of products on shelves in stores. A look on websites associated with skin care and the EWG site for products will help make decisions easier.
Some artificial colorants and artificial fragrances are considered questionable for harm. The dyes and colorant D&C Red –19, -31, and 36 and Yellow –11 have been questioned and fragrances that evaporate that use solvents such as tolulene or benzene or other such volatile and harmful chemicals are certainly good to avoid although warning bells go off for just about everyone when finding such ingredients in personal products. The best advice is to look up ingredients on the web and determine the problems directly.
Mineral Oil is nonirritating but it is not by itself a UV block
Recent research has shown that UVB exposure with mineral oil applied to skin on lab animals allows formation of skin lesions and cancer at an accelerated rate and that chemical formulations containing a mixture of UVB absorbing chemicals such as propylene glycol applied to the skin shows a reduction of such skin lesions with the same exposure. The notion that mineral oil is not good for the skin is an incorrect interpretation of the results; the actual finding confirms that mineral oil transmits and enhances (optically couples) the UVB radiation to the skin which then causes the lesions. To be of value for skin protection against UV radiation, zinc oxide particles need to be present in the mineral oil. In that case the skin will also be protected against melanoma with safety, unlike the propylene glycol mixture which provides no UVA protection. UVA radiation was not part of the test but is the radiation associated with by far the most dangerous form of skin cancer, melanoma.
One report on the web regarding mineral oil is reproduced in part below:
Cosmetics-grade mineral oil and petrolatum are considered the safest, most nonirritating moisturizing ingredients ever found (Sources: Cosmetics & Toiletries, January 2001, page 79; Cosmetic Dermatology, September 2000, pages 44–46). Yes, they can keep air off the skin to some extent, but that’s what a good antioxidant is supposed to do; they don’t suffocate skin! Moreover, petrolatum and mineral oil are known for being efficacious in wound healing, and are also considered to be among the most effective moisturizing ingredients available (Source: Cosmetics & Toiletries, February 1998, pages 33–40).
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