Toxic Beauty by Dr. Samuel Epstein, a former professor of environmental health and chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition. It's juicy reading. You may never look at your deodorant in the same way. See below summary of the main points in the book.
• How ironic that 10 of the 12 products in Look Good, Feel Better beauty kits for cancer survivors were found to have traces of carcinogens. A carcinogen is defined as a chemical that causes cancer in mice, rats or directly in humans. Some also had parabens, which disrupt the normal hormone processes of your body. There are two types of carcinogens: “Frank” carcinogens include more than 40 substances, which can be listed on products. “Hidden” carcinogens includes around 30 substances, and aren’t listed at all. They “hide” in other ingredients. For eg: lanolin, which is derived from sheep’s wool and is used on babies’s skin and the nipples of nursing mothers, is commonly contaminated by DDT-like carcinogenic pesticides.
• Nearly one out of every two men and more than one out of every three women will get cancer in their lifetime. Epstein argues that the cosmetics and personal care product industries bear significant responsibility for this health crisis. Every day at least 3 personal care products are applied to the skin of infants and children. Men use an average of 10, and women use 6 or more cosmetics and an average of 13 personal care products each day. If you add up all the individual ingredients in each of these products, you discover that you expose yourself to dozens of toxins daily. Unlike US consumers, German, Austrian and Swiss shoppers can look at a product label and identify toxic ingredients. Beauty products remain unregulated by the FDA, and it’s up to the consumer to protect their own health.
• These products are dangerous because our skin is highly permeable. What we put on our skin effects our health just as much as, if not more, than what we put in our mouths. Horst Rechelbacher, CEO of Intelligent Nutrients, says: “Don’t put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t put in your mouth.” Toxic ingredients applied to the skin bypass liver enzymes and enter the blood circulation and body organs. Exposure to toxic ingredients is prolonged—ingredients in a roll-on deodorant can persist for extended periods.
• “Penetration enhancers,” like nanoparticles, make skin even more permeable. Penetrating agents force anti-wrinkle cream, moisturizers and other ingredients deep into the skin, where they can reach the bloodstream and the entire body, with unpredictable effects. Penetration enhancers improve the body’s absorption of ingredients, which can be dangerous if there are toxins present. Harsh detergents like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), hydroxy acids like Glycolic Acid and Salicylic Acid, and sunscreens like Bp-3 or Oxybenzone are all penetration enhancers.
• Parabens—a group of chemical preservatives—were invented in the 1920s. They were inserted into products for their anti-microbial effects, and soon became popular. At the same time, phthalates—an odorless and colorless group of chemical compounds—were added to cosmetics and personal care items to increase their flexibility and stabilize fragrances.
• Parabens and phthalates are hormone disrupters: These chemicals imitate the effects of natural hormones produced by the human body’s endocrine system. The endocrine glands—the adrenal glands, pancreas, thyroid gland, pituitary gland, ovaries and testicles—produce hormones essential to human growth, development and metabolism. The body mistakes these synthetic chemicals for its own hormones, and natural processes are disrupted. (Lavender and tea tree oil are also classified as “hormone disrupters.”)
• Phthalates to look out for: DEHP (di-ethylhexyl phthalate), DEP (diethyl phthalate), and DBP (di-n-butyl phthalate). Because phthalates have becomes so prevalent, we have countless opportunities to absorb them every day. They’re in room fresheners, fragrances, deodorants and hairsprays. In 2000, the EU banned two phthalates—DBP and DEHP—from all beauty products sold because they were suspected of being a threat to health. There are many links between phthalates and reproductive abnormalities. One 2006 study at an infertility clinic found that the men with the lowest sperm count had the highest levels of the phthalate DBP in their blood.
• It’s been estimated that women are exposed to as much as 50mg of parabens daily just from cosmetics and personal care products (they also occur in food and pharmaceuticals). One study showed the parabens in the breast tissue of women with breast cancer, possibly originating from their use of underarm deodorants or anti-perspirants.
• Another area of concern are “Common Allergens,” which cause an allergic reaction in many people. In lipstick: Castor oil, colophony, certain pigments, preservatives, propyl gallate. In mascara and eye shadows: colophony, preservatives and pigments. In face creams and shaving products: Propylene glycol (PEG).
• Under the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, manufacturers are required to list, in descending order of quantity, the ingredients of every beauty item on its product label. Fragrances are generally exempt from labeling requirements, under trade secrecy laws, which means ingredients like phthalates are not disclosed. Also products sold to salons, designated as “For Professional Use Only” do not need to have their chemical ingredients labeled.
• Terms like “hypoallergenic,” “fragrance free,” and “safe for sensitive skin,” have no real meaning under the law. Manufacturers are not required to do any skin testing to validate such claims, nor do these claims need to be proven. A 1999 study on the Calvin Klein fragrance Eternity revealed 41 toxic ingredients in various concentrations, including allergens and carcinogens. The FDA ignored the results. The author wonders whether the fact the US is a leading innovator in adding fragrances to products is also echoed in the rise of asthma.
• Mothers pass on the burdens of synthetic chemicals to their unborn children during gestation. A 2005 European study of umbilical cord blood detected eight groups of contaminants, including fragrances and synthetic musk, used to replace natural aromas in cosmetics, in many of the samples. Also discovered in 24 of 27 samples was the most common phthalate, DEHP. The report referred to numerous studies linking premature breast development in girls younger than 8-years-old and the concentration of DEHP in their blood.
• Similarly, there is research suggesting that phthalates affect the sexual development of young boys. Also found in half the cord sample was triclosan, an antibacterial ingredient in toothpaste, deodorant, antibacterial soaps and cosmetics. Lab studies on rats have demonstrated that triclosan is toxic to normal liver enzymes. Like parabens, triclosan is another type of preservative. It’s been linked to allergies, asthma and eczema. It has also been linked to increasing resistant to a range of antibiotics, used to treat infectious disease.
• Ovarian cancer has escalated. Author points to the use of talcum powder, and its application to the genital area, whether directly or via application to sanitary pads, tampons and diaphragms. One publication, in 1992, said that frequent use of talc “increases a woman’s risk of ovarian cancer threefold.” Author suggests organic corn starch powder as a safe alternative.
• Lipstick: Most brand-name lippies have detectable levels of lead that can be toxic. Lead affects the nervous system, and babies born with lead exposure that occurred in the womb can develop complications, including decreased attention span, lowered IQ, seizures, aggressiveness and even brain damage.
• Whitening agents: Titaminium Dioxide loose powder is used as a whitening agent in facial powders, and is a carcinogen. Ironically it still turns up in “natural” or “mineral” lines. Whiteners often contain cortisone and hydroquinone (the carcinogen banned in Europe).
• Nail polishes: Frequently contain toxic ingredients like formaldehyde (carcinogen); toluene (petrochemical solvent); DBP (the phthalate, dibutyl phthalate) which has been linked to birth defects and reproductive problems) plus parabens and other phthalates. Many companies like OPI have phased these ingredients out.
• Mascara: Many brands use mercury as a preservative and germ killer. Mercury is known to retard brain development in children, and to cause neurological damage in adults who experience high or low-term exposure.
• Sunscreens: Sunscreens wrongly encourage people to stay in the sun longer than they should, and have ingredients that have hormonal effects. Example: Oxybenzone, which has been shown to having feminizing effects on male babies. Sunblocks are better—they block long-wave ultra-violet light (UVA). But sunblocks invariably contain titanium oxide or zinc oxide. These are safe but manufacturers now use nanoparticle versions of them, which pose unpredictable risks.
• An Australian government agency estimated that about 70% of sunblocks that have titanium dioxide and 30% of sunscreens that contain zinc oxide contain them in nanoparticle form. Nanotechnology is viewed with skepticism by consumer watchdogs and researchers. The presence of nanoparticles is sometimes indicated by phrases like “ultra-fine” or “micro-fine.”
• Cosmeceuticals: Alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) are skin irritants, increase the risk of sunburn, and can lead to swelling. They’re especially pointless in sunscreens. Retinoids, antioxidants (like vitamins B-5 C, E etc), botanicals (natural plant extracts) are not dangerous, but not particularly effective according to the author. Peptides are chains of amino acids often used in anti-wrinkle products. Peptides are often paired with a penetration enhancer to drive them deep into the skin, which means they can pose a serious threat.
• Shampoo/conditioner: What produces all the foam and lather? Usually one of the harsh detergents: Sodium lauryl sulfate or one of its related ingredients. SLS and other ethoxylate detergents—myreth, oleth, laureth, ceteareth, or any “eth” ingredient—in addition to polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyethylene, polyoxyethlene, or oxynol, are invariably contaminated with high concentrations of the volatile and carcinogenic ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane. Ethylene oxide is a potent carcinogen which induces brain, breast and lung cancer in rodents. Other carcinogenic contaminants include acrylates. Diethanolamine (DEA) is a common ingredient in shampoo, and readily reacts with nitrite preservatives or contaminants to create a potent carcinogen.
• Deodorant: Aluminium chloride is a hormone disrupter, linked by some to breast cancer. Even deodorants that are aluminium-free still contain deithanolamine (DEA) a carcinogen, and parabens.
• Toothpaste: Fluoride can be highly toxic, while some contain lead. The Palo Alto-based American Environmental Safety Institute, invoking California’s Proposition 65 (a landmark consumer health initiative statute passed by voters that requires warnings be given to consumers about the presence of hazardous chemicals in the products purchased in CA), found high levels of lead in almost all toothpaste products, especially Crest toothpaste in 2005. Procter & Gamble settled the lawsuit and agreed to reduce the lead leads of toothpaste sold in CA.
• Soap and liquid cleanser: In addition to parabens and phthalates, many antibacterial soaps contain triclosan, that goes on to contaminate rivers, lakes and waterways. Triclocarban, which also occurs in hand soap, is a hormone disrupter.
• Fragrances: Author says better to avoid all unless they are labeled, “contains no known allergens.” The Belgium-based, non-profit Perfume Foundation is working on a seal of approval for non-toxic perfumes and related products.
• Alternatives: Safe alternatives to parabens (that work as preservatives) include: chlorophenesin, phenoxy-ethanol, and caprylyl glycol. Phthalates are the most commonly used solvents, but cosmetic-grade petroleum distillate (or petroleum jelly) is just as effective. Ethoxylate detergents, in shampoos and cleansers, can be purified of their hidden carcinogens through vacuum- and steam-stripping. Organic ingredients like coconut and babassu palm and their sulfates are safe, effective detergent alternatives.
So what are you putting on your skin today?
xx Pee-jay
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