EcoCentre News

Choosing safe products can be daunting task without proper knowledge and tools. Today, many packages come with deceptive designs that make consumers believe that the product inside the package is herbal, all natural and gentle, when the product in reality contains little or no natural and is contaminated with carcinogens that are harmful to the skin.

Below are 10 of the most important things that consumers need to be careful of while selecting cosmetics and toiletries:

1) Reading Ingredients on the Label: 
The packaging may say things such as natural, herbal or hypoallergenic. This has nothing to do with what’s really in the product or how safe it is. Manufacturers, make a lot of claims on packages to actually boost the sales of the product. They can do this because some of the terms don’t have official definitions and this gives manufacturers the leverage to use them however they want.  To really find out what’s in a product, consumers must read the ingredients in the small print to make sure the product has the right claims.
 
2) Interpretation of Ingredients:
Once consumers read through the ingredients, they should be able to know what they are, whether they are safe, harmful, questionable or untested. Many ingredients have chemical names that only a cosmetic chemist would understand. However, there a number of books available in the market such as “Dying to Look Good” which makes it easy for consumers to choose products with safe and healthy ingredients.

3) Choosing Products without Parabens:
Parabens are xenoestrogens or endocrine disrupters. They disturb the hormone balance in the body. They are also considered to be skin sensitizers and have the potential to cause allergic reactions. They have been found in breast cancer tumors, but it is not known if they cause breast cancer.
 
4) Avoid products with Amines: 
Chemicals that fall in to the category of amines can combine with nitrosating agents to form nitrosamines that cause cancer. Nitrosamines are formed during the manufacturing process when an amine combines with a formaldehyde-releasing preservative. Some of the amines commonly used in cosmetics and personal care products are Cocamide MEA, Cocamide DEA, TEA, sodium lauroyal sarcosinate and amino methyl propanol. Several of the formaldehyde-releasing preservatives include sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin and diazonlidnyl urea.

5) Avoid Products Containing Talc:
Talc is found in talcum powder, baby powder and make up. It is carcinogenic if found containing asbestiform fibers. The quantity of asbestiform fibers in cosmetic-grade talc is still unregulated in many parts of the world. Some research suggests a link between talc and ovarian cancer. However, the results are still not evident.
 
6) Cautious about Products that Contain Fragrance:
Manufacturers, in general are not required to disclose the ingredients used in fragrances. A single fragrance may contain hundreds of different chemicals. Some of the chemicals used in fragrances are hazardous, such as benzyl chloride, methyl ethyl ketone, methylene chloride, toluene and phthalates. Fragrances may also contain chemicals that cause cancer. Even products listed as fragrance-free may have fragrances added to mask offensive odour.
 
7) Avoid D&C and FD&C Colours:
Most D&C and FD&C colours are derived from coal tar which is a carcinogen. Most coal tar colours are potential carcinogens may contain carcinogenic contaminants and cause allergic reactions. These colours must be certified by the FDA to contain not more than 20 ppm of lead and arsenic, but the certification does not address any other harmful effects these colours may have on the body.

8) Beware of Products Containing Chemical Preservatives:
Chemical preservatives can be irritating and are considered to be the primary reason to cause contact dermatitis. Some preservatives that consumers need to look out for are benzethonium chloride, BHA, BHT, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, phenoxyethanol and methylisothiazolinone.

9) Being Aware of “Other Ingredients”:
This means there are one or more ingredients that the manufacturer considers a trade secret and does not want to list on the label. There is no way of knowing if these ingredients are safe or not.
 
10) Being Wary of Products with Long List of Ingredients:
Many of the chemicals used in cosmetics and personal care products have not been tested or have not been adequately tested. Even those that have been tested have only been tested individually, not in combination with other ingredients. Nobody knows the effects of the many different ingredients used in thousands of different combinations, the effects of using numerous different products, one on top of the other, or the effects of repeated use of ingredients or products over time.