Offending substances

THE STAR Tuesday April 6, 2010

Offending substances

INGREDIENTS in personal care products which you should be concerned about:

Oxbenzone: Used as a “penetration enhancer”, this chemical is found in sunscreens, lip balms, lipsticks, moisturisers, conditioners, anti-ageing creams and fragrances.

It has been linked to allergies, hormone disruptions and cell damage.

Parabens: Common preservatives in cosmetics and toiletries, including shampoos, moisturisers, shaving gels, toothpastes, lubricants and tanning sprays.

They are endocrine disruptors, and can affect reproductive systems. Check for methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, butyl- and isobutylparaben.

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS): Used to produce the lather in soaps, shampoos, toothpaste, hair colouring, tooth-whitening products, body washes and cleansers, SLS is an irritant and drying agent that builds up in heart, liver, lung and brain tissue.

Paraphenylenediamine (p-phenylenediamine or PPD): A chemical found in hair dyes, it can cause irritation and damage to the nervous system and lungs. Some researches have linked it with cancer.

Coal tar: Possible carcinogen, found in dandruff shampoos and anti-itch creams.

Phthalates: Often used in fragrances to help hold scent. They might affect body hormones, causing reproductive and developmental harm, and have been linked with feminisation of male babies.

DEA (diethanolamine): Used in shampoos to increase lather, it can affect hormones, and cell functioning and development.

Formaldehyde: Used as a preservative and found in such products as baby bath soap, nail polish and hair dyes as a contaminant or break-down product of diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, bronopol and quaternium compounds.

Formaldehyde is a probable human carcinogen and can have other toxic effects.

Lead and mercury: Lead, a neurotoxin, can show up in lipstick and in products that have hydrated silica, such as in toothpaste. Mercury, found in the preservative thimerosal, is in some mascaras.

Petroleum distillates: Check for the terms “petroleum” and “liquid paraffin” in such products as mascara and foot-odour powder.

The European Union restricts or prohibits petroleum distillates as possible human carcinogens.

Hydroquinone: Can be found in skin creams and under-eye treatments. Limited evidence links it to cancer in laboratory animals.

Antibacterials: Overuse might contribute to increasingly resistant bacteria, and they contaminate the environment. Triclosan, an agent used in many soaps, can affect the thyroid.

Related article:
Beauty secrets (Beauty Health Risk)