Toxic Beauty - Introduction

For 81 percent of women in Europe and America, lipstick and lip gloss are make-up bag must haves. Over a lifetime you will potentially swallow a kilogram (2lb) of lipstick, that is, if you manage to work your way through five each year between the ages of 16 and 60. Did you know that lipstick may contain a variety of chemicals that have demonstrated some evidence of causing cancer in studies on experimental animals? These include: artificial colours, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), fragrance, plasticizers, talc, Teflon ( yes the substance used to coat non-stick-pans) and formaldehyde. Suddenly a slick lipstick seems a lot less innocuous - and its not only cosmetic item containing noxious substances.

On a daily basis millions of us smother our bodies with a concoction of creams, lotions and potions, many of which are manufactured by household brand names that routinely make bold extravagant claims about the nature of their heavily marketed products. In fact, a 2007n report by the campaign group Chemical Safe Skincare revealed that the average woman uses approximately 12 personal care products a day. We are told that merely by topically applying a particular product we will attain physical perfection  by 'delaying time' 'sculpting and reshaping the body ', and 'lifting away the look of deep wrinkles faster than ever before'. These are just a few examples of the slogans used by some of the most renowned mainstream brands and they are a tall order by anyone's standards.

Ironically, in the light of such claims, the ingredients used in many mainstream beauty products have come into question as more of us have grown concerned about what we consume, what we wear and what we rub into our skin. It may come as a shock to learn that up to 70 per cent of what we apply to our skin finds its way into our bodies.

In 1988 Congress issued a request to the US National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to match a list of 3,000 chemicals that were claimed to be cosmetic ingredients against a database of toxicity information held by NIOSH. Around 900 of these chemicals had toxicity data in the database, some of which had been linked with skin irritation and tumors, cell mutation, allergies, reproductive complications and endocrine disruption, among other health concerns.

Perhaps even more alarmingly, the majority of ingredients used in beauty products have not been thoroughly evaluated for safety. The European Union is more vigilant in this area than the United States, having banned around 1,000 chemicals in the last 30 years. In contrast the US Food and Drug Administration  (FDA) have reviewed the safety of just 11 per cent of the 10,500 ingredients used in beauty products, banning only nine chemicals outright since 1976.

I'm the first to admit that in days gone by I was a cosmetic and toiletry addict , if there is such a thing . I used to rush out and purchase the latest newfangled beauty fad in the hope that it would live up to the advertising spiel. This changed when I developed a chronic illness, which caused me to re-evaluate my life and rethinking my priorities . Mainstream medicine didn't offer a solution to my ill health and the complementary health route was largely unsuccessful, bar one healing therapy called Reiki. I undertook a course in Reiki so that I could practice it myself and began to look at my lifestyle, endeavouring to pinpoint the causes of my illness. Through research to this end I developed insights into nutrition and skin care.

I was shocked at some of the discoveries I unearthed about pesticides on food crops, the dairy and farming industry and processed and packaged food. As a result I switched to an organic, vegan diet.

When I read about the lack of government regulation and safety assessments in terms of the thousands of chemicals routinely used in beauty  products and the links between certain health problems and chemicals in toiletries, I also replaced my old conventional beauty regime with a new organic one. My attitudes have certainly changed and as well as teaching and practising Reiki, I am a journalist and frequently write about ethical green and health related issues.

The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association are quick to defend the self regulation of the cosmetics industry and the safety of the chemicals used in beauty products. Some also point out that natural plant based products are not necessarily intrinsically inert, which is an issue that needs to be addressed.

Before you run for the hills screaming blue murder, remember that millions of people use cosmetic products every day and we are not all dropping like flies as a result. However, there are a growing number of people who are developing illnesses and health issues that cannot be fully explained by other lifestyle factors. Some experts are concerned that our increased exposure to chemicals in a wide range of household products may have a role to play in increasing incidences of allergies, asthma, and other health problems the past few decades.

One of the experts I interviewed for the following chapters, Dr Phillipa Darbe, senior lecturer in oncohology at the University of Reading pointed out to me,  We all know, whether we are industrialists or scientists, that if someone uses enough of anything it can become toxic. At what point does the industry start to worry about the level of usage of these products?

Cosmetics are regulated in the European Union by the EU Cosmetics Directive. It states that 'a cosmetic product put on the market within the community must not cause damage to human health when applied under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions of use'? Some individuals use a whole can of deodorant in one week, apply lipstick 15 times a day and brush their teeth ten times a day. Some mothers have been known to use deodorant on their babies. Is this normal and foreseeable.? Where does it specify on your hairspray the number of times it should be applied before adverse effects can be expected to occur.

Our bodies are designed to deal with things that they haven't come across before', says Dr Darbie, 'we have ways of detoxifying. The problem is overload and it is all about excess use. Usage of cosmetic products is spiralling out of control.' She adds, 'Synthetic chemicals that don't exist in the body normally...are able to Bio-accumulation  refers to the accumulation of substances in an organism or part of an organism, with the concentration of the substances increasing over time compared with levels in the organism's surrounding environment.

Mounting scientific evidence about the dubious nature of chemicals we are regularly exposed to in toiletries is encouraging a consumer shift in attitude towards the multi-billion-pound beauty industry and organic and natural beauty brands are becoming more popular .

Sadly it is important to be aware that in many cases these products are masquerading as 'organic' and 'natural', when lurking inside a synthetic chemical soup and perhaps the odd organic ingredient as a final token gesture; or a watery herbal infusion that manufacturers sneakily include in their percentage of organic ingredients labelled on the product. Still don't let this put you off. If consumers boycott conventional and pseudo -natural brands and opt for organic alternatives, the cosmetics industry as a whole will have to sit up and listen. 

Reference: Toxic Beauty - How Hidden Chemicals in Cosmetics Harm you; Dawn Mellowship