Cosmetics Unmasked - Preface

when a close friend presented me with a bottle of cleansing lotion and a tub of moisturizing cream , and asked me which ingredient was making her face blotchy and sore, I was left guessing.

There were several ingredients in common and some of the simpler chemicals were quickly eliminated as suspects, but it was not reassuring for her when I admitted I had no idea what some of the other ingredients were - not reassuring because I am a chemist. The labels appeared to be written in some form of code using non-standard chemical terms  that I could not understand.

After a little detective work to crack the code, we decided she should avoid Oxybenzone (Benzophenone-3) for a while. It seemed to do the trick, but oxybenzone is an ultraviolet  (UV) light absorber used in sunscreens. Why should the manufacturer put it in cleansing lotion? I decided to make it my business to find out more about these mysterious cosmetic ingredients. I wanted to know why they were six different preservatives in my shower gel and whether the sodium nitrite in the mouth was good for my teeth, or if it was there to stop the manufacturer's machinery from rusting.

I was intrigued by an expensive "hypoallergenic " conditioner that seem to have, more or less, the same ingredients as a cheap supermarket brand. Did the word "natural" splashed across the front of a bottle mean anything when the plant extract was way down the list of ingredients, hidden in a sea of synthetic chemicals? And why was sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) the most common surfactant  (cleaning chemical) used in shampoos, shower gels, foaming oils, and everything else that cleans, when the bottle on my laboratory shelf carries the following list of warnings:

• Avoid inhaling the dust
  Wear suitable protective clothing
  Irritating to eyes, skin, and the respiratory systems
  Harmful by inhalation or if swallowed
  May cause sensitization by inhalation
  May cause serious damage to eyes
  In the event of eye contact rise with plenty of water and seek medical advice?

Did I really want this stuff in my toothpaste? In this age of suspicion over genetically engineered foods, it is ironic that we are not only unconcerned about the chemicals we plaster over our bodies, but have in fact embraced them with open arms in the vain hope they will relax, make us more beautiful, or stop us from aging.

People shudder at the idea of the cosmetics used in the last century, which contained arsenic and lead compounds, but they don't blink an eyelid at coloring their hair with similar lead compounds, or soaking in a bath of chemicals that cause contact dermatitis. The reason for is  largely due to a lack of information. It is our aim to put this right.

We will not be saying how bad cosmetics are. Indeed most cosmetics pose no problems for most people. But there is a growing need for information about the things that may, and often do, cause us harm, and it is important to see through the potentially harmful misinformation fed to us daily  by the advertisers who want us to buy these products. Equally, it is important to see through the literature written by the bandwagon of do-gooders who are anti everything to do with artificial ingredients in cosmetics.

A number of other bookswe found on this subject tended to focus solely on what their authors considered to be extreme hazardous effects of cosmetics, drawing unscientific conclusions from certain studies and reports, which are out of all proportion to the true nature of the hazards. They produce sensational scare mongering  stories that may be worthy of a good read in a woman's weekly but have no place in serious scientific reporting,

The intention here is to help the consumer crack the cosmetic code, to understand the laws and science behind the labels, and to allow them to make an informed choice. These pages in time will provide sufficient scientific  background information to help in the understanding of what the ingredients used in cosmetics are, why they are used, and how they work. It reports the facts about cosmetic ingredients without unduly corrupting them by sensationalism or misinterpretation.

Above all, it provides balanced, scientific advice to help you - to make up your own mind in choosing the product that is best for you.

Reference: Cosmetics Unmasked: Stephen Antczak