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Cosmetics Unmasked - Introduction

In the factory we make cosmetics. in the store we sell hope - Charles Revson

There are over 7,000 ingredients available to manufacturers for use in cosmetics and toiletries (including nearly 1,000 aromatic and perfume chemicals ), of which more than a thousand are known to have harmful effects, and many of these are subject to some level of legal restriction. Another 900 ingredients may have been manufactured in such a way to potentially contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals.

Recent tests carried out by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have found that a large number of these contaminants have indeed found their way into finished products in substantial quantities. This means that more than one out of every four of the ingredients listed on the label of a bottle of shampoo, for instance, or a jar of face cream, is either on the restricted list, or may be harmful in some way. That does not mean that the product is harmful, but simply that there are potential dangers that the user should be aware of.

Name Standardization
In order to address this issue, the authorities responsible for the regulation of cosmetics and toiletries - The European Union (EU) Commission in Europe and the FDA in the USA - have introduced standards for the listing of ingredient names on product labels. Standardization has made it easier to import and export cosmetics and toiletries through the use of internationally agreed ingredient names.

The EU Commission and the FDA have clearly stated  why ingredients should be listed, consumers who have an allergy  or sensitivity to particular ingredients can easily identify , and so avoid, the cosmetics that contain them. To some extent, this is an acknowledgement by the regulating authorities  that some cosmetic ingredients are irritants or have harmful effects. 

Meaningless Labels

The standardization of ingredient names sounds all very helpful to those consumers with sensitive skin and allergies , until you actually pick up a bottle of shampoo or skin cream  and try to read the label. The chemical names of many of these ingredients  are completely meaningless to most people, including chemists. The formal name of a chemical can run into several lines  and read like a sentence - with commas, hyphens, brackets, and numbers scattered between unpronounceable, long words. To a chemist, the name is a precise description of the ingredient's  chemical structure and yields a great deal of information about a substance.

The problem is that cosmetic  and toiletry manufacturers do not use formal chemical names. If they did, the list of ingredients would not fit on the label. Either shortened versions or trivial names are used, but they carry no useful information unless you are in the know, which most consumers are not.

If you become sensitized to a product, there is quite a problem  of tracking down the offending chemical. Most cosmetics and toiletries contain at least a dozen ingredients. One brand of sunscreen on sale in the UK lists 46 chemicals and invites the customer to see the in-store list for further ingredients. How do you know which of these ingredients is either  making you itch or your face fell as though it's been burnt? 

Cosmetics Unmasked: Dr.Stephen & Gina Antczak