Chemical Cosmetics

Do you love your cosmetics? Love your perfume and shower gels? Can't do without them? Me neither. My love for my mascara and perfume got me wondering what ingredients were in them.

When we choose food most of us, more often than not, look at the content - the amount of calories, fat or carbohydrates. I know I do with every piece of food that I put in my mouth and as a result I wondered what was in the cosmetics that I use religiously every day.

I started by looking at the ingredients. I couldn't even pronounce half of them but I noticed that quite a few products contained 'parfum' and names ending in , 'paraben'. On one bottle of, Boots Cucumber Skin Moisturiser, for example, I found five parabens and two parabens. So what do these chemicals really do for (and to) my skin?

After going through my cosmetics cabinet I found that almost every item contained at least one paraben and at least one parfum. As these chemicals came up quite a bit I decided to research them on the Internet.

I was surprised to find that there are quite a few websites on this topic. I was also amazed to find that parabens and parfums are among the worst chemicals in cosmetics. The only other serious chemical that I didn't find in any of my cosmetics was Phthalates, pronounced tha-lates.

Finding out that these chemicals are extremely common and quite dangerous I researched them more intensively. The more research I did the more worrying it became; one website told me that the average woman could be exposing herself to 175 potentially harmful chemicals every day.

Parabens, I discovered, are the most commonly used cosmetic preservative. They are normally found on labels as Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben and Proplyparaben. The really scary point about this chemical is that UK research identified parabens as being linked to cancer. Many scientists also agree that they act as oestrogen mimics in varying degrees, with Butylparaben being the most potent. A study of breast tumors found traces of paraben in every single sample. This is extremely worrying for people using skin fresheners, moisturisers and cleansers on their body every day.

Parfum (fragrance) is thought to account for as many as 15% of all allergic reactions in eczema patients and this trend is increasing. Parfum is found in perfumes and neurotoxic solvents associated with central-nervous-system disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's. The twenty most common fragrance ingredients include: citronellol, bensyl alcohol and limonate, (a cancer causing carcinogen.)

Phthaltes are linked to cancer and reproductive birth defects. The sad point about this chemical is that it is not needed in cosmetics. They put it in to stop cosmetics smearing. It can be difficault to find out if a phthalate in in your cosmetics because they are often not listed.

Three big name companies have volunteered to take out phthaltes from their cosmetics. These companies are: Body Shop International, Urban Decay Cosmetics and Aveda Corporation. Two other big name companies have already taken out phthaltes from their nail varnishes. These companies are: Estee Lauder and Procter Gamble Company. (The Procter Gamble Company owns companies such as, Pantene Pro V, Herbal Essences and Clairol.) They know this chemical is in their cosmetics and that it is harmful to humans yet are only prepared to take it out of their nail polish.

These chemicals have also not been tested properly. Although the finished products are tested for immediate skin reactions, these chemicals actually take years to take effect.

You may think that if it is going to take a couple of years to take effect then what is the point of caring? The point is that instead of using your normal cosmetics you could be using organic cosmetics that do exactly the same job but cost a little more. In the past I have spent around six pounds on a moisturiser from Boots with parabens and parfums in it when I could have spent two or three pound more for a moisturiser without any cancer-causing carcinogens or birth defect-related ingredients in it. Organic cosmetics may be a little more money but I know that I would rather pay that extra bit of money than have my likelihood of having cancer in the future increase.

I used a questionnaire to find out what people thought of these chemicals and what they would do from now on when buying make up and shampoos. 70% of the people I asked said that they would definitely spend more money on organic cosmetic as long as it worked as well as the cosmetics with the chemicals in. 90% of people also thought that the companies knowingly selling these products with chemicals in were unethical.

If mascara, perfume or toothpaste can be created and effective without the chemicals, why put them in? It is unscrupulous and at our expense. Estee Lauder's annual revenue is $4.7 billion, so they can definitely afford to cut out the chemicals.

I know now that I will be checking the ingredients list when I'm out shopping for both my food and cosmetics...will you?