|
Snopes is a great site. I wish that the lead in lipstick scare were the only posted chemical toxin in make-up. Then we could just go on our merry way.
The good news is that in spite of cosmetic law loopholes large enough to drive a fleet of Mary Kay trucks through, ingredients must be listed on product labels. The bad news is that it often seems you need a doctorate in chemistry to even figure out how to pronounce these ingredients, not to mention understand the level of danger their presence in product formulas represents. Nevertheless, there are some key compounds that should be on your watch list. Here’s a list of some of the more common carcinogens and suspected carcinogens you’re likely to encounter in traditional product formulas:
Benzyl Acetate
Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)
Butylated Hyroxytoluene (BHT)
Butyl Benzylphthalate
Coal Tar Dyes (or dyes labeled “Lakes”)
D&C Red Dyes Numbers 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 17, 19 & 33
D&C Green 5
D&C Orange 17
FD & C Blue 1 & 2
FD & C Green 3
FD & C Red 4 & 40
FD & C Blue 1, 2 & 4
Diaminophenol
Disperse Blue 1
Disperse Yellow 3
Nitrophenylenediamine
Crystalline Silica
Diethanolamine (DEA)
Dioctyl Adipate
Formaldehyde
Glutaral
Hydroquinone
Methylene Chloride
p-Phenylenediamine
Phenyl-p-phenylenediamine
Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone
Pyrocatechol
Saccharin
Talc
Titanium Dioxide
You won’t necessarily find the following compounds listed as ingredients on product labels. Instead, they’re thought of as “hidden” hazards. This list includes chemicals that are not carcinogenic in and of themselves, but may exhibit carcinogenic properties under certain conditions; hazardous materials that are often found “hiding” in other listed ingredients; and chemicals that easily combine with other common substances to create carcinogens:
Aflatoxin (found in peanut oil and flour)
Arsenic and Lead (found in coal tar dyes, polyvinyl acetate, PEGs or polyethylene glycols)
Chloroaniline (found in chlorhexidine)
Crystalline Silica (found in amorphous silicates)
DDT, Dieldrin, Endrin and other organochlorine pesticides (found in lanolin, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, and quarternium-26)
DEA or diethanolamine (found in DEA-cocamide/lauramide condensates, quarternium-26)
1,4-Dioxan (found in ethoxylated alcohols, including PEGs, oleths, choleth-24, ceteareth-3, laureths, polysorbate 60 & 80, and nonoxynol)
Ethylhexylacrylate (found in acrylate and methacrylate polymers)
Ethylene Oxide (found in PEGs, oleths, ceteareth-3, laureths, polysorbate 60 & 80, and nonoxynol)
Formaldehyde (found in polyoxymethylene urea)
Bromonitrodioxane
Bronopol or 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol)
DEA or Diethanolamine
DEA-Cocamide, Lauramide & Oleamide
Metheneamine
Morpholine
Padimate-O or octyldimethyl para-amino benzoic acid)
Pyroglutamic Acid
Triethanolamine (TEA)
TEA-Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Bronopol
Diazolidinyl Urea
DMDM-Hydantoin
Imidazolidinyl Urea
Metheneamine
Quarternium-15
Sodium/Hydroxymethylglycinate
(Source: Unreasonable Risk, How to Avoid Cancer from Cosmetics and Personal Care Products, by Dr. Samuel Epstein, 2001)
|