Why Should I Look Out For Parabens and Sulfates? (Pt 2 of 2)
November 7, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Many skincare products are unfortunately rushed to market to meet this demand without any real consideration to research and development. Most of the budget may go into the marketing of the product. On the surface everything looks great. The bottles and jars that the creams come in look appealing. The magazine advertisements are glossy, complete with a youthful looking model or a well known celebrity who may not even use the products themselves. But underneath the jar lid, one can typically find un-pronounceable ingredients chemically formulated to “imitate” their natural predecessor.
WHAT ABOUT SULFATES?
Sulfates is another name for a common skincare ingredient called “Surfactants” which are designed to dissolve oils and hold dirt in suspension so it can be rinsed away with water. Mostly used in skin cleansers and shampoos.
Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension of a liquid, allowing easier spreading, and lowering of the interfacial tension between two liquids, or between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may act as: detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, and dispersants.
What all this means is sulfates are used to make the product lather or foam. However, that rich “lather” you get from sulfates may not really be good for your hair and skin as they can strip away natural oils. Despite what many been led to believe, the lather or foam does not actually help you get cleaner.
Natural Surfactants.
As is usually the case there are natural alternatives that do the job much better and safer than synthetics. Natural Saponins (foaming agents) gently cleanse the hair and scalp without stripping away the natural oils. These natural surfactants are a core component of any organic skin care regime. Some recommended organic skin care surfactants include, castile soap, yucca extract, soapwort and quillaja bark extract.
According to Skin Deep – the cosmetic ingredient database, www.cosmeticsdatabase.com , Synthetic Surfactants To Avoid Include: Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate, Ammonium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Sodium Lauroyl/Cocoyl Sacrosinate, Cocomidopropyl Betaine and Quanternium -7,15,31,60 or Disodium Oleamide which can be a potent carcinogen when mixed with Nitrosamines.
Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate, Ammonium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate are the most commonly used in shampoos and lathering types of skincare. They rate around 4 on the scale of 1 to 10. Studies and results are conflicting for potential toxicity, so most err on the side of caution.
Time Saving Tip: This class of toxins is quite easy to pinpoint. They are listed on labels as either ending in -eth (Laureth) or contain the phrase PEG (Poly Ethylene Glycol) or PPG (Poly Propylene Glycol).
According to some sources, while many of these particles are too large to penetrate the skin, they can result in allergies and health problems. Increasing use of Sodium Laural sulfate (SLS) in skin care can cause major skin irritations and even organ system toxicity. Other studies show that chemicals like this clog the skin pores and don’t have any benefit to the skin.
Unfortunately, cosmetics are the lowest priority for the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Their priority, naturally, has to be the foods and drugs we are consuming. They do not have the funds, staff, or authority to monitor what cosmetics companies are putting in their products. In addition, no ingredient has to be approved for use in products, and according to the FDA website.
There are two major classes of surfactants used in synthetic skin care products:
1) Ethoxylated Surfactants: The chemical reaction required to mix Ethylene and Propylene Oxide together has a serious side effect, that is they can be contaminated with Dioxane‒a potent carcinogen.
2) Amides: These are listed on labels containing the term TEA (Tri Ethanol Amine), DEA (Di Ethanol Amine) and MEA (Mono Ethanol Amine).
Why are these chemicals hazardous? Well, all compounds containing TEA, DEA and MEA undergo nitrosation with other chemicals to form nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic.
So again, it is up to you to be the educated consumer. Understanding what you purchase and how it can potentially affect you and your family.
When in doubt, it is best to choose naturally-based products or wholly organic ones than to use skin care products that contain potentially dangerous preservatives and chemicals, especially ones that are applied directly and/or massaged into the skin.
By Rachelle Dupree
The Dangers of Parabens in Cosmetic Products
August 4, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
By: Van Le | The cosmetic industry brings in billions of dollar annually, and every day, thousands of consumers meticulously search for the perfect shade of foundation, concealer, or powder to match our skin. We analyze the front of the product, looking closely at the color, packaging, and eye-catching designs, but rarely look at the back of the products. The few times that we turn the product over to look at the back labels, we often only read the directions for use and our eyes almost never make it down to the ingredients list. Recent trends have pushed consumer awareness of potentially harmful cosmetic ingredients, specifically parabens.
Parabens are widely used as preservatives in cosmetic products, and they prevent the growth of microorganism such as mold and fungus. They are esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid and commonly labeled in beauty products as methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparabens. Parabens have been widely used in makeup without regulation since the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) does not have the authority to approve cosmetic products, however, there have been recent studies that suggest parabens may be linked to breast cancer.
The FDA notes that the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, an industry-sponsored organizations that looks at the safety of cosmetic products, states that methyparaben, propylparaben, and butylparabin are all safe to when used alone up to 0.4%. Companies that use parabens often use a combination of several parabens in their products, however, industry experts still insist that they are safe. Companies often use parabens because they are cheap and extend the product’s shelf-life.
The Breast Cancer Fund is an organization dedicated to eliminating environmental factors that can lead to the disease, and according to its website, conducted a study in which high amounts of parabens have been extracted from biopsy samples of breast cancer tumors. The website also states that “parabens have also been found in almost all urine samples examined from a demographically diverse sample of U.S. adults,” suggesting that our skin absorbs the parabens.
As a result, organizations such as the Breast Cancer Fund are spearheading campaigns to increase consumer awareness and urge companies to eliminate parabens from their products. “Think Before You Pink” is a campaign that reveals names of companies who claim to support the fight against breast cancer, but actually use ingredients that are linked to the disease in their products.
Since there is currently not enough scientific proof to show that parabens are harmful to the body, the FDA cannot ban its use, however, many consumers are taking the precautionary route by choosing products that contain natural ingredients. The argument over the safety of products containing parabens continues. Although physical beauty is only skin deep, cosmetic products containing parabens can seep beyond the skin and harm our bodies.
Van Le is a staff writer for the CSU Daily Titan and writing intern for Vivoderm Laboratories in Los Angeles, California. She is currently pursuing a Journalism degree at California State University, Fullerton.
For the latest findings on natural skincare, you can also link to http://zincmoisturizer.com
