When it comes to beauty products, the term “non-toxic” can be difficult to decipher. And it’s not regulated by any governing body, like the FDA. Now, many products also use the term “toxic-free” to indicate that the product “has been created without the use of any potentially toxic, carcinogenic, or poisonous ingredients that could be questionable in safety.” While this term is also not federally regulated, it is backed by the ToxicFree Foundation.
1. CREAMS THAT CONTAIN MERCURY
Mercury is a normal occurring metal in nature. However, whenever delivered into the environment, it tends to be harmful. In California, over the past ten years, there have been more than 60 poisonings connected to unknown, unlabeled, or homemade skin creams that contained the harmful mercury, usually listed as mercurous chloride, calomel, or others. You should keep away from handcrafted or unlabeled creams and other brand-name containers that are not sealed when purchased. Unsealed containers might have been altered and may contain mercury or other contaminants. Individuals utilize these kinds of creams for blemishes, freckles, flaws, age spots, and treating skin inflammation and acne. These creams are typically sold in local shops, at flea markets, by individuals, or on the web. When there is no list of ingredients on the product, simply don’t use it.Many of these products are made outside of the U.S. and are imported. In prior poisonings connected with imported skin cream, a few kids and infants—who obviously weren’t the intended user—became extremely ill from contact with the mercury tainting their homes or through contact with relatives who used the items. Kids and pregnant women are particularly sensitive to the harmful impacts of mercury. Symptoms of mercury poisoning include tremors, memory issues, numbness and tingling, and changes in vision or hearing. So be mindful when choosing your favorite beauty product or trying new brands.
2. MASCARA
Your mascara wand gets contaminated when you use it! Bacteria grows and thrives in the dark, moist environment of your mascara tube. Even though many cosmetics contain preservatives that slow germ growth, bacteria will build up over time. This can result in certain bacterial diseases like eye cysts or pinkeye.Pay attention to expiration dates! Also, throw away the mascara after four to six months (max) from when you first opened the tube. Do it sooner if you notice clumping or any change in texture, color, or smell. Mascara should be disposed of and replaced, no matter the amount left in the tube or how much you paid for it!
3. CC CREAMS
For those like myself who prefer the no-makeup or low-maintenance look, CC creams—also called color-correcting or complex-care creams—are a natural choice. CC creams generally act as a three-in-one, with sunscreen, moisturizer, and foundation. Other creams may also make formulas that advertise concealers, anti-aging cream, bronzer, highlighter, or oil absorbers—or some combination of these attributes. Used to address any discoloration like redness, dullness, and dark circles, CC creams have lured over many tinted-lotion supporters with their feathery surface and covering capacity. Tragically, that is the place where the greatness of CC creams ends, particularly for certain brands.Some major CC cream brands like Olay Total Effects 7-in-One Pore Minimizing (Fair to Light) are dangerous because of the presence of acrylamide. Acrylamide occurs in certain plant foods like potatoes, some grains, and coffee. It forms when these products are cooked for long periods or at high temperatures. However, it is also added to items like cosmetics and plastics and has been linked to cancer! (Which is the reason it’s not shocking that it additionally crops up in cigarettes smoke!)Other ingredients to watch for in CC creams are oxybenzone and retinyl palmitate (vitamin A). Oxybenzone, found in about 20% of CC creams, is a widely used sunscreen ingredient that can penetrate the skin, cause allergic skin reactions, and may disrupt hormones. Studies have also reported an increased risk of endometriosis and lower birth weight in daughters. While indoor or night-only creams often contain retinyl palmitate or other vitamin A derivatives, using CC creams with prolonged exposure to the sun can result in excess skin growth and spur the development of skin tumors and lesions. It’s best to skip CC creams with these ingredients—do your homework before buying
4. NAIL POLISH
If you’ve ever wrinkled your nose when having your nails done (or do them yourself), you know the smell of nail polish and acetone remover is not the most pleasant. Do you think that may be because your polish is trying to tell you something?Nail polishes contain harmful chemicals that can potentially do damage, from simply discoloring nails to causing thin and brittle nails to something a bit more harmful. In Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No Chip Nail Tone, high levels of styrene were found. Essentially used in the production of plastics and rubbers, styrene has been associated with irritation of the skin, eyes, and upper respiratory tract. Long-term exposure to styrene in humans can adversely affect the central nervous system, causing headache, fatigue, weakness, depression, hearing loss, and nerve damage.Many brands market themselves as five-free. This refers to polishes that do not contain five specific ingredients: formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde resin, and camphor. And removers do not fare much better. Nail polish remover generally contains things like isopropyl acetone, which can irritate the eyes and lungs, and ethyl acetate, which acts as a respiratory system and eye irritant. Another possible ingredient, methyl ethyl ketone, may be a neurotoxin. Oh, goody! So, in addition to the polish, the remover can prove harmful, with long-term use even developing into myeloma. I think I’ll stick with natural nails from now on.
5. PERFUME
Perfume is something that we’ve been utilizing for centuries, giving little consideration to how unsafe it may be to our health. Many famous people release their own line of perfume or are compensated for using their name, including Halle Berry, Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, and a lot more. These celebrity scents are finding a comeback after an oversaturation—pardon the pun—of the market in the early 2000s. Even with their namesakes’ hands-on involvement and rash of social media followers, are these perfumes really safe?Even the most wonderful eye-catching, stunning perfume bottles are simply…chemicals. Perfume ingredient chemicals are complex combinations of synthetic and/or natural substances which are added to products to give them a distinctive scent. They are loaded with synthetic substances like coumarin, BHT, citral, benzyl salicylate, oxybenzone, and lilial. The last ingredient, lilial, is also known as butylphenyl methylpropional and is linked to cancer. The EU has prohibited its use beginning March 2022. So check out what your favorite scent is made of before shelling out your hard-earned money
