Wait, What!? My Cosmetics Are Full of Chemicals?
This morning you probably woke up, brushed your teeth, and hopped in the shower. You probably washed your hair and body then used some vanilla scented body lotion. If you’re a woman you may have applied makeup before heading to the kitchen for a cup of coffee.
Just in this 30 minute morning routine you were probably exposed to hundreds of different chemicals that could be detrimental to you health. And you probably had no idea.
I first started diving deep into the world of chemicals when I realized just how sensitive my skin was. Everything would cause me to break out in a rash or itchy hives. A trip to the dermatologist educated me on the impact of fragrance in product and how it could affect my skin.
I quickly switched out all of my products such as body lotions, laundry detergents, and body soaps to their fragrance-free counterparts. I thought I was doing everything right only to find that my rashes still weren’t going away. As I investigated further, I came to realize just how many chemicals and artificial fragrances are in every product we use.
Here’s what to watch out for:
When it comes to chemicals, it is important to think of the products you use every single day. Read every label, do your research on the ingredients. Everything should be guilty until proven innocent.
Cosmetics
I used to break out from different makeup products all of the time. I thought my skin was just overly sensitive. It turns out I was just reacting to the number of harmful chemicals in the products. A typical product has 15–50 ingredients, meaning the average woman places 515 different chemicals on her skin every day (“The chemistry of cosmetics”).
And to think we put these products on our eyes, lips, and ALL OVER our faces. Our skin is the largest organ of the human body and we absorb whatever touches it. When studied, the American Journal of Public Health found that skin absorbed an average of 64% of total contaminants just from drinking water. Other studies found a 100% absorption rate for smaller areas of the body such as our face and underarms. Turns out we can’t just pay attention to what we are putting into our bodies, but also to what we are putting on it.
Cosmetics have been found to contain a group of manufactured chemicals called PFAS. This chemicals have been nicknamed “forever chemicals” because they never break down and accumulate in our bodies over time. They have been linked to cancer, weakened immune systems, birth defects, and hormone disruptions. A recent study found that 82% of waterproof mascaras, 63% of foundations, and 62% of lipsticks tested positive for these chemicals.
After learning about all these harmful chemicals I was putting on my face everyday, I sought out clean solutions that I could feel safe using everyday. I buy all of my makeup from a clean beauty store called Credo Beauty. They have an established clean beauty standard which bans 2,700 ingredients used in most beauty products from being sold in their stores. I feel safe shopping there, knowing I don’t have to read and research every single ingredient on the product labels. In addition, they list the type of fragrance in each product whether it’s artificial, essential oils, or none at all. Being extremely sensitive to fragrance, this is super important to me.
More common cosmetic retailers like Sephora and Target are also making steps towards highlighting clean beauty and making it more accessible to the masses. Sephora labels products without parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, formaldehyde, and more as “clean at Sephora”. Just look for a green label with a leaf and a check mark!
Similar to Sephora, Target labels products without these harmful ingredients as “Target Clean” using their own green label. The products at Target also tend to be more affordable with prices comparable to your typical drug store cosmetics. A few of my favorite clean beauty brands found at Target are Honest Beauty, Versed, and BYBI.
Fragrance
Fragrance sounds so simple when we see it in the ingredient list on a product but it is actually comprised of hundreds of sneaky chemicals. The FDA states that fragrance ingredients can simply be listed as fragrance rather than their individual names. However, this does not mean it’s made of only one ingredient. There are actually an estimated number of 4,000 different chemicals used to created fragrance. Because these chemicals aren’t required to be listed, you really have no idea what you’re putting on your body.
The most popular chemicals found in fragrance include phthalates, styrene, benzaldehyde, limonene, linalool, and methylene chloride. Many of these are known hormone carcinogens and hormone disruptors. Benzaldehyde is a known narcotic that has been found to cause kidney damage and irritate the lungs. Linalool has been found in studies to cause depression and central nervous system disorders.
To demonstrate how chemicals in fragrance are often given a pass by the FDA, methylene chloride is actually a toxin banned by the FDA but is allowed to be included under the blanket term of fragrance. Wondering what this chemical even is? It is commonly used in paint strippers and was even recently banned from being used in them by the EPA. Yet it is still lurking in the fragrances we put on our bodies every day…
When I first gave up fragrance, I was shocked at all of the products I found it in. I still discover fragrance in “natural”, “clean” products like my natural deodorant! I often turn to Credo Beauty, as mentioned earlier, to check for fragrance in my cosmetics and body products, since it is explicitly called out for every product on their site.
I also like to search unsuspecting products like hand soaps, laundry detergents, and shampoos on EWG’s Skin Deep. Here you can search almost any product and you will be provided with a toxicity rating. I aim to only buy products with As and Bs, and always check for the presence of fragrance.
The website actually breaks down each ingredient in the product you are searching and tells you whether it is safe or not. If it’s not safe, it lists the reasons for this. This is super helpful since chemicals often have long and confusing names.
I’ve come to depend on this tool when buying new cosmetics or other products that may have fragrance. It makes my life a whole lot easier and I can feel confident in the decisions I am making in what goes on my body.
Many people go form doctor to doctor, trying to figure out why they are feeling so awful. I was this person once too, unaware of how the products I used every day were affecting my body. The first step to making a change in your health is knowledge and awareness. Now that you know the products you use all the time could be harming you, you can make the necessary changes.
Start by slowly replacing the products that you have. You don’t have to throw everything you own away. Just replace them with better options as you run out of what you’re currently using. It is a long journey to improve your health but it is well worth it! I’ve come a long way in my journey and am happy to say I’ve never felt better. My aim with sharing this information is always to help as many people as possible. Nobody should feel as clueless and alone as I once did.