How many mornings do you wake up, wash your face, reach for your foundation and think, “what am I really putting on my skin?” This nude, sticky mask and every other cosmetic you own may do more than just cover up your blemishes and highlight your eyes. Makeup contains some chemicals that can cause serious harm to your body and the environment, whether they seep through your pores or rinse down the sink, so be sure to do your homework before the next time you pull out your credit card at the cosmetics counter.
Like most people, you probably expect that the ingredients found in beauty products are carefully tested for safe use before they are allowed to be sold. It makes perfect sense, especially since the government places regulations on everything we eat, drink and breathe. But there are no required health studies or tests for these products. According to a study conducted by the Environmental Working Group, less than 20% of ingredients used in personal care products are tested for safety by the Cosmetics Ingredients Review panel. Other health tests claimed to be carried out by the companies producing these products only test for short-term hazards, failing to consider the possible concerns of using a product over a long period of time.
In a study by the EWG, only 28 of the 7,500 products were evaluated by the CIR for safety, and nearly one-third of these products were made of ingredients classified by the government as carcinogens. Would you really put a product on your skin everyday if you knew it contained ingredients that could cause cancer? Absolutely not.
So beware of the some of the worst, yet most common ingredients found in cosmetics today: Alpha hydroxy acids (AHA), beta hydroxy acids (BHA) and phthalates. AHA and BHA are routinely used in products targeting the reduction of blemishes, blotches, wrinkles and scarring. According to the EWG, nearly 1 in every 17 beauty products contains either AHA or BHA, and health studies have found that using products with these ingredients can increase your chance of developing skin cancer. Personally, I would much rather have dark circles under my eyes than a deadly cancer in my late 30s.
Phthalates are common ingredients in nail polish, lotions and other products infused with fragrances. Studies by the EWG show that this dangerous ingredient disrupts the reproductive system and causes birth defects. High risks of cancer can even result from genital deformities and low sperm counts after using beauty products made with this and other hazardous chemicals.
As an intelligent, hard-working collegiette™, you do all you can to take care of your body. You exercise regularly and try to maintain a well-balanced diet, so don’t be careless when you unzip your makeup bag and lather cancer-causing ingredients over your cheeks. When it comes to your health and the safety of the environment, you can never be too cautious. So read the labels, visit www.ewg.orgto learn more about the risks of your favorite beauty products, and think twice about reaching for that concealer, because covering up that blemish now could lead to some serious health issues later.