The fact is, these products contain highly toxic ingredients. For the price of around $2 you can buy yourself a highly toxic product containing poisons such as mercury, often leaving many users of these products with permanent skin damage yet alone with the ‘unseen’ long term effects on health.

These products are not usually seen in the mainstream shopping malls frequented by the elite, these products are ‘back-street’ market products which are usually under the radar of the FDA and regulating bodies. These products are sold cheap to those who may not necessarily have access to information about the toxic ingredients and harmful effects.

Its shocking to me that there are people posing as legitimate companies who will intentionally hand a poisonous product to someone who most likely wont know the toxic consequences of using the product, in exchange for $2.

I’m pleased to recently see this exposed in the Thailand Media.

Here’s a report from the Bangkok post newspaper..

Banned mercury still widely used in skin creams

Disturbingly, research by consumer groups has found that up to 20% of whitening creams studied are highly contaminated with mercury.

Judging from local TV advertising, whitening creams must be one of Thailand’s most sought-after products.

It is a highly competitive business and the cosmetic companies that sell the creams are constantly looking for new substances to make the skin look whiter and fresher.

They all should know, however, that one whitening substance to avoid is mercury. It works – blocking the production of skin-colouring melanin – but it also has nasty side effects. The prolonged use of products containing mercury can lead to inflammation of the liver, kidneys and urinary tract.

Disturbingly, research by consumer groups has found that up to 20% of whitening creams studied are highly contaminated with mercury.

The Foundation For Consumers and the Ecological Alert and Recovery-Thailand (Earth) yesterday released findings of the study after conducting experiments on 47 different kinds of whitening creams sold across the country.

Jutamas Suppradid, a researcher at Earth, said the product with the highest amount of mercury contained 99,070 parts per million of mercury, despite the fact that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) bans the use of the toxic substance in cosmetics.

Some of the products found contaminated were FC Rice Milk Cream, White Rose Sheep Placenta Cream, Best Beauty Pearl Cream and Baby Face Cream. Manufacturers have been told to remove them from the market.

Adapted from The Bangkok Post,  17th August 2012

• Almost any chemical to be used as an ingredient in any personal care product
• Misleading and incomplete labeling and disclosure of all ingredients in your skin care products
• Claims about skin care product benefits that are unproven
• There are No specifically required safety testing of skin care products or ingredients

What does this mean for you, the consumer?

You could say it’s totally ironic but the truth is..

When selecting good skincare products that are not actually harmful to your skin and your health, it can be a potential mine field.

So what can you do to protect yourself from dangerous skincare ingredients?

Here is an A-Z list of skincare ingredients that are best avoided where possible and the reasons why these ingredients are potentially harmful.

Benzalkonium chloride: Biocide, preservative and surfactant associated with severe skin, eye, and respiratory irritation and allergies, benzalkonium chloride is a sensitizer especially dangerous for people with asthma or skin conditions like eczema. It is found in many household disinfectants and cleaning supplies. Regular use of products containing antimicrobials such as benzalkonium chloride could lead to development of resistant bacteria.

BHA: The National Toxicology Program classifies butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.” It can cause skin depigmentation. In animal studies, BHA produces liver damage and causes stomach cancers such as papillomas and carcinomas and interferes with normal reproductive system development and thyroid hormone levels.

The European Union considers it unsafe in fragrance. It is found in food, food packaging, and personal care products sold in the U.S.
Coal tar hair dyes and other coal tar ingredients (including Aminophenol,

Diaminobenzene, Phenylenediamine): Coal tar, a byproduct of coal processing, is a known human carcinogen , according to the National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Hair stylists and other professionals are exposed to these chemicals in hair dye almost daily. While FDA sanctions coal tar in specialty products such as dandruff and psoriasis shampoos, the long-term safety of these products has not been demonstrated.

DMDM hydantoin & bronopol (2-Bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol): Cosmetics preservatives that decompose and release formaldehyde , which the International Agency on Research on Cancer lists as a known human carcinogen. The preservatives and their decomposition products, including formaldehyde, can trigger allergic reactions.

About one-fifth of U.S. cosmetics and personal care products contain a chemical that releases formaldehyde. Not surprisingly, more Americans develop contact allergies to these ingredients than Europeans.

Formaldehyde: A potent preservative considered a known human carcinogen by the International Agency on Research on Cancer. Formaldehyde, also an asthmagen, neurotoxicant and developmental toxicant, was once mixed into to many personal care products as antiseptic.

This use has declined, but some hair straighteners are based on formaldehyde’s hair-stiffening action and release substantial amounts of the chemical. Many common preservatives also release formaldehyde into products (like DMDM hydantoin, quaternium, and urea compounds).

Fragrance: It may help sell products from face cream to laundry detergent, but do you know what’s in it? Fragrances are in everything from shampoo to deodorant to lotion.

Federal law doesn’t require companies to list on product labels any of the chemicals in their fragrance mixture. Recent research from EWG and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found an average of 14 chemicals in 17 name brand fragrance products, none of them listed on the label. Fragrances can contain hormone disruptors and are among the top 5 allergens in the world. Buy fragrance free!

Hydroquinone: A skin bleaching chemical that can cause a skin disease called ochronosis, with blue-black lesions that in the worst cases become permanent black caviar-size bumps. In animal studies, hydroquinone has caused tumor development. The National Toxicology Program is conducting reproductive toxicity and dermal carcinogenicity studies of this chemical.

Methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone: Preservatives, commonly used together in personal care products, among the most common irritants, sensitizers and causes of contact allergy Lab studies on mammalian brain cells suggest that methylisothiazolinone may be neurotoxic.

Oxybenzone: Sunscreen agent and ultraviolet light absorber, found in nearly all Americans , according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In human epidemiological studies, oxybenzone has been linked to irritation, sensitization and allergies.

A study of 404 New York City women in the third trimester of pregnancy associated higher maternal concentration of oxybenzone with a decreased birth weight among newborn baby girls but with greater birth weight in newborn boys. Studies on cells and laboratory animals indicate that oxybenzone and its metabolites may disrupt the hormone system.

Parabens (Propyl, Isopropyl, Butyl, and Isobutylparabens): Parabens are estrogen-mimicking preservatives, found in breast cancer tumors of 19 of 20 women studied.

The CDC has detected parabens in virtually all Americans surveyed. According to the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Products, longer chain parabens like propyl and butyl paraben and their branched counterparts, isopropyl and isobutylparabens, may disrupt the endocrine system and cause reproductive and developmental disorders.
PEG/Ceteareth/Polyethylene compounds: These synthetic chemicals are frequently contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, which the U.S. government considers a probably human carcinogen and which readily penetrates the skin. Cosmetics makers could easily remove 1,4-dioxane from ingredients, but tests documenting its common presence in products show that they often don’t.

Petroleum distillates: Petroleum-extracted cosmetics ingredients, commonly found in mascara. They may cause contact dermatitis and are often contaminated with cancer-causing impurities. They are produced in oil refineries at the same time as automobile fuel, heating oil and chemical feedstocks.

Phthalates: A growing number of studies link this chemical to male reproductive system disorders. Pregnant women should avoid nail polish containing dibutyl phathalate. Everyone should avoid products with “fragrance” indicating a chemical mixture that may contain phthalates.

Resorcinol: Common ingredient in hair color and bleaching products; skin irritant, toxic to the immune system and frequent cause of hair dye allergy. In animal studies, resorcinol can disrupt normal thyroid function. The federal government regulates exposures to resorcinol in the workplace, but its use is not restricted in personal care products.

Retinyl palmitate and retinol (Vitamin A): Vitamin A is an essential nutrient, but excessive amounts can cause severe birth defects if women are exposed during pregnancy.

New evidence shows that when applied to sun-exposed skin, for instance, in sunscreens, lip products and daytime moisturizers, these compounds can break down and produce toxic free radicals that can damage DNA and cause skin cancer. Recent date from the federal Food and Drug Administration indicate that when retinyl palmitate is applied to the skin in the presence of sunlight, it speeds the development of skin tumors and lesions.

Toluene: Volatile petrochemical solvent and paint thinner and potent neurotoxicant that acts as an irritant, impairs breathing and causes nausea. A pregnant woman’s exposure to toluene vapors during pregnancy may impair fetal development. In human epidemiological and animal studies, toluene has been associated with toxicity to the immune system. Some evidence suggests a link to malignant lymphoma.