The Blacklist – 101 Skin Care Ingredients That May Kill You Over Time
The ingredients in the skincare products you use every day may be killing you. Scientists, researchers, authors and public safety advocates have been trying to inform people for years.
In some cases, they have fought to have products removed from the market, but the government continues to side with the cosmetic industry. The industry has always tried to cover-up what is actually included in their products.
They list the ingredients on the package label, but the list is incomplete. They are not required to reveal the chemicals used to create the fragrances or those used in the manufacturing processes.
Most chemical fragrances are composed of aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known or probable carcinogens. Traces of the chemicals used in the manufacturing processes are found in the completed product.
Manufacturers are not required to test for contaminants. They are not required to safety test ingredients before including them in their products.
People do not usually die suddenly from exposure, although there have been instances of life-threatening allergy-related anaphylaxis. The industry blames all reactions on consumer sensitivities. They never blame themselves, but they are killing us slowly.
The ingredients popular with cosmetic manufacturers accumulate in our skin. They pass through the skin and enter our bloodstream. Once in our bloodstream, they accumulate in the tissues and organs of our bodies. For example, parabens, which are artificial preservatives, have been found in breast cancer tumors. Talc has been found in uterine tumors.
There are safe alternatives, but the safe alternatives cost more and would require manufacturers to change their processes. They do not want to change. They will not change until someone forces them to do so.
The best way to bring about change is to avoid products containing toxic chemicals. That’s why I created this list. If everyone stops buying skincare products containing the 101 ingredients listed below, then eventually the manufacturers will either have to change or they will simply go out of business.
The ingredients below can be found in major well-known brands like L’Oreal and Revlon. The price of a product is not an indicator of quality. Expensive and cheap skincare products alike contain them.
There are safe alternatives and the better companies use them. Not a single one of the 101 listed below is essential for skin care.
Most of the ingredients on the list are known to or suspected of causing cancer in humans. Mineral oil and talc for example are on the American Cancer Society’s list of known carcinogens, yet the cosmetic industry continues to maintain that mineral oil and other petroleum-based ingredients are safe. They continue to make facial powder containing talc, when it is known that inhalation of talc causes lung cancer, because it contains asbestos.
Some of the ingredients are known to combine with others to form carcinogens. For example, the antibacterial agent triclosan combines with chlorine commonly present in tap water to form trihalomethanes, which are known carcinogens.
Then there are ingredients that cause an increase in the number of free radicals present in the skin. The sunscreens on the list are examples. While they are supposed to protect us from skin cancer, they may actually contribute to it.
Free radicals cause mutations of cellular DNA changing the healthy cell into a cancer cell. So, any ingredient that causes an increase in free radicals increases our risk of cancer.
Another problem is that we tend to use a number of different products on a daily basis. So, we have multiple sources of exposure. According to the Environmental Working Group, the multiple sources of exposure further increases our lifetime risks of cancer and systematic organ failure by creating a burden on our bodies.
So, while a cosmetic company can maintain that a single ingredient is safe at the concentration included in the product, a person who uses 5 or 6 different products is exposed to 5 or 6 times the “safe” amount.
There are even a few ingredients that are not only known carcinogens. They are also toxic to the nervous system and damage the human reproductive system. Acrylamide is an example.
To make it easier for you to browse through the list, they are categorized according to what they are normally used for or where they are commonly found. A few of the ingredients might fit into more than one category, but for brevity they are included only in one.
Without further ado, here’s the black list.
101 Skin Care Ingredients That Can Kill
Antibacterial agents & Cleansers
1. Triclosan
2. Sodium laurel sulfate
3. Sodium laureth sulfate (SLS)
4. Sodium laurel ethyl sulfate (SLES)
5. Benzalkonium chloride
6. Alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride (ADBAC)
Artificial preservatives
7. Bronopol
8. Quaternium-15
9. Parabens
10. Methylparaben
11. Ethylparaben
12. Propylparaben
13. Butylparaben
14. Isobutylparaben
15. Isopropylparaben
16. Benzylparaben
Fragrance ingredients
17. Toluene
18. Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)
19. Toluol
20. Benzene
21. Aromatic hydrocarbons
22. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
23. Acenaphthene
24. Acenaphthylene
25. Anthracene
26. Benz[a]anthracene
27. Benzo[a]pyrene (has the distinction of being the first carcinogen to be discovered)
28. Benzo[e]pyrene
29. Benzo[b]fluoranthene
30. Benzo[ghi]perylene
31. Benzo[j]fluoranthene
32. Benzo[k]fluoranthene
33. Chrysene
34. Coronene
35. Dibenz(a,h)anthracene
36. Fluoranthene
37. Fluorene
38. Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene
39. Napthalene
40. Ovalene
41. Phenanthrene
42. Pyrene
43. Triphenylene
Skin Lighteners
44. Phenol
45. Carbolic acid
46. Hydroquinone
47. Mercury
48. Tretinoin
49. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)
Contaminants
50. Acrylamide
51. Formaldehyde
52. Nitrosamines
53. 1,4-Dioxane
54. Dioxane
55. Free Radicals
56. Ethylene oxide
57. Trihalomethanes
Ingredients added to balance pH, confer a creamy texture, or create a foaming action
58. DEA (Diethanolamine)
59. Cocamide DEA
60. DEA-Cetyl Phosphate
61. DEA Oleth-3 Phosphate
62. Lauramide DEA
63. Myristamide DEA
64. Oleamide DEA
65. MEA (monoethanolamine)
66. Cocamide MEA
67. ETA (Ethanolamine)
68. TEA (Triethanolamine)
Petroleum Based Carrier Oils
69. Liquid paraffin
70. Petrolatum
71. Mineral oil
72. Petroleum-based Waxes
73. Paraffin wax
Sunscreens
74. Oxybenzone
75. Benzophenone
76. Octocrylene
77. Octyl methoxycinnamate
78. Retinyl Palmitate
79. Micronized titanium
80. Zinc oxide nano-particles
81. PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid)
82. 4-aminobenzoic acid
83. Phenylbenzimidazole (PBI)
Artificial Colors and Miscellaneous Ingredients
84. Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
85. Talc
86. CI 77499
87. D&C Red 30
88. D&C Red 7
89. D&C Red 6
90. D&C Yellow 5
91. FD&C Yellow 6
92. FD&C Blue 1
93. Chromium Oxide Greens
94. Chromium Hydroxide Green
95. Iron Oxides
96. Lecithin
97. Magnesium Alumina Silicate
98. Mica
99. PVP (polyvinylpyrrolidone)
100. Silica Crystalline Quartz
101. Tetrasodium EDTA
Sources:
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17015167
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116165739.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8405372
http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerCauses/OtherCarcinogens/
http://nomoredirtylooks.com/thebook/
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Topics: Natural Skin Care, Skin Care, Skin Care Industry, Skin Care Ingredients, Skin Care Products, Skin Health | Comments Off on The Blacklist – 101 Skin Care Ingredients That May Kill You Over Time
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