Chemicals In Cosmetics | Part 1 | Powders

It concerns me that women don’t realise what they are putting on their face. Did you know the 99.9% of the ingredients claiming to be “safe to use and non-toxic” actually are in fact harmful to use. If the make-up item is not 100% natural/organic then it will contain 2 or more harmful ingredients. People are told over and over about these harmful ingredients but don’t seem to care. Here is a reality check.

Loose and pressed powders such as blushes, powder foundations, bronzes, highlighters, and any other powder form make-up are the worst for you. These claim to be the worst because they end up inhaled into the lungs and sinuses when applied. Here is a list of the harmful ingredients in powdered cosmetics. 

Ingredients:

TALC, MICA, MAGNESIUM STEARATE, POLYETHYLENE, PHENYL TRIMETHICONE, DIMETHICONE, POLYBUTENE, ISOSTEARYL NEOPENTANOATE, ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, PARFUM/FRAGRANCE, BHT, BUTYLPHENYL METHYLPROPIONAL, BENZYL SALICYLATE, CITRONELLOL, HEXYL CINNAMAL, HYDROXYISOHEXYL 3-CYCLOHEXENE CARBOXALDEHYDE, LINALOOL, BUTYLPARABEN, [MAY CONTAIN/PEUT CONTENIR/+/-: TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492,CI 77499), ULTRAMARINES (CI 77007)].

Mica:

Mica is harmless as a solid, its powder or dust can cause both short and long term health problems. Inhaling mica can cause wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath as it irritates the mucous membrane lining the lungs. Repeated high exposure to mica can cause fibrosis in the lungs, where the constant irritation from inhaling mica dust causes scarring of the lung tissue. This results in the chronic coughing and shortness of breath typical of pneumoconiosis, a disease often seen in people who work in mines where they are exposed to coal dust. The carcinogenic effects of mica are unclear, but considering other known health effects it is probably best to avoid exposure as much as possible.

Talc: 

Talc is sold globally for use in personal hygiene and cosmetics. Its use promotes certain types of diseases, mainly cancers of the ovaries and lungs. The studies reference, by subject: pulmonary issues, lung cancer, and ovarian cancer. One of these, published in 1993, was a US National Toxicology Program report, which found that cosmetic grade talc containing no asbestos-like fibres was correlated with tumour formation in rats (animal testing), forced to inhale talc for 6 hours a day, five days a week over at least 113 weeks. A 1971 paper found particles of talc embedded in 75% of the ovarian tumors studied.

Magnesium Stearate:

Magnesium Stearate research has shown that stearic acid suppresses T cells—your natural killer cells—which are a key component of your immune system. According to that study, stearic acid causes the collapse of cell membrane integrity—an effect that was found to be time and dose dependent—which, ultimately, can destroy cell function.

Polyethylene:
The CIR Expert Panel noted that some studies showed tumour formation when solid pieces of Polyethylene were surgically implanted into the body. Polyethylene is not good to breathe into the lungs or sinuses! 

Phenyl Trimethicone:

Phenyl is hazardous in case of ingestion and is slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant). When I researched if it was bad to inhale all I could find was "toxic if inhaled" from its safety data sheet.

Dimethicone:

Dimethicone is classified as expected to be toxic or harmful, and other moderate concerns are Organ system toxicity, and Ecotoxicology.

Polybutene:

It is concluded that inhalation of the polybutene and one of the mineral cable oils show toxic effects in lung.

Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate:

Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate has been known to produce excess reactive oxygen species that can interfere with cellular signalling, cause mutations, and lead to cell death. May also be implicated in cardiovascular disease, and as always, ingredients applied to skin may cause allergic reactions.

Tocopheryl Acetate:

Tocopheryl Acetate is a synthetic form of vitamin E, and there is strong evidence of it being a skin toxicant. There have also been small traces of tumour formation.

Methylparaben:

Methylparaben is a skin and eye irritant, and has specially been targeted for organ toxicity. Also causes respiratory irritation, may be harmful if inhaled, and causes respiratory tract irritation.

Propylparaben:

Propylparaben is linked to cancer/ breast cancer. The Human Toxome Project, a study being conducted by the Environmental Working Group, found that 26 out of the 28 people tested were found to have Propylparaben in their urine, showing its widespread usage in products, and its ability to travel through the body as well as stay in the system.

Perfume/Fragrance:

There are over 500 potential chemicals that can be used under the name “fragrance” found on the label of many products, not just perfumes and colognes, but also most cosmetic products. Some of the most common chemicals in perfume are ethanol, acetaldehyde, benzaldehyde, benzyl acetate, a-pinene, acetone, benzyl alcohol, ethyl acetate, linalool, a-terpinene, methylene chloride, styrene oxide, dimenthyl sulphate, a-terpineol, camphor, and limonene. Almost all of these chemicals cause irritability, mental vagueness, muscle pain, asthma, bloating, joint aches, sinus pain, fatigue, sore throat, eye irritation, gastrointestinal problems, laryngitis, headaches, dizziness, swollen lymph nodes, spikes in blood pressure, coughing, and burning or itching skin irritations.

BHT:

BHT is used in a wide range of cosmetic formulations. BHT penetrates the skin, but the relatively low amount absorbed remains primarily in the skin. BHT at lower doses produced increased liver weight, and decreased activity of several hepatic enzymes. In addition to liver and kidney effects, BHT applied to the skin was associated with toxic effects in lung tissue.

Butylphenyl Methylpropional:

Butylphenyl Methylpropional can cause many problems in humans such as Endocrine disruption, organ system toxicity, and many more serious issues. Safety Hazards of this chemical may cause irritation or allergic reactions and the use of this chemical as a fragrance can be very harmful due to its potential dermal response. This chemical is classified with high toxicity concerns for humans in organ systems. 

Benzyl Salicylate:

The toxicological properties of this material have not been fully investigated. This chemical will cause eye irritation, skin irritation, and respiratory tract irritation. Also specifically targets organ toxicity. 

Citronellol:

Citronellol is very harmful if inhaled, and material is extremely destructive to the tissue of the mucous membranes and upper respiratory tract. Citronellol is also an eye and skin irritant.

Hexyl Cinnamal:

Hexyl Cinnamal is harmful if swallowed, and causes skin sensitization. May cause eye and skin irritation. Inhalation may cause irritation of the respiratory tract and mucous membranes. 

Hexyl Cinnamaldehyde:

Hexyl Cinnamaldehyde is a class B allergen according to DIMDI classification. It is also an irritant in concentrations higher than recommended.

Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde:

Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde is an eye, skin and lung irritant, and is also an allergenic.

Linalool:

Findings show that linalool inhalation represses stress-induced effects on the profiles of both blood cells and gene expression. What leaves me wondering that the hell else does this chemical actually do to humans when inhaled and it also causes eczema. 

Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, and Ultramarines:

Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, and Ultramarines cause respiratory tract cancer exposed by inhalation. 

The harmful ingredients listed above were all in one pressed powdered product. The product is one of the most popular drug-store pressed powders, and 95% of the ingredients were toxic. Not to mention all the ingredients listed above are toxic to the environment and are all tested on animals. If a product says not tested on animals it’s because the ingredients already have been. Researching all these products was a big eye-opener for me and I hope it helps you out. 

Skincarestore Australia Pty Ltd