A staple of millions of people’s everyday life is applying cosmetics and trying out new makeup looks before going to an event or even just walking out the door. Some consider makeup and cosmetics to be as important as even their mobile devices. Some spend hundreds of dollars on beauty products every year. Even though makeup can help make people feel empowered, confident, and maybe even more comfortable in their own skin, there are still some undeniable risks.
Since 2009, manufacturers and brands have been reported to use 88 chemicals in over 73,000 products linked to cancer, congenital disabilities, and reproductive harm. Researchers have found high levels of fluorine, a corrosive and toxic gas of the halogen group, in most waterproof mascaras, liquid lipsticks, and foundations that they have tested. Despite this, many harmful chemicals used in some products weren’t even included in the ingredients section, leaving consumers in the dark about what they’re actually applying to their bodies.
Although this is a very concerning issue, there are still consumers who choose to or end up using potentially harmful products out of ignorance, or just because it leaves temporary satisfying effects. Recently a product known as calamine lotion, which is made up of zinc oxide, ferric oxide, and phenol, blew up on the internet. Its original and proper use is to treat rashes, infections, poison ivy, etc. However, many on social media have shared about using calamine lotion as a primer, to help treat acne scars, and dry out oily skin. Although it does indeed leave these effects, calamine lotion was never meant to be used as anything other than external medication and perhaps some users just aren’t aware of the risks of using products improperly but now many dermatologists warn that it could leave permanent effects, and not the ones influencers have been promoting them for. Azadeh Shirazi, a practicing dermatologist in San Diego, said that “it just doesn’t make sense to use calamine lotion and risk drying out the skin and damaging the skin barrier.”
Although these potentially harmful effects are due to improper usage though, similar situations have probed many researchers to think that the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, is probable. PFAS is a class of chemicals used in a variety of consumer products and sometimes added to cosmetics in order to keep the products more durable and spreadable. Although it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, PFAS exposure has been reported to potentially increase cholesterol levels, increase the risk of kidney and testicular cancer, cause changes in liver enzymes, decrease vaccine response in children, and put pregnant women at a higher risk of high blood pressure or preeclampsia. Substances like such are highly toxic and could lead to many risks yet, consumers still unknowingly use these products every day.
“It’s concerning that some of the products we tested appear to be intentionally using PFAS, but not listing those ingredients on the label,” Tom Bruton, a senior scientist at the Green Science Policy Institute in Berkeley, California, said. “I do think that it is helpful for consumers to read labels, but beyond that, there’s not a lot of ways that consumers themselves can solve this problem. … We think that the industry needs to be more proactive about moving away from this group of chemicals.”
Sources:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1658688485603x546950573926757950/TikTok%20trend%20of%20calamine%20lotion%20as%20makeup%20primer%20draws%20dermatologist%20concern%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
https://www.webmd.com/beauty/news/20210615/toxic-chemicals-cosmetics
https://www.ewg.org/the-toxic-twelve-chemicals-and-contaminants-in-cosmetics
Since 2009, manufacturers and brands have been reported to use 88 chemicals in over 73,000 products linked to cancer, congenital disabilities, and reproductive harm. Researchers have found high levels of fluorine, a corrosive and toxic gas of the halogen group, in most waterproof mascaras, liquid lipsticks, and foundations that they have tested. Despite this, many harmful chemicals used in some products weren’t even included in the ingredients section, leaving consumers in the dark about what they’re actually applying to their bodies.
Although this is a very concerning issue, there are still consumers who choose to or end up using potentially harmful products out of ignorance, or just because it leaves temporary satisfying effects. Recently a product known as calamine lotion, which is made up of zinc oxide, ferric oxide, and phenol, blew up on the internet. Its original and proper use is to treat rashes, infections, poison ivy, etc. However, many on social media have shared about using calamine lotion as a primer, to help treat acne scars, and dry out oily skin. Although it does indeed leave these effects, calamine lotion was never meant to be used as anything other than external medication and perhaps some users just aren’t aware of the risks of using products improperly but now many dermatologists warn that it could leave permanent effects, and not the ones influencers have been promoting them for. Azadeh Shirazi, a practicing dermatologist in San Diego, said that “it just doesn’t make sense to use calamine lotion and risk drying out the skin and damaging the skin barrier.”
Although these potentially harmful effects are due to improper usage though, similar situations have probed many researchers to think that the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, is probable. PFAS is a class of chemicals used in a variety of consumer products and sometimes added to cosmetics in order to keep the products more durable and spreadable. Although it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, PFAS exposure has been reported to potentially increase cholesterol levels, increase the risk of kidney and testicular cancer, cause changes in liver enzymes, decrease vaccine response in children, and put pregnant women at a higher risk of high blood pressure or preeclampsia. Substances like such are highly toxic and could lead to many risks yet, consumers still unknowingly use these products every day.
“It’s concerning that some of the products we tested appear to be intentionally using PFAS, but not listing those ingredients on the label,” Tom Bruton, a senior scientist at the Green Science Policy Institute in Berkeley, California, said. “I do think that it is helpful for consumers to read labels, but beyond that, there’s not a lot of ways that consumers themselves can solve this problem. … We think that the industry needs to be more proactive about moving away from this group of chemicals.”
Sources:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1658688485603x546950573926757950/TikTok%20trend%20of%20calamine%20lotion%20as%20makeup%20primer%20draws%20dermatologist%20concern%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
https://www.webmd.com/beauty/news/20210615/toxic-chemicals-cosmetics
https://www.ewg.org/the-toxic-twelve-chemicals-and-contaminants-in-cosmetics
