Cosmetics pose a cancer risk
Women put themselves at risk of deadly diseases by using common over-the-counter cosmetic products on a daily basis. The ever-growing list of syntheticingredients that manufacturers are adding to their products are turning the most innocent-looking shampoos and creams into cocktails of toxins that can lead to cancer with prolonged use.
These synthetic components are inexpensive, durable and have a long shelf life. Manufacturers just love them, but although they seem safe at first, the results of prolonged use can be deadly.
Modern cosmetic preparations contain a host of questionable ingredients that would be more at home in lab test tubes than on women’s faces. Tar pigments, phenylenediamine, benzene, even formaldehyde are just some of the synthetic chemicals widely used in shampoos, creams and blushes – all poisons that are absorbed into the skin with every use of the products containing them.
There is no doubt that many cosmetic products contain carcinogens and harm the people who use them. This is assumed because cosmetics are not considered as serious as drugs and food, and are hardly controlled by law.
The undesirable effects of toxins grow over the years and decades, confusing hormone receptors and slowly altering cell structure. Chemicals pass into the bloodstream in several ways: powders have the least absorption rate, while oily solutions and moisturizers allow more of the chemical to be absorbed. Make-up can be easily absorbed by the delicate skin around the eyes. Sprays, perfumes and powders can be inhaled, irritating the lungs, and lipstick is often swallowed.
According to the United Nations, there are currently around 70,000 chemicals in widespread use around the world, with 1,000 more being introduced each year. The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports that nearly 900 of these cosmetic ingredients are toxic. According to other sources, these figures are too low.
For some environmental, health and consumer organisations, the pursuit of cosmetic manufacturers seems a minor cause compared to the fight against air, soil and water pollution. But many of the toxins that pollute our environment, such as dioxins and petrochemicals, can be found in the bottles and vials stacked on our bathroom shelves.
It is too early to know for sure how serious the long-term health effects of harmful cosmetic ingredients may be, but some have already been shown to disrupt hormones, damage immunity and cause neurological and reproductive damage. Many of the products that millions of women put on their skin every day contain components that cause cancer in laboratory animals, which is a serious enough warning. At best, a visit to the neighborhood cosmetics stall can bring you allergies, inflammation and increased sensitivity. And at worst cost you your life…
Amelia Hill, The Observer
Carcinogenic and poisonous ingredients in cosmetics
Listed below are some of the carcinogenic and poisonous ingredients that are common in cosmetics and personal care products.
Hidden carcinogens
Pollutants:
- pesticides containing organic chlorine: LANOLIN
- blue 1, green 3, arsenic, lead: eyebrow and eyelash pencils
- dioxane: PEG, POLYSORBATE, LAURETHS, ETHOXYLATED ALCOHOLS – crystals of silicon: in amorphous silicates
Precursors of nitrosamines:
- DEA, TEA, BRONOPOL, PADIMATE O
- Formaldehyde-releasing substances:
- BRONOPOL
- QUATERNIUM 15
- DIAZOLIDINYL UREA
- IMIDAZOLIDINYL UREA
- DMDM HYDANTOIN
Proven carcinogens
- DEA
- TALC
- FLUORIDE
- SACCHARIN
- CRYSTALLINE SILICA
- COAL TAR DYES
- BLUE 1
- GREEN 3
- PARA-PHENYLENEDIAMINE
Hormone destroyers
- Alkylphenol Ethoxylates
- Benzophenone-3 (Bp-3)
- Butyl Benzyl Phthalate
- Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)
- Butyl-methoxydibenzoylmethane (B-
- MDM)
- Dibutyl Phthalate
- Diethyl Phthalate
- Homosalate (HMS)
- Methyl-benzylidene Camphor (4-MBC)
- Nitro Musks
- Octyldimethyl-PABA (OD-PABA)
- Octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC)
- Parabens (Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Methylparaben, Propylparaben)
- Polycyclic Musks
- Resorcinol
All of these chemical compounds are toxic and carcinogenic and lead to breast, ovarian, kidney, bladder, liver, brain and blood cancers, cell destruction and premature aging, and hormone disruptors lead to hormonal disruptions in the delicate balance of the female endocrine system.
It might be a good idea to hang this list on your mirror so you can check what you’re putting on your skin! Equip yourself with a magnifying glass too – usually the ingredients are written in the strongest possible font…
Today, many cosmetic companies allocate part of their turnover to the fight against cancer. “Buy lipstick – save a life” is a typical advertising campaign. However, it often turns out that this lipstick itself contains ingredients that are increasingly associated with… the occurrence of cancer!
Dr Samuel Epstein of the Cancer Prevention Coalition claims that there is complete anarchy in the cosmetics industry as to what can and cannot be put into products.
Hair dye contains phenylenediamines and dyes that are proven carcinogens and lead to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemia and myeloma. Synthetic compounds containing arsenic and lead are used for colouring.
Lotions and creams contain diethanolamine and triethanolamine, which react with nitrites from food to produce nitrosamines, potent carcinogens that cause brain and blood cancers.
Parabens are petroleum products that are widely used as preservatives in cosmetics because they do not irritate the skin, are cheap, have no taste and odor and do not allow products to spoil. But more and more experts say they build up in the body and lead to breast cancer because they act like xenoestrogens.
Phthalates are added to many lipsticks and lotions without even being mentioned on the labels. Because they are carcinogens, they are now banned for use in children’s toys and rubber pacifiers for teething babies. They have been shown to interfere with the proper formation and development of the testes, penis and ovaries.
Most cosmetic products contain polyethylene glycol, bronopal and other substances, from which the powerful cell poison formaldehyde is obtained (in formalin the corpses are placed so that they do not decompose).
Talc is another widely used ingredient that has long been shown to be linked to ovarian cancer.
What can we do?
Everyone has the right to know whether household products and food contain carcinogens. Every doctor is obliged to warn his patients in the spirit of his oath “Above all, do no harm”. We are in the midst of a veritable cancer epidemic and it cannot be avoided until industries such as cosmetics, hygiene, household chemicals, agriculture, animal husbandry, nutrition, etc. are forced by law to replace carcinogens with harmless substances.
The paradox is that even the doctors themselves know almost nothing about it. The institutions that should tell them are silent because they are linked to the industries responsible for this epidemic…
So as a doctor I can only say: read the labels of what you buy, be interested in what is harmful and what is not, share what you learn with your loved ones and don’t believe all the advertisements – that way you will live longer!
Dr. Petar Naydenov
History of cosmetics
Why is it so important to educate ourselves about the chemicals in the cosmetic products we use and what can be the harmful effects of many of them on our health? Learn more in the following video:
http://www.youtube.com/v/2zrBqSvDzmw?fs=1&hl=en_US
Which cosmetics are safe?
To take care of your appearance without putting your health in danger, it is advisable to use natural cosmetics that do not contain poisonous and carcinogenic ingredients, such as those listed above.
AquaSource offers the Natural Being cosmetic series from New Zealand, which is completely natural and harmless and is certified by BDIH – Germany.
