Cosmetics and personal care products include a wide range of products that are aimed at enhancing appearances and personal hygiene. These can include eye makeup, lipstick, foundation, shampoo and conditioner, face lotion, nail varnishes and removers, hair products including dyes and sprays, deodorants and perfumes, among others.
The growing list of synthetic ingredients added to these products is turning the most innocent-looking shampoos, moisturisers and makeups into cocktails of toxins that could cause cancer or reproductive damage over years of sustained use. Increased use and exposure have been shown to account for accumulation of cosmetic chemicals in the human body, skin irritation, endocrine disruption and so many more adverse health conditions.
The number of chemicals used in cosmetics is increasing as scientists provide new means and ways to develop and utilise these chemicals.
In the cosmetics and personal care products we use every day, you will find common chemicals such as…
… and contaminants of heavy metals like lead, mercury and cadmium and asbestos, and environmental estrogens including parabens, phthalates, and triclosan.
