Today, we’re more aware than ever about how important it is to look after our skin, but if you’ve ever looked closely at the labels on your cosmetics and beauty products, you may have seen they contain ingredients known as parabens, which is a collective name for a family of ingredients used in everything from shower gel to shampoo. Over 75% of skin care and beauty products today contain parabens because they are cheap and effective; they are commonly used for shampoos, deodorants, moisturisers, mascaras, foundations and body lotions but they are also found in glues, oils, soft drinks, sauces, processed meat and hundreds of other everyday products. They are also used in fragrances, but as these are considered trade secrets, manufacturers are not required to disclose the chemicals used in their fragrances in their list of ingredients.
WHAT ARE PARABENS?
Parabens are a group of compounds used as preservatives in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products and in the food industry. Common parabens include propylparaben, methylparaben, ethylparaben and butylparaben. Parabens were first introduced in the 1950s and were used to prolong the shelf life of many health and beauty products by preventing the growth of mould and bacteria within them, but over the past few years, a debate has been building among scientists, product safety regulators and cosmetic manufacturers about just how harmful these chemicals are for our health.
Another group of substances that are widely used in cosmetics, serums, moisturizers, deodorants and hair care products are silicones. These substances are best known for their occlusive properties, which means they form a barrier-like coating on the skin that is resistant to both water and air. They are used in hair care products to provide shine, lubrication, conditioning and detangling benefits and they reduce the white residue and tacky feel of antiperspirants in deodorants. Silicones also have a unique texture, giving a fluid, soft, silky feel, creating a velvety texture that makes application easier. Some say silicones make skin look healthier, without actually contributing to its overall health.
WHAT ARE SILICONES?
First introduced into beauty products in the 1950s, silicones are a classification of chemicals that are created and derived from silicon (a mineral sand element) but undergo extensive chemical processing that leaves a huge ecological footprint and renders the ingredient ultimately synthetic.
Silicones are known by several different names; some commonly known silicones are dimethicone, cyclomethicone, cyclopentasiloxane, amodimethicone, PEG-12 dimethicone, dimethiconol, phenyl trimethicone, and dimethicone copolymer. There are two types of silicones however, and those known as cyclic silicones are under restriction in Europe and Canada and include cyclotetrasiloxane (D4), cyclopentasiloxane (D5),cyclohexasiloxane (D6), and cyclomethicone.
In addition to parabens and silicones, many mainstream detergents and personal hygiene products contain sulfates – from hair care: (shampoo, conditioner, hair dye, dandruff treatment and styling gel); dental hygiene products: (toothpaste, teeth whitening products and mouthwash); grooming products: (shaving cream, lip balm, hand sanitizer, nail treatments, make-up remover, foundation, facial cleansers and exfoliants); bath products: (soap, bath oils or salts, body wash and bubble bath); creams and lotions: (hand cream, masks, anti-itch creams, hair removal products and sunscreen); the most commonly known are sodium lauryl sulfate, (SLS), sodium laureth sulfate,(known as SLES) and ammonium laurel sulfate (known as ALS). These substances can also go by the name of sodium salt, sodium dodecyl sulfate, monododecyl ester, sulfuric acid, and sodium salt sulfuric acid.
WHAT ARE SULFATES?
Sulfates are synthetic detergents, originally developed for the laundry industry and are added to products as a surfactant, which essentially means that it breaks surface tension and separates molecules in order to create a lather.
The earliest forms of detergents were soaps, made of naturally derived lye and lard. These soaps had a very high alkalinity, or pH, and while they were good for household chores, for washing dishes, bedclothes and garments, etc., they were aggressively harsh. In the 1940’s, scientists synthesized the first man-made detergent based on a chemical called sodium lauryl sulfate, and it was quickly adopted and used in a wide variety of household cleaning products, as it was very effective and inexpensive to produce.
The sulfates that are found in many personal hygiene products today were originally developed to wash clothes, but they became popular because they were less damaging to hair and skin than lye or lard-based soaps and they gave people a sensation of being effective and super- cleansing when the lather rinsed off.
Diethanolamine (DEA)
Diethanolamine (DEA) is a chemical that is used as a wetting agent in shampoos, lotions, sunscreens, creams, and other cosmetics and it also acts as a pH adjuster, counteracting the acidity of other ingredients.
Cocamide DEA is a compound used as a foaming agent and make cosmetics, lotions, soaps, shampoos and conditioners a creamy consistency. Cocamide DEA is made by reacting diethanalomine with a mixture of fatty acids from coconut oils to create a diethanalomide.
WHAT ARE THE HEALTH HAZARDS OF THESE CHEMICALS?
Unfortunately, sulfates like SLS and SLES don’t just lift away dirt and grime, they also strip away the delicate layers of natural moisturizers created by the body’s own sebum that protect, smooth and keep hair and skin optimally healthy. SLS can easily enter the bloodstream due to its ability to penetrate and damage the skin barrier and is known to be irritating to the skin and can also cause scalp problems. SLS and SLES can also irritate the eyes and mouth and with long-term use can cause hair loss, vision problems and issues with the mouth and gums. SLS has also over time, been found in the tissues of many vital organs including the brain, heart, lungs and liver.
Due to the way that SLES is manufactured, it may also be contaminated with a substance called 1,4-dioxane, which is known to cause cancer in laboratory animals, so many sulfates are tested on animals to measure the level of irritation to people’s skin and eyes.
There are many products available today labelled as ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ that still contain sulfates; some shampoos that are labelled “sulfate-free” contain ingredients such as sodium C14-16 olefin sulfate or sodium xylene sulfonate that, while not chemically classified as sulfates, have properties that mimic exactly the harsh, aggressive behaviour of sulfates.
Studies have indicated that some silicones are endocrine disruptors and, as a consequence, can interfere with normal hormone function and reproduction and may adversely affect sexual function and fertility in adult males and females, as well as causing developmental toxicity in babies. Cyclic silicones have also been deemed bioaccumulative, meaning they build up over time and may pose a risk to the environment and have the potential to accumulate in aquatic organisms. In Europe, the silicone D4 has been classified as an endocrine disruptor and recent evaluation by the EU of D5 has resulted in limits on concentrations above 0.1% in wash-off products, effective from January 31, 2020, as they were deemed to have a risk of accumulating in the water supply.
Parabens easily penetrate the skin and have a chemical structure resembling that of estrogen, the primary female sex hormone; hormones regulate the body’s development, growth, reproduction, metabolism, immunity and behaviour. Parabens are also known to be endocrine disruptors; they can mimic estrogen and have been detected in human breast cancer tissues, particularly in the upper lateral breast area with the use of underarm deodorant, suggesting a possible association between parabens in personal hygiene and cosmetic products and cancer.
Studies also indicate that parabens may also interfere with male reproductive systems, impacting fertility in males, causing low sperm counts or decreased levels of testosterone. Parabens may also cause skin irritation or allergies and when methylparaben is applied to the skin it has been found to react with UVB leading to increased skin aging and DNA damage.
There is growing concern in the EU and worldwide about the negative human health and environmental impacts possibly caused by endocrine disruptors, and specific legislative obligations have been introduced in the EU, aimed at phasing out endocrine disruptors in water, industrial chemicals, plant protection products and biocides. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines a biocide as “a diverse group of poisonous substances including preservatives, insecticides, disinfectants, and pesticides used for the control of organisms that are harmful to human or animal health or that cause damage to natural or manufactured products“, but personal hygiene products are not included within this legislation; currently there are no restrictions on the use of parabens in cosmetics in Canada, however there are restrictions in the EU on the concentration of parabens used in cosmetics.
Diethanolamine (DEA) in small doses, can cause an allergic reaction in some people, producing a mild form of dermatitis. DEA is classified by the EU as, a serious danger to human health, from prolonged exposure, it can also react with other ingredients in cosmetic formulas, particularly nitrites which are sometimes added to products as anti-corrosive agents, to form an extremely potent carcinogen called nitrosodiethanolamine (NDEA). NDEA is readily absorbed through the skin and has been linked with stomach, esophagus, liver and bladder cancers. Exposure to high doses of diethanalomine can increase the risk of cancer. To date, there is no way of knowing whether a particular cosmetic or beauty product has been contaminated with NDEA. The best estimate is to determine whether the cosmetic contains DEA.
Cocamide DEA comes from coconuts, manufacturers and distributors can and often do label products with this ingredient as “natural” as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has never legally defined the term and has no regulations on its use, however cocamide DEA is known to cause a broad range of health risks from infertility and reproductive organ cancers to birth defects and developmental delays in children.
The EU Cosmetics Directive restricts the concentration and use of cocamide and lauramide DEA in and also limits the nitrosamine concentration in products containing these ingredients. Some manufacturers have replaced cocamide DEA with other foaming agents that may still contain DEA, some have replaced it with cocamidopropyl betaine, or CAPB, which is thought to be less likely than DEA to cause skin irritations and burning in those who are sensitive to it.
The following cosmetic ingredients are among those contaminated with DEA:
Cocamide DEA or Cocamide Diethanolamine
DEA Lauryl Sulfate or Diethanolamine Lauryl Sulfate
Lauramide DEA or Lauramide Diethanolamine
Linoleamide DEA or Linoleamide Diethanolamine
Oleamide DEA or Oleamide Diethanolamine
Any product containing TEA or Triethanolamine
WHAT ABOUT REGULATIONS?
Essentially, what we end up exposing our bodies to very much depends on the way regulators think about toxicity. In the US, the approach is that even if a chemical has some inherent toxicity, it may still be safe to use under normal, or at least certain, conditions. The US government requires conclusive evidence that people exposed to a specific chemical will be harmed before it can be banned and, as a consequence, far more chemicals are deemed “safe”, than in Europe. As a result, there are numerous chemicals commonly used in American products (and other countries with similar standards, or with no standards at all), that are banned in European countries. In comparison, the precautionary principle applied in the EU through REACH means a potentially hazardous chemical can be banned despite the absence of a definitive scientific consensus.
REACH, is the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals, and is a European chemicals legislation which is intended to give the public greater protection from intentionally produced chemicals. It was passed through the European Parliament in 2004 and became law in June 2007. When it came into force, chemical companies, for the first time had to provide basic health and environmental safety data on the chemicals they produce. Previously only chemicals that started production after 1981 required this data, representing less than 10% of chemicals on the market at that time.
REACH aims to ensure chemicals “of very high concern” are phased out and replaced with suitable, safer alternatives. A chemical is classified as “of very high concern” if it can cause cancer, damage genetic material or is a reproductive toxin. Any chemical that cannot be broken down by nature and builds up in the bodies of human beings or wildlife is also classified as of high concern, even if there is no evidence that it is toxic. Substances that are known to interfere with the body´s hormone system will require an authorisation; these are also classified as “substances of very high concern“; amongst these are endocrine disrupting chemicals.
The European Commission on Endocrine Disruption will soon publish a final synopsis report and evaluation of findings from public, stakeholder and SME consultations on current EU assessment and management of endocrine disruptors. What is encouraging though, is that it will pay particular attention to where legislation does not cover current provisions, for example, endocrine disrupting chemicals in cosmetics.
For more information, you can read the article:
EC poised to publish endocrine disruptor ‘Fitness Check’ findings, or go to: https://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/Article/2020/07/21/European-Commission-to-soon-publish-endocrine-disruptors-EU-Fitness-Check-findings?utm_source=copyright&utm_medium=OnSite&utm_campaign=copyright
On average women put more than 200 chemicals on their skin every day, and more than 60% of these chemicals get absorbed directly into the bloodstream. Many cosmetic and personal hygiene manufacturers do not acknowledge the health implications of these chemical additives, claiming there is no firm evidence that they pose a health risk, but researchers and organizations such as the US Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit organization advocating for healthy ingredients in consumer products, say that research must not just focus on individual product exposure but must also find a way to evaluate the cumulative impact of many products used over many years.
The EWG has created a list of chemicals they consider toxic, and would like to have banned. Already banned in 2014, by the European Commission for Consumer Safety are five parabens that were used in cosmetic products – isopropylparaben, isobutylparaben, phenylparaben, benzylparaben and pentylparaben; others can only be used in specific percentages.
SO, WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES?
The good news is that today there are many manufacturers that are working to remove parabens from their products, predominantly to satisfy growing consumer demand. If you want to avoid some of the more controversial preservatives in beauty products, other more benign chemical alternatives to parabens are food-grade preservatives, such as benzyl alcohol, dehydroacetic acid, benzoic acid, sodium levulinate, sodium salicylate, and sodium anisate. Although not incredibly strong if used singly, when used together, they can work as a longer lasting preservative.
Another alternative to parabens is sodium benzoate, which occurs in fruits and roots and is 100% natural. It is found in cranberries, prunes, greengages plums, cinnamon, cloves and apples. There are also many other natural alternatives to parabens including organic essential oils, vitamins and plant or herb extracts which are natural preservatives; these include oregano, thyme, rosemary, goldenseal root, grapefruit seed extract and lavender oil, but they are generally effective in the short-term, as they break down relatively quickly; they are usually sold in dark, pump containers which keep them protected from air and light.
One of the issues with sulfate- free products is that if a product doesn’t lather, we assume it is not working. Many manufacturers are now using essential oils or other oils as an alternative to sulfates; these include coconut oil, olive oil and palm oil. The use of palm oil however, is very controversial, as it is known as one of the world’s leading causes of rainforest destruction, but consumer knowledge on the destructiveness of palm oil production is rising; as a consequence many brands are switching to sustainable or organic palm oil or going palm oil-free. Another sulfates alternative is a sugar-based cleaning agent called glycosides which is nontoxic and non-carcinogenic, however this has been known to cause skin irritation for those who are allergic to it.
Botanical oils, fatty acids, and waxes can be used to manufacture silicone alternatives. The closest ingredients that mimic the silky, fluid but non-greasy texture of silicone are coconut alkanes, which are derived from coconut oil, as well as silica, which is the mineral from which silicone is derived. Products that use botanical oils in their formulas instead of silicone are very rich in antioxidants and are generally considered excellent for the skin.
Please note that this is not medical advice, and is my opinion, based on my personal research. The information provided in this article aims to discuss the various chemicals in beauty and personal care products, enabling you to make informed decisions based on what is best for you. If you are worried about a skin condition or need medical advice, contact a licensed medical professional for the information you need.
If you want to dig a little deeper, it is a good idea to research a variety of sources; there are many bloggers, such as LabMuffin, The Eco Well and The Beauty Brains, who provide insights into ingredients and the science behind them, and in addition to the organisations and legislative websites already mentioned, the EU provides information through the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, whilst in the US the FDA’s website is an excellent resource.
For those who are more scientifically-minded you may prefer to read what the Cosmetic Ingredient Review has to say. There is also a useful online resource called Skin Deep http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/site/about.php, where you can check your favourite products for their unbiased database to see for yourself what ingredients that they include, or The Good Human, who provides information and has a committee that consists of representatives from the Breast Cancer Fund, Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, Friends of the Earth and Women’s Voices for the Earth. For an approved preservative listing, refer to ECOCERT – a certification body for the development of standards in natural and organic cosmetics.