Various cosmetics and skin care products are widely available in stores and salons. With these products it is easier for women(and men) to achieve a healthy, smooth and beautiful skin. However, even though these products are effective, not all of these are safe.
Cosmetics are supposed to help women look beautiful, but these products are often so full of harmful synthetic chemicals that they could leave you with unsightly skin conditions. Yes, most makeup products and cosmetics are terribly harsh on your skin and numerous studies report that they are carcinogenic. Moreover, cosmetics and makeup can inhibit your skin from breathing and can harbour bacteria and help external impurities causing skin problems.
So…we give you a list of 10 cosmetic and makeup products that can cause significant harm to your skin and body – the list is by no means complete; it is just the tip of the iceberg!
Lipstick
Lipstick dries the moisture out your lips; whereas, lip balms are better.Therefore, if you want bright colour lips use lip-balm first then put lipstick on top. Some lipsticks and lip- glosses contain oils and chemicals that can damage your lips rather than help them look beautiful.Lead is sometimes found in harmful amounts in red lipsticks. Health problems associated with lead ingestion are brain damage and behavior abnormalities Many of lead’s side effects are irreversible. Mineral Oil found in lipsticks acts like a second nonporous skin, blocking the real skin’s pores, and can interfere with skin cell development and proper functioning.
Moisturisers
It is a fact that, sun damage and pollution ruin your skin so it is good to wear a ‘good’ moisturiser to block the UV sunrays and harmful pollutants away from your face.
Nonetheless, moisturisers and creams that contain mineral oil and paraffin have been shown clinically to damage the skin barrier and increase moisture loss from the skin.
Virtually all the popular cosmetic moisturizers and emollients sold by skin care companies contain high concentrations of detergents and detergent-like chemicals that damage the skin and degrade the skin’s natural protective function. The frequent use of moisturisers by most of us (in order to obtain a smooth radiant and young-looking skin), results in the body absorbing and assimilating the harmful synthetic chemical ingredients of these products that can damage the skin, exacerbating skin problems instead of enhancing the skin’s beauty and health.
The solution is to purchase products that contain vegetable oils. Particularly oils high in gamma linoleic acid that effectively suppresses inflammation.A good moisturiser should be made of water, hydrosols, plant oils, and emulsifiers. Using natural products, you can maintain the beauty of your face for longer.
Kajal
Kajal and Surma are traditional Indian cosmetic preparations used to makeup beautiful eyes. However, kajal can have numerous adverse effects on the eyes; for example, development of chemical, toxic and infective conjunctivitis, uveitis, glaucoma, dry eye and conjunctival discoloration. Hence, it is best to avoid use of kajal and surma or any makeup that goes inside the eye. No eye makeup should be used during any eye infection, injury, surgery, etc. Furthermore, the tissue around the eyes dries out as you get older; rendering the eye shadow as the worst offender!
Nail polish
You must be wearing a lot of heavy, darkand shimmering nail polish on your nails, because you love to decorate your nails and get that glamorous look. Nevertheless, you must be wondering if it will ruin your skin and nails in any way. The answer is – if you use harsh colours like red or black, also if you wear it every day – all the time, then YES they’ll be ruined. Dark polishes could stain your nails and turn them yellow. Furthermore, when your nail polish has acetone it means that it is more likely to weaken and damage your nail strength because it is a harsh chemical.
Talcum powder
The chemical ingredients in talcum powder, like silicates talc is not only a potent carcinogen, it also causes allergies and infection in lungs. Talc absorbs moisture and so we use talcum powder to avoid perspiration. But this causes much damage to our skin. Talc particles are asbestos like, capable of moving through the reproductive system. They get embedded on the lining of the ovary, if applied in large excess. This finally results to ovarian cancer.
Bleach creams
Skin bleaching is popular with darker-skinned people to obtain a fairer and even skin tone. Hydroquinone cream, the most common type of skin bleach can result in undesirable effects and significant skin damage. Hydroquinone is a fairly caustic substance with known adverse effects on the skin including redness, peeling, a rash, dryness and burning where you’ve applied the cream. Strong chemical bleach breaks down the oils that are supposed to keep your skin soft and supple and prevent formation of wrinkles.
On the other hand, whitening can actually be healthy for your skin provided the skin lightening and brightening products contain natural ingredients; such as, organic herbal extracts and essential oils.
Waxing
Waxing for hair removal has its drawbacks; some people experience ingrown hairs, red bumps, and minor bleeding. Waxing on face causes the skin to sag earlier than it normally would as it pulls your skin and is harsh.Facial skin is very delicate and waxing will only damage it. Waxing with waxing strips can be painful when the strip is removed from the skin and can cause infection if the skin gets bruised. The wax strip may disturb hair follicles, causing hair to begin to grow in different directions.
Hair colours and hair dyes
Before colouring your hair, it’s important to know that allergic reactions to dyes can cause hair loss, burning, redness, itchy scalp, facial swelling and breathing difficulty. There are many chemicals in hair dyes that are known to be dangerous to human health. One of the worst chemicals found in hair dyes is P-Phenylenediamine, which is known to pose the following dangers: cancer, reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, allergies, immune- toxicity, irritation of skin, eyes, and/or lungs.
Deodorants & antiperspirants
Scientific studies have shown that ingredients in deodorants and antiperspirants are harmful for your skin and body. It is a fact that deodorants cause irritation (because of alcohol) and redness which leads to itching and eventually pigmentation of the skin. The harmful effects of antiperspirants are greater than deodorants due to aluminum compounds in antiperspirants that block the sweat glands and can lead to conditions like contact dermatitis and allergy. Sweat glands discharge the waste from our body as sweat and if the waste is not being discharged from the body, it is unhealthy.
Fragrance
It is important to be informed that there are dangerous chemicals in cosmetics.Fragrance chemicals present in fabric softeners, laundry detergents, perfumes, personal care products, air fresheners and many other products contribute to health and environmental problems.
