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Learning your ABC … of beauty baddies

Greta Jonyniate | 05.10.11

The Ecologist recently put together The A to Z of beauty baddies, highlighting 26 nasty additives regularly used in beauty products from alpha-hydroxyl acids to zinc acetate. The Ecologist’s list provides an interesting breakdown of the chemicals and their potential dangers. 

The beneficial or otherwise nature of the beauty industry’s arsenal of additives has been a hot topic ever since it was first realised that parabens weren’t quite the boon they were thought to be. In the years since concerns about parabens were first raised, other additives have been found to have worrying side effects with respiratory problems, rashes and photosensitivity among them. 

While skincare rarely contains the sorts of nasties found in cleaning products and others, the scientific jargon and litany of mysterious names has left consumers more confused than ever. Not only are harmless organic compounds such as linalool written off as a possible danger, others such as mineral oil – a genuinely nasty additive - slip through the net. Still mystified? The A to Z of beauty baddies is here to shed some light – see the full Ecologist article here.

Do we really want to be putting chemicals on our face? Research says that 60% of what we put on our face/skin can go into our bloodstream. A-E can be found below.

A for alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA)

Found in a wide range of skin care products, alpha-hydroxy acids, or AHAs, are usually derived from food products such as sugar cane. Products that contain AHAs cause shedding of the skin, although the extent to which it works depends on the concentration. High concentrations of AHA products are used in chemical peels and the Food and Drug Association (FDA) warns that that they can increase the skin’s photosensitivity.

B for bronopol

A particularly unpleasant chemical, bronopol is a preservative and antiseptic frequently used in cosmetics, shampoo and, shockingly, medicated skin creams. Not only is it bad for the environment and extremely toxic for marine life, it's also a skin irritant in large doses and can damage the liver if swallowed.

C for chlorobutanol

Commonly used as a chemical preservative in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products, continuous use of this nasty, which is made from chloroform and acetone molecules, can cause skin or tissue irritation. High exposure to chlorobutanol also carries a small risk of neurotoxic side effects.

D for dibutyl phthalate (DBP)

Once found in nail polishes the world over, evidence of the deleterious health effects of DBP were so convincing that an EU Directive has since banned its usage in the cosmetics industry within the European Union. Despite this, it is still in use by the big name cosmetic brands in the United States, where many nail polish products on the shelves still contain it.

E for ethoxylated surfactants

These are used as foaming agents in soaps, shower gels and shampoos and can be identified on the label by the inclusion of ‘PEG’, ‘-eth’ or ‘-oxynol-‘ in ingredient names. They are prone to oxidation and once oxidised their products can act as a skin irritant, while frequent exposure can cause eczema.
 

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