How to Find Safer Makeup Products

Have you heard the buzz?

Women no longer have to put up with toxins in makeup.

For decades we have slathered talc, petrolatum, ureas, synthetic dyes, contaminants, and more on our eyes, lips, and cheeks, unaware of the potential dangers of each. Even in recent years, as we’ve learned more about how some ingredients can be irritating, aging, and potentially harmful to our health, we’ve continued to use them, believing we had no choice.

Today, that’s changing. There are more and more natural and organic makeup brands out there changing the status quo and offering women ways to beautify themselves without taking risks. Here’s more on this important subject-and why you may want to start thinking about changing the makeup you’re using today!

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Highlights the Concerns

First, we’d like to draw your attention to a new video put out by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. You can check it out now-it will give you a good understanding of what we’re talking about here.

Some things pointed out in this video that we’ve been highlighting on this blog for years:

The FDA has limited power when it comes to regulating cosmetics-manufacturers do not have to get FDA approval before creating and selling their products.
Many makeup products contain questionable ingredients, including those tied to skin and eye irritation, allergic reactions, hormonal disruption, and in some cases even infertility and cancer.
The European Union has banned over 1,300 chemicals from their personal care products, while the U.S. has banned only 11.
More expensive products aren’t necessarily safer.

Meanwhile, many of our common makeup products can contain potentially dangerous toxins. Here’s a glance at a few.

Makeup Products that May Contain Toxins

Mascara: May contain mercury as a preservative, which is linked to birth defects, brain damage, and organ system toxicity. Though most manufacturers no longer use it, some do, particularly the “cake-type” varieties. You can tell by reading the ingredient list. If you find “thimerosal,” avoid the product.
Eye shadow and blushes: May contain talc (linked with cancer and sometimes contaminated with asbestos), ureas (which may release formaldehyde, a carcinogen), and BHA (linked to increasing risk of damage from UV rays).
Lipstick: Tests by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found that 61% of name-brand lipsticks contain detectable levels of lead. Later, the FDA found hundreds of lipsticks contaminated with the toxic metal-including well-known department store brands.
Lip gloss: May contain mineral oil, which can be contaminated with impurities linked to digestive issues, and may also create excess dryness in the long-term.
Micronized mineral makeup: Tiny particles called nanoparticles and micronized particles make makeup look smooth and flawless, but they can also be a health risk, especially for those with allergies and asthma.
Foundations and concealers: These may contain things like talc (which may be contaminated with impurities and has been linked with cancer), parabens (preservatives linked with breast cancer), and mineral oil (derived from crude oil; clogs pores).
Makeup remover: May contain sulfates, which are harsh cleansers that can accelerate aging and irritate skin.

Granted, most cosmetic products contain low levels of these potentially toxic ingredients, but remember-we use up to twelve of these products a day, most every day, over a period of decades. What are we doing to our skin in all that time? How might our skin age differently if we weren’t exposing it to these chemicals all the time?