Dangerous Ingredients in Body Care Products

By Alex Fulton
People these days are becoming increasingly concerned about the things they put into their bodies. Most every major grocery store chain now features a "natural" or "health" foods section. Organic foods are becoming more and more recognized and regulated. But what about the things people put on their bodies? What's really in these products we use every day? And why should we care?

The skin was once believed to be an impermeable barrier, meaning that nothing placed on the body could get through the skin to interfere with or affect things inside the body. We now know this to be false. Nicotine patches, heart medication, pain-relief creams, and, more recently, birth control patches all rely on a transdermal (through the skin) method of delivery to the bloodstream. What most people don't realize is that the skin's permeability is not selective.

The Food and Drug Administration established regulations for body care products, termed “cosmetics,” over 60 years ago, before skin absorption was known to be a factor. In fact, the FDA defines cosmetics as “articles which are intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled or sprayed or introduced to, or otherwise applied to, the human body for cleaning, beautifying, promoting attractiveness or altering the appearance without affecting the body's structure or function.” Because of this outdated definition, cosmetic regulations are far less stringent than they should be; the effects they may have on the body are not taken into consideration at all, even though the potential occurrence of these effects is now certain. Winter explains, “Good tests are available for skin penetration, yet they are rarely used for cosmetics …What degree of absorption is there when a cosmetic is left on the face (as a makeup base might be for 12 hours) or spread over the entire body (as suntan lotion may be)? What is the exposure to ingredients that may be used over a number of years? … What of systemic absorption, toxicity and chronic effects?”

The relatively lax regulations on cosmetics allow companies to use any number of different chemicals in their products, as long as they list the product's ingredients on the package. Cosmetic companies generally use chemicals in their products because they're very inexpensive and can drastically extend a product's shelf life. Unfortunately, while the use of these ingredients may benefit cosmetic companies, it can be quite detrimental to consumers. Since FDA regulations are based on the incorrect idea that cosmetics do not permeate the skin, ingredients that would not be allowed in a product that’s meant for internal use are accepted for cosmetic use by the FDA. This means that, although chemicals with the potential to damage the body are prominent in many products, they are not acknowledged as dangerous.

Realizing how dangerous your body care products may be is frightening, but there are many things you can do to stay safe.

First, make sure you read the list of ingredients on a product before you buy it. Many books, such as Winter’s A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients, are available to help you inform yourself about what ingredients are and how they may affect you. Keep in mind that use of the word “natural” on a product label does not guarantee anything; many supposedly natural products are rife with chemicals, which is why reading the ingredient list is important no matter what. Then, now that you know what to watch out for and why, consider replacing your current body care products with more organic products today ... your body will thank you for it.

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