Nail polish, mascara, hair products, bronzer, eye shadow… these are all beauty products and cosmetics that are widely used all over the world today. Most cosmetic users, including me, tend to make the assumption that every cosmetic product is tested to make sure it is safe before it’s released onto the market. Unfortunately, this statement isn’t true. The FDA has a different legal authority over cosmetics opposed to the other products they regulate, such as biologicals, medical devices, and drugs. According to the law, it isn’t required for the FDA to approve cosmetic products and ingredients before they hit the market. It has also come to my attention that it is not required for cosmetic companies to test their product for safety. With this in mind, if the FDA isn’t regulating cosmetic products and the companies aren’t testing their products, are all beauty products actually safe to use?
A big controversy chemical thats common in many beauty products, such as nail polish, eyelash glue, hair gel, hair smoothing products, soaps, lotions and shampoos, is formaldehyde. Formaldehyde’s purpose in cosmetics is to prevent bacteria from growing in water-based products. Even though formaldehyde preserves the product, it is also known that there have been concerns when the formaldehyde from the cosmetic product absorbs into the skin, it can possibly be linked to skin irritation and cancer.
According to the National’s Toxicology Program’s June report, formaldehyde is classified as a carcinogen when in the state of high or prolonged exposure. Because of the high risks this chemical has, other nations such as Japan and Sweden have banned formaldehyde from all cosmetic products. Also, Canada has intensive restrictions on formaldehyde; the EU has limited formaldehyde in personal care toiletries and requires labeling for all products that do contain formaldehyde.
“A 2009 review of the literature on occupational exposures and formaldehyde shows a link between formaldehyde and leukemia” (1). Which continues to prolong the assumptions that formaldehyde in cosmetics can possibly cause cancer.
Studies where formaldehyde fumes being ingested have successfully linked cancer and formaldehyde fumes. At the moment, there is no current evident that links formaldehyde in cosmetics to causing cancer because there haven’t been many well done studies involving cancer caused by formaldehyde being absorbed through the skin. Regardless, it still important to continue studying the possibility of this chemical and other possible dangerous chemicals used in cosmetic products.
Resources:
(1) http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=599
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/style/safe-cosmetics
http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/GuidanceRegulation/LawsRegulations/ucm074162.htm
Coming from someone who uses beauty products daily, this article definitely caught my interest. After reading that certain beauty products I use may not be tested by the FDA, it actually concerns me. Am I using a product that could be unsafe to my health? It also shocked me to read that it isn’t required by law for the FDA to approve beauty products. I’ll definitely take this into consideration the next time I put mascara on in the morning! Also, take a look at this article. I found it pretty interesting.
http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/GuidanceRegulation/LawsRegulations/ucm074162.htm
I wrote a paper about the dangers of cosmetic products in high school so I enjoyed reading this article. Although I also use cosmetic products, I didn’t realize how harmful the use of some of the products can be. Like you said, some of the chemicals in these products can cause so much irritation to the skin. Even though most of us trust the products because they are “tested”, there are still so many things we need to watch out for that they contain. It is insane that most beauty supplies contain formaldehyde which link to cancer.