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asking for a friend: how toxic are my skin care products?

some of the ingredients used in face creams and make-up are also used in firefighting foams coated fabrics, carpets and cookware.

by karen hawthorne

mar 11 2022

4 minute read

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asking for a friend: are my skin care products bad for my health?

the ingredient list on skin care products can be long and overwhelming. getty

dear asking for a friend,

there’s been a lot of talk about the ‘bad’ ingredients in skin care products. what are the top ones i need to worry about? there are also so many ‘clean’ brands, do they work as well as those with the questionable ingredients and how do i choose?

signed, confused by claims and labels

dear confused by claims and labels,

we all want to do our part to take care of the planet and our health. when it comes to skin care products, there’s an opportunity to do both. but manufacturer formulations, labels and product claims — along with the overwhelming number of products on the market to choose from — can be a real challenge to navigate.

just like the food we eat, the products we use on our skin can impact our health. skin is the body’s largest organ , protecting against germs, regulating body temperature and providing touch sensations. it also absorbs what you put on its surface to some extent, so any ingredient in a topical product could be an irritant and cause a reaction.

in fact, scientists from the university of toronto co-authored a 2021 study that revealed that hundreds of cosmetics, touted as long-lasting or waterproof, contain potentially toxic chemicals that aren’t always listed on ingredient labels.

waterproof mascara stays put for a reason

these ingredients are known as polyfluoroalkyl substances (pfas), a group of more than 6,000 human-made chemicals that are made to last . they contain fluorine and carbon, which form a strong chemical bond that is hard to break down — waterproof mascara stays put for a reason.

pfas compounds have been used since the 1950s in industrial products like firefighting foams and consumer goods, including coated fabrics, carpets and cookware. and although only a few pfas have been studied in-depth, they have been linked to health effects in humans and animals , including reduced immune function, altered fertility and metabolism, and increased risk of obesity.

three groups of well-studied pfas — pfos, pfoa and lc-pfcas — are prohibited in canada, but there’s concern that other chemicals in the more massive pfas group are replacing them. now, the federal government is looking at regulating all pfas as a group .

while reading ingredients is a start for choosing safe and effective products, labels can be deceiving, says scientist cassie barker, senior toxics manager at advocacy group environmental defence . she has worked for two decades researching environmental health.

“you’ll see terms like fragrance or parfum which are umbrella terms that can contain a formulation with dozens of chemicals that you may not want to be putting on your face every day,” barker says.

secrets of the skin care trade

companies don’t have to disclose fragrance ingredients because fragrance is considered a trade secret.

environmental defence has a toxic ten: skin care guide to help guide consumers when shopping for beauty products. pfas are included, and barker also flags bha (butylated hydroxyanisole), bht (butylated hydroxytoluene), phthalates and oxybenzone — substances that have been shown to disrupt our endocrine system which produces hormones critical to body functions.

“when we think about hormone disruption, we really think of estrogen and women’s health, but it can also affect testosterone levels,” she says. “even a small exposure can affect fetus development, infancy, puberty, menstruation.”

sometimes there are also visible reactions to irritants, like breathing difficulties or itchy eyes, but often the health effects aren’t readily detectable.

on the upside, the beauty industry is moving toward “ green chemistry ” that develops chemical products and processes that eliminate hazardous materials and pollutants. retailers like sephora have “clean” beauty aisles, and major skin care companies are also investing in research and development to support the clean trend.

“smart companies are not just adding new lines, they are also reformulating their conventional products that we all know,” barker says, adding that consumer education and awareness, as well as the demand for cleaner, more environmentally-friendly skin care is promoting what she sees as a positive shift.

now engineers and chemists from conventional product labs are leaving to start their own lines, she says, “because they want to promote clean and green products. it’s a really growing industry.”

what to look for in safe skin care

barker suggests looking for labels that don’t have a long list of ingredients and don’t contain scent-masking agents or synthetic fragrances. she also recommends products that offer more sustainable packaging and less plastic. but don’t take a product’s commitment to clean ingredients as a sign of less quality or effectiveness. these cleaner cues, she says, “don’t mean you’re sacrificing performance.”

is there something about health that you (or a friend, wink, wink) have always wondered about but are too embarrassed to ask? send a note to info@healthing.ca. we promise your ‘friend’s’ secret — and identity — is safe with us!

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karen hawthorne

karen hawthorne worked for six years as a digital editor for the national post, contributing articles on health, business, culture and travel for affiliated newspapers across canada. she now writes from her home office in toronto as a freelancer, and takes breaks to bounce with her son on the backyard trampoline and walk bingo, her bull terrier.

asking for a friend: how toxic are my skin care products?

some of the ingredients used in face creams and make-up are also used in firefighting foams coated fabrics, carpets and cookware.

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asking for a friend: how toxic are my skin care products?

some of the ingredients used in face creams and make-up are also used in firefighting foams coated fabrics, carpets and cookware.

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