Makeup — Does It Hurt Us?

ANALYZING  MAKEUP

Mascara can hurt like hell when it gets in our eyes; but who knew it gets absorbed by our mucous membranes?

Lots of us get irritated and sniffly when those around us decide to put on perfume; but how many of us knew that stench could be nudging us one step closer to dementia?

We’ve all read the word fluoride on the back of our toothpaste—have you noticed it in your bottled water?—and most still believe this chemical has a significant effect on our teeth.

Makeup. Is. Sketchy.

We all know this. But really, the devil is in the details—or lack thereof.

Amazingly, most cosmetic products don’t require federal approval before they hit the shelves. Any ingredient—except for ten strictly prohibited ones—is fair game. But nothing unsafe would be allowed, right? Well, no, not in Europe! Over onethousand more ingredients they have banned. Perhaps our FDA does not care. The Cancer Prevention Coalition does. As screwed up as it is, the two have become enemies of sorts in the US.

Our skin is, to say the least, precious. It is our primary defense against all the infectious agents in our world. It provides a habitat for the bacteria we need. The last thing we want to do is mess with it, but so many of us—millions, billions—have grown accustomed to doing so. As sophisticated as our skin is, it has evolved only to match the threats of our natural environment; not all the chemical nonsense in the products we buy: the creams, the lotions, the scented soaps.

SLATHERING  OUR  FACES

Foundations are particularly bad. Their paint-like glaze, which serves to even out both the texture and color of our faces, can cause skin to flare up even worse. Acne cosmetica, experts call it. A vicious cycle: plaster your imperfections with various chemicals, suffer their destructive wrath, and then apply some more to cover the damage. And repeat. We all know acne is the result of blocked pores—and the oils in makeup are major culprits. But this ironic truth is mostly lost on America, where millions  of people seldom leave their  homes  before  applying  a  nice,  thick  coat  of  suffocation  on  their  cheeks  and foreheads.  This  ill  effect  is  slow,  gradual,  and  mild,  so  victims  fail  to  draw  the connection.

But the petroleum based compounds represent the worst of threats. You guessed the C-word was coming. When applied to damaged skin—the way makeup typically is—these petrochemicals may lead to cancer-causing mutations of our cells.  (The swelling, itching, and blisters through which petrochemicals thrive are often caused by allergic reactions [allergic contact dermatitis] to any of the hundreds of strange ingredients in other products.) The poison  resides within  these  harmful  agents:  Depending  on  the  manufacturing  process,  polyethylene glycols (PEGs)  may produce either large or small amounts of toxic chemicals 1, 4- Dioxane  and  ethylene  oxide,  warns  environmental  activist  David  Suzuki.  While the former is hypothesized to be a continual carcinogen by some researchers, the latter has been officially classified as one by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. EtO is also known to hinder human development and meddle with the nervous system. Both toxins can be removed from products via vacuum stripping, but the process is not enforced, leaving consumers to gamble with their health. The chemicals are scary. 1,4-Dioxaneis particularly strong and can linger in the air long we rinse the makeup down the drain.

Think twice before using this crap. Studies indicate that any single cosmetic product is at least 46 percent likely to contain contaminated PEGs, regardless of its “natural” or “organic” label.  Because we typically use the same product over and over again, we are likely poisoning ourselves with these chemicals on a daily basis for months, if not years, on end.

A  BETTER  OPTION 

Dry, mineral-based products may offer a good alternative to glaze-like foundations. These powers are void of most of the harmful properties found in traditional makeup: oils, which house petrochemicals; synthetic colorings, which typically contain toxic metal salts; or preservatives—like parabens or ureas—which damage our skin, hair, eyesight, immunity, nervous system, and cell health (increasing our cancer-susceptibility). The allegedly safe products calledpowders are considered more “natural” than traditional makeup. They are quickly growing in popularity;bareMinerals is one of the top-selling cosmetics on the market right now, and it arguably gets the job done just as well as any nasty foundation can.

Powders do seem to be the smarter move of the two, but still, the lack of ingredient-regulation of makeup in the US deems them risky. Bad reactions are a little too common for comfort. The all-natural look will always be the best way to go.

A  CLOSER  LOOK  AT  SUNSCREEN

Carcinogens have been sniffed out not only in foundations, but also in the last place we would expect to find them: sunscreen. The National Toxicology Program has associated retinyl palmitate, which is used in most popular sunscreen brands like Neutrogena, with cancer. According to Natural Revolution, oily foundations and  sunscreens in general contain harsh chemicals like  oxybenzone  and  octylmethoxycinnamate,  both  of  which meddle with our endocrine system, the former interfering with the hormonal system. Certain  powders  and  pricier  sun-blocks  offer  a  safer  option:  simply,  a  reasonable concentration of titanium dioxide and zink. However, it is also important that we allow enough sunlight onto our skin so that UV-B rays may convert our cholesterol into vitamin D; we need this vitamin for healthy bone growth, organ function, blood regulation, cell function, and mood.

Because UV-B rays are responsible for those nasty, painful burns we suffer in the summer, we tend to  view it as the enemy. In response, Dr. Edward Giovannucci, a professor at Harvard University, stresses that using too much sunscreen contributes to at least four types of cancer: colon, prostate, breast, and stomach. For every person who dies of skin cancer, Giovannucci says, 30 more die from complications for which Vitamin-D deficiency is partly responsible. We all hear about the horrors of tanning beds and falling asleep in the sun, but hardly anyone talks about the dangers of applying too much SPF or staying indoors all day playing video games.  (If getting fat is not scary enough, could cancer scare our kids off the couch?) It is important that those educated spread the word, and that parents encourage their children to play outside and to develop well-balanced sunscreen habits: generous application without slathering.

FURTHER  DANGERS

The cosmetics that may seem less serious are also suspected carcinogens in the scientific community.  Mascara  is heavy  in  phenylenediamine  (or  PPD),  and  the  US  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Healthy warns against using it for that reason. Diethanolamine,  found  in  bath  products,  has  also  been  observed  as  a dangerous, carcinogenic when mixed with certain other chemicals. (DEA was banned by the FDA, but recent tests have shown that it still makes its way into our soaps and bubbles.) And that weird feeling you get when  you smell the whiff of nail polish—that toluene is hurting you, do not kid yourself.

As bad as these products may be, at least they are only used occasionally (by most). Even makeup is only applied by half the population—typically, the women. Deodorant is a different story. Almost everyone in the US tend to use it each and every morning. Why? There may be those of us who suffer a medical condition that leads to worsened body odor  (like  diabetes  or  hyperhidrosis),  but  for  most  of  us,  malodorousness  (B.O.)  is perfectly natural. When bacteria breaks proteins down into acids, an odor arises. It exists for reproductive purposes.  Judging  from geographical observation, it seems that our disgusted reactions to body odor may be somewhat culture-specific. There is hardly any medical reason to try to beat it. The substances we use to smell better can actually hurt us, it seems. Deodorant was first introduced commercially in the 19th century, but back then it did not contain parabens.

When ingested through food, these preservatives do virtually nothing. When applied to the skin, however, their effects can be pretty extreme. The preservative has been linked to breast cancer numerous times. Researchers have even found traces of it in tumors. Parabens manipulate our hormonal systems by posing as estrogen, thereby altering cell growth. They are found in both soaps and deodorants—the former being the safer option, since we rinse it off fairly quickly.

A thorough wash in the shower should be enough, but sadly, society does not think so.  We try to carry it around with us.  The application of “stick-on” products like deodorant allows for parabens soaking into our skin all day, and since it is socially unacceptable for adults not to use deodorant on a daily basis, the risks may be greater than we expect.

SHOULD  WE  SHAVE?

A slightly more negotiable social norm is shaving. While the practice may seem culture- specific, people have been cutting away their body hair for thousands of years. In the early 19th century, when skirts rose and women started exposing their legs, the all- powerful hand of the media quickly made them despise their body hair and start buying razors. The movement of armpit hair-shaving—for both looking and smelling nicer—had also begun. Yet the men in the US had already been shaving their beards for some time. The Romans had done it first, even employing barbers. In times when hygiene was not easy—only in modern times has proper personal hygiene become feasible for all social classes—shaving made a lot of sense. Who would want who knows what—germs, bugs, disease—lurking inside their raggedy beard?

For much of the Muslim population, a good beard is synonymous with manhood. In fact, much of the world feels that way. Some countries don’t care either way. But here in the US, large amounts of facial hair are seen as unprofessional. It is a symbol of self- respect to be clean-shaven; we appear more youthful, lively, and charismatic that way, but why? Is there some biological basis for why we shave our faces—or any spot on our bodies?

Yes and no. It does not seem necessary to keep the hair; the evolutionary reasons for having it—such as retaining heat and trapping female-attracting pheromones—are no longer relevant to society (unless you land on a  romantic interest who loves stubble). Still, shaving can be awful for us if performed incorrectly. Being a morning routine, it often is. The blade can irritate the skin if there is too much friction; this happens when we are in a hurry. In a quick shuffle, we get lazy with the shaving cream, either applying it poorly or not at all. This leaves us with unsightly rashes, what we call shave burn. Ingrown hairs are a problem as well. Discovery Health notes that multi-bladed razors tend to tug hairs off; the remains of the follicles, peaking beneath the skin, are likely to veer in the wrong direction. Shave-burn can be treated fairly easily: some cool water, non-toxic cream, and a little bit of time usually does the trick.

While a recent study suggested that shaving pubic hair greatly increases chances of viral infection, faces do not appear to be such dangerous terrain. Still, we probably shave them too often. Giving your top layer of skin cells a rest is never a bad idea. Not shaving is always an option, too (unless you are going to get fired from your job over it). Keeping our facial hair clean is a practical feat nowadays. But it is hard to blame anyone for ridding themselves of their stubble anyway. We feel good after we shave. Also, many of us—like me—actually experience pimples and itchiness caused by their facial hair, no matter how well they wash it. Of all the casualties of laziness, though, facial hair seems the most laughable.

THE COST OF ART

Tattoos  are  probably  less  common  than  shaving,  but  the  number  of  teens  tatting themselves in the US is growing: over 35 percent of Americans in their mid- to- late 20s had gotten at least one tattoo by 2003. And it’s only gotten more popular since then.

Tattoos are a tempting, arguably reasonable way to express oneself. True art is personal; it need not be safe. However, the individual may not know exactly what they are doing to him/herself. Like cosmetics, the paints used for tattoos are filled with some nasty things—metallic salts, plastics. Much of what goes in tattoos in the US have been banned in Europe as ingredients for over-the-skin appliances; how scary is that? Even worse,   the  measly  FDA  regulation  we  have  the  US  excludes  tattoos  from  their consideration. They acknowledge  the possibility of infections, allergic reactions, and tattoo-regret, but when it comes to mutations and cancer, they claim there is “a lack of evidence  of  safety  concerns”—despite  so  many  scientists  claiming  to  have  found carcinogenic  properties  within  colorants  and  inks. A 2005  study  done  by  Northern Arizona University  found that different brands of ink typically contain vastly different ingredients; there does not seem to be a common, reliable formula within the tattoo- community.