With the upcoming civilization and rapid industrialization our present world is facing day-today, we cannot avoid the by-products being formed during the development of commercial products that we use every day. Such includes dangerous chemicals that can come to contact every day from both our environment and our work as well as in using personal care products and cosmetics.

There is no one who does not feel the love of beauty and it will be extremely rare to find a woman who has not used a cosmetic. Both the production and the use of modernized cosmetic products such as skin care products, cleaning products, etc., has risen up alarmingly. During production, cosmetic manufacturers invariably have to use chemical ingredients to promote the quality of their products and to attract more consumers and most of the chemical ingredient used in cosmetic, soaps and shampoos are now concerned with the development of some forms of cancer, birth defects and other health problems.

Chemicals mostly used today include phthalates, ethylene dioxide, 1,4-dioxane, formaldehyde, nitrosamines and acryl amide. Lead is used in lipsticks to brighten the colour and for long-lasting effect and 1,4-dioxane is used in shampoo. Since these cosmetics are used almost daily, even little amount of chemicals in them can give harm over a long period. For example, daily use of nail-polish can affect health because of its chemical ingredients and such fact has often been overlooked. Over and above, most countries do not have protective laws for safe production of cosmetics and no action has been taken to test whether the toxic chemicals in them can adversely affect health.

The use of lead in lipsticks, as mentioned above, has now been questioned from many aspects. People noticed that it is necessary to know the lead levels in lipstick if we wish to choose a safe product. It has been found that more than half of 33 top branded lipsticks tested contained detectable levels of lead raging from 0.03 to 0.65 ppm. Lead levels in some lipsticks can be as high as 10 to 20 ppm, and one third of the lipsticks in the market exceeded the 0.01 ppm, which is the FDA lead limit for candy.

Lead is a proven neurotoxin that can cause learning language and behavioral problems and is also linked to infertility and miscarriage. There is no safe level of lead and no amount of exposure is without harm. Therefore, pregnant women should avoid using lead containing lipsticks because lead can enter the fetus through the placenta. Lipsticks from Cover girl, L’Oreal and Christian Dior were found to have high lead level exceeding the limit of 0.1 ppm in candy, yet the FDA has neglected to set a lead limit for lipsticks.

Lipsticks produced even from highly popular companies does not guarantee safe product. Ideally, the lead level in a lipstick should be undetectable. Lipsticks, like foodstuffs, are ingested directly into the body.

There are two possible ways that lead gets into lipsticks. From colorants used in lipstick, which may contain lead or from raw materials such as zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, mineral wax or paraffin, mineral oil and petrolatum which are used in its production.

Of the many ingredients identified, some are considered non-toxic while others are known to be toxic to skin, mucous membrane, respiratory tract, reproductive and nervous system, on entering the body from various routes including skin absorption and inhalation. Additionally, two ingredients (phenyl methyl acetic acid ester and 2,6-bis (1,1-dimethyl ethyl)-1-methyl-phenol) were indentified as carcinogens.

In the US, more than 38,000 cosmetic injuries requiring medical attention are reported annually. Ingredients in shampoos, tooth pastes, skin creams and other personal care products, fabric softeners, makeup, hair-care products, colognes, perfumes and other scented products can be dangerous to your health. Regularly used cosmetics like soaps, sunscreens, deodorants, lipsticks and perfumes are capable of causing an allergic reaction or asthma attack and contact dermatitis is extremely common.

Carcinogens and other dangerous chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products include sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), propylene glycol, dicthanolamine (DEA), co amide DEA, lauramide DEA, fluoride, alcohol, alpha hydroxyl acid (AHA), aluminum, butane, dioxin, formaldehyde, mineral oil, petrolatum, propane, talc and hundreds more. All these chemicals can cause cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders, allergic respiratory reactions, irritation of the skin and eyes.

Soap, cleaning products, and personal care products including lotions, shampoo, hair conditioners, contain ethylated alcohol, polysorbate and laureths. These ingredients are generally contaminated with high concentration of the highly volatile 1,4-dioxane. The carcinogenicity of dioxane in rodents was first reported in 1965 and subsequently confirmed in other studies by the National Cancer Institute in 1978. The predominant sites of cancer were nasal passages in rats and liver in mice. Epidemiological studies on dioxane-exposed furniture makers have also reported suggestive evidence of excess nasal passage cancer. About 97% of hair relaxers, 57% of baby soaps, and 22% of other cosmetics have been found to be contaminated

with 1,4 dioxane.

The top seven carcinogenic impurities common to personal care product ingredients are hydroquinone, ethylene dioxide, 1,4-dioxane, formaldehyde, nitrosamines, PAHs and acrylamide. Hair dyes. particularly black and dark brown colors, are associated with increased incidence of human cancer including Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myeloma and Hodgkin’s disease.

Inhaling cosmetic talc and using it in the genital area can increase the risk of ovarian cancer (American Journal of Medicine, March, 1997). Colouring bath products can concentrate in bladder possibly raising the risk of bladder cancer. Hair dyes may be responsible for 20% of non-Hodgkins lymphoma in women. Hair dressers are in an occupation associated health hazard with a high risk for cancers. Deodorants containing antiperspirants commonly cause inflammation of sweat glands and the formation of cysts under the arm. Some ingredients in Mascara can cause blindness. Nowadays, people can plump up and de-wrinkle their faces by means of simple lotion without injecting substances as previously required. However, there is a need to know if the ingredients of such products are compatible to prevent allergic reaction, contact dermatitis, bleeding from uterus, inflammation and cancers.

In conclusion, it is needed to take caution in using cosmetics because daily use of them may lead to health hazards. It is more important to understand the safety of ingredients in cosmetics you are using rather than using a popular or expensive brand out of ignorance. Youth should avoid dying hair and using cosmetics with hazardous chemicals. Pregnant mothers should realize the dangers of chemicals and try not to use them for the sake of babies. Cosmetics from natural products like coconut oil, Thana-khar, Ta-yaw kin-mon are harmless yet giving economic and health benefits to the user. Therefore, use of natural and domestic products should be encouraged. The FDAs worldwide agreed that a cosmetic manaufacturer must neither use ingredients and raw materials not approved by it nor market the final products in any country without prior approval by the government. The protective laws for safe production of cosmetics are urgently needed to take actions and restrict manufacturers in using lead and cancer-causing chemicals as ingredients in cosmetics.