Avoiding Harmful Ingredients in Cosmetics

On December 29th 2022, the long-awaited Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MOCRA) was signed into law in the United States, marking the first time in over 80 years that the nation’s cosmetic laws were updated.  Up to this point, the cosmetics industry has remained largely unregulated at the federal level. 

Although the new legislation is a significant step in the right direction and will finally give the FDA a more meaningful mandate to help regulate and enforce the health and safety of consumers in the area of cosmetics, these changes won’t happen overnight. MOCRA is set to come into effect over the next 3 years and, like many sweeping changes of this nature, it will likely take more time before the mechanisms get worked out and meaningful change happens.

The point of this feature is to help bring some awareness around key issues and to share resources that might help empower & inform purchase decisions.

Not Just About Makeup

When we hear about harmful ingredients in cosmetics (notably: carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, reproductive/developmental toxins & allergens) we often think about makeup but it’s important to keep in mind that the scope of concern is much broader encompassing a range of personal care products that we — women, men, & children — use every day.

The term cosmetics is defined broadly to include “articles intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled or sprayed on, introduced into, or otherwise applied to the human body … for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance.”

While harmful ingredients certainly make their way into makeup (they are cheaper, more shelf-stable and achieve desired results faster — very reminiscent of the food industry), they are also found in a host of other personal care products like: soap, shampoo/conditioners, hair products of all kinds (straighteners/dyes), toothpaste, deodorant, nail polish/removers and moisturizers, to name a few.

In other words, if you’re a consumer of personal care products, you will inevitably encounter these potentially harmful chemicals whether or not you wear makeup.

What’s the Fuss About

There are a myriad of well-known, scientifically established, ingredients of concern that continue to be used in the personal care industry.  Some countries, notably the EU, have done a much better job of protecting the health & safety of their citizens (and the planet) from these hazards by adopting stricter regulations and banning thousands of chemicals used in cosmetics.  In the US, very few cosmetic ingredients have been banned at the federal level and it’s been a long protracted battle to get meaningful legislation passed to equip the FDA with the necessary mandate to regulate and enforce the health & safety of consumers in this area.

Some of the top chemicals of concern include:

PFAS: also known as “forever chemicals” — remember the non-stick (teflon) pots and pans that were finally banned following the outcry… that same class of chemicals is in many brands of lipstick, mascara and eye makeup (it’s also in most microwave bagged popcorn) — PFAs don’t break down naturally — they accumulate in our water, soil and bodies.  Studies have shown that high levels of PFA exposure increases our risk of cancer and other adverse health effects.

The Parabens: parabens are preservatives used in sunscreens, deodorant, lotion, eye liner, blush and hair products.  They are hormonally active chemicals with estrogen mimicking properties that have been linked to fertility and reproductive harm, adverse birth outcomes and breast cancer.

Formaldehyde Releasing Preservatives: Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives are commonly used in nail polish, nail hardeners, body wash, makeup and hair products (including straightening/hair smoothing & baby shampoo). These ingredients are a concern because they slowly and continuously release small amounts of formaldehyde which the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies as a known human carcinogen.

The Phthalates: also known as “everywhere chemicals,” phthalates are used broadly to make plastics more flexible and resistant to breaking — they are often found in nail polish (to prevent polish from becoming brittle/chipping) and they are also used to carry fragrance. Phthalates are associated with hormone disruption in both men and women, developmental defects, reproductive disorders and breast cancer.  Of further note, National Geographic just published an article reviewing the scientific data on the link between phthalate exposure and uterine fibroids: “How ‘everywhere chemicals’ help uterine fibroids grow.”

P-Phenylenediamine (PPD) — also known as “the coal tar dyes” — these chemicals derived from petroleum are used extensively in cosmetics (including hair dye and black henna tattoos) to achieve color; PPD is recognized as a human carcinogen.

A Simplified Approach

To minimize the overwhelm that often accompanies trying to parse out this complex category, I find it helpful (and empowering) to simplify:

• start with the personal care products you use most
• identify the ingredients in these products with the help of a consumer database specifically designed for this purpose (phew!) more below
• evaluate & consider swapping out potentially unsafe products for safer ones

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things to keep in mind:

▼ the potential health risk posed by an ingredient of concern (hazard) will depend on many factors including: frequency of exposure, the pathway of exposure and the concentration /amount of exposure, as well as a number of individual factors such as: genetics/age/general state of health, etc — consumer databases (more below) do not assess potential health risks posed by a product but rather inform consumers of hazardous ingredients, so that the consumer can make an informed decisions about reducing their overall load.

▼ much like the food industry, labels such as ‘clean’ ‘all natural’ ‘pure’ etc. are not very meaningful.  Identifying the ingredients is what allows you to understand what’s in the product.

▼ as you might guess, the task of identifying ingredients can be tricky — ingredients masquerade under a multitude of names, making it hard for those of us who are not toxicologists to keep track of them (this is where databases can be especially helpful) and not all ingredients are (currently) required to be listed — for example, manufacturers can use the blanket term “fragrance” (sounds so innocuous) in place of listing the actual ingredients that make up that fragrance (often dozens) as part of their trade secret protection — so if you have an allergy/asthma reaction/sensitivity to a particular ingredient/s, it can be quite a trick deciphering its presence when lumped into the “fragrance” category — these are the sorts of shenanigans that will eventually get teased out over time.  Until then, seeking out “fragrance-free” products (not the same as unscented) may be the safest route.

Free Ingredient Database Checkers 

There are a number of databases that can help consumers identify cosmetic ingredients (under their various names) & highlight ingredients of concern — these resources also provide information on safer product alternatives as well as numerous resources to uncover more about the subject generally.

Here are 3 free databases* that are useful and supportive in this area:

▼ Clearya

Clearya is a free browser extension and mobile app that automatically scans the products you’re considering purchasing online for unsafe ingredients and potential allergens in your makeup, personal care, baby care, cleaning and other products when shopping at Amazon, Target, Walmart, Sephora or iHerb and helps you find safe alternatives ~ it does so by searching the product’s ingredient list and crosschecking it against substances of concern according to science-based chemical hazards lists — all of which is described in greater detail on their website.

Clearya also allows you to simply search products (which I love) — so if you have products that you’re curious about sold by any of their supported shops, you can look each of them up — the app is free, very easy to use and has an extensive database that they continue to build on.

Clearya is funded by donations and is not affiliated with, nor paid by, brands — also, they don’t display ads so, if you’re anything like me, this is your dream app  

▼ The EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database & Healthy Living App

The Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Skin Deep Cosmetic Database provides ingredient information and online hazard assessments for over 85,000 personal care products (nearly three thousand brands) — you can search the Skin Deep database by ingredient, brand or product to get a breakdown of ingredients of concern and hazard score assessments.  There is also an app that allows you to scan products on-the-go as you shop.  Information on hazard score methodology can be found on the EWG website.

▼ The Black Beauty Database

Breast Cancer Prevention Partners’ Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC is a resource rich website) has just launched its brand new non-toxic Black Beauty Database – a searchable database of cosmetic products which, according to the website, is the first of its kind to feature non-toxic Black owned cosmetic products that Black women can trust.

*please keep in mind that every database, free or otherwise, has its limitations and relative strengths/weaknesses

Recap & final thoughts:

• start by focusing on the products you use most
• pay attention to the product ingredients vs. labels/slogans such as “clean” / “natural” / “pure”
• use a database to help identify product ingredients of concern and assist in finding safer alternatives
• the goal, from my perspective, is not to become fearful but rather to gain some awareness that will enable each of us to make decisions that are best aligned with our health and the health of our planet — this feature is an introduction but one that might act as a launching point for further personal investigation; each of the websites (databases) mentioned contain a multitude of resources
• change can feel overwhelming and keep us from taking action; small steps over time helps build momentum and a sense of empowerment — it’s very reminiscent of the food journey and virtually everything else in life — you don’t have to move heaven & earth in one day. The trick is to start.

A Few DIY Ideas:

• Oatmeal Honey Facial Scrub with Sabja Seed
• Deep Soothing Mango Butter Balm
• Foot Soak with Tea Tree Oil & Epsom Salt
• 4-Ingredient Uplifting Sugar Scrub
• Migraine & Tension Relief Roll-On