CLUELESS FILIPINA EP.10: KNOW WHAT'S IN YOUR MAKE-UP!

 There are still a lot of health conscious consumers out there, and I think that this blog post would definitely benefit them especially to all the Filipina women out there. I know a lot of Filipinos don't really get why one should read or look for the contents, I guess in general Filipinos are not really that health conscious or curious on the things they buy.

[caption id="attachment_1039" align="aligncenter" width="247"] Photo Credits to www.biobliss.com[/caption]

I have been researching a lot of literature to make this as simple as possible.

Nowadays, there has been studies suggesting that the products we use today could contain harmful ingredients that are also carcinogens (can cause cancer), and there has been a lot of researches made to ensure that consumers are well-informed and would purchase safe cosmetics, be sure to check out link below:

According to an article posted on the David Suzuki Foundation, "...Ingredients used in personal care products are industrial chemicals, including carcinogens, pesticides, reproductive toxins, and hormone disruptors. Many products include plasticizers (chemicals that keep concrete soft), degreasers (used to get grime off auto parts), and surfactants (they reduce surface tension in water, like in paint and inks). Imagine what that does to your skin, and to the environment."

Visit Link Below:

1. You use more cosmetics than you think.


2. Safety testing of these cosmetics is NOT REQUIRED.


3. Cosmetic labels list most ingredients but the names are confusing.


4. Toxic ingredients in fragrances don’t have to be listed.

Isn't that scary? For people who are most concerned for their health, getting informed is the best and sure way to prevent health issues that is  related to long-term use of the products.

Usually, the adverse effects of a products can be seen when these are used on a long-term basis, and some have faster effects like irritations.

As much as I want to make this as comprehensive as possible (like putting all the names of the toxic ingredients and their effects etc.), I just want to share with you guys, a SAFE SHOPPING GUIDE.

• DO NOT TRUST CLAIMS like "dermatologist-tested", "100% Natural", "100% Organic" skip to the ingredient labels instead because this might just be an AD HYPE - Remember your mother telling you to never trust a stranger? The same theory applies to most beauty products: Don't trust a word they say.

Be cautious of these marketing terms

Made with organic essential oils
Contains organic ingredients
Made with nontoxic ingredients
100 percent natural
Essentially nontoxic
Earth-friendly
Environmentally safer
Hypoallergenic/Dermatologist Tested/Allergy Tested/Non-Irritating
Vegan
Cruelty-Free

• TAKE WARNING LABEL SIGNS SERIOUSLY


• GET EDUCATED! Look up your products' ingredients (I have listed at the bottom part of this post sites where you can search)


• First Three - Be sure to check out the first three listed in the ingredients, because these are they are the ingredients with the highest concentrations.
  
  [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="336"] Photo Credits to anewscafe.com[/caption]

DISCLAIMER: I indicated "avoid" because there are some ingredients in the web that are being sensationalized for past years that these ingredients are toxic, whether or not this is true, I still included it in here, and again, for more added information, I have included below a selection of sites wherein you can research about the specific ingredient. Take note that there are some ingredients that can be used but have a limit on its concentrations.

• Benzalkonium chloride - Commonly used preservative in contact lens solutions and can be found as an ingredient in antimicrobial soaps, skin antiseptics, and spermicide.


• Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) - can be found in a variety of cosmetics and personal care products, particularly in lipstick and eye shadows.


• Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) - can be found in a wide range of cosmetics and personal care products, particularly in makeup products such as eyeliners, eye shadows, eyebrow pencils, lipsticks, blushes, face powders, and foundations, as well as in perfumes, moisturizers, and personal cleanliness products, skin cleansers, and skin care products.


• Coal tar and other coal tar ingredients (including Aminophenol, Diaminobenzene, Phenylenediamine) - Over-the-Counter (OTC) shampoos, skin care products, and hair care products (hair dye) for treatment of dandruf, seborrheic dermatitis and psoriasis.


• DEA (diethanolamine), cocamide DEA and lauramide DEA - function as emulsifiers to produce foam and bubbles in cosmetics.


• DMDM hydantoin -  Used in the formulation of shampoos, hair conditioners, skin care products, moisturizers, bath products, and makeup bases and foundations.


• Bronopol (2-Bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol)  -  Used as an effective preservative agent in the formulation of a wide variety of cosmetic and personal care products, especially shampoos, creams, lotions, rinses and eye makeup.


• Formaldehyde - Added to cosmetic and personal care products as preservatives.


• T-Butyl Hydroquinone -  Used in cosmetics and personal care products, TBHQ is used in fats, oils, and meat products to prevent oxidative rancidity.


• Methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone -  Used in the formulation of hair products, shampoos, skin care products, bath products, eye and facial makeup, and suntan products.


• Oxybenzone -  Used in bath products, makeup products, hair products, sunscreens and skin care products.


• Parabens (Propyl, Isopropyl, Butyl, and Isobutylparabens) - Preservatives in the food, drug and personal care and cosmetic industries.


• Fragrance


• PEG/Ceteareth/Polyethylene compounds - Used in a wide variety of products including bath products, shaving products, skin care products, makeup, skin cleansing products, shampoo, hair conditioners and deodorants.


• Petroleum distillates - Used in makeup, hair, nail, and skin care products


• Phthalates - Used in cosmetics and personal care product.


• Resorcinol - Used in other hair and skin care products.


• Retinyl palmitate and retinol ( or Vit. A, excessive amounts can cause severe birth defects if women are exposed during pregnancy) -  Used primarily in the formulation of hair, facial makeup and skin care products.


• Siloxanes - Used in the formulation of a wide range of cosmetic and personal care products including cosmetic creams and lotions, bath soaps, shampoo and hair care products.


• Sodium Laureth sulfate -  These ingredients are primarily used in cleansing products, including bubble baths, bath soaps and detergents and shampoos.

Most often, we are intimidated by what the ingredient label says e.g. Butyrospermum Parkii which is actually Shea Butter in plain english. I would suggest visiting the Cosmetic Ingredient Review site if you want to be sure on the ingredients of a certain product is and what it causes, this is a whole lot easier, you can also check out EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetic Database where you can search thousands of products, it also has a  Hazard Score Key (low hazard, moderate hazard and high hazard) to further help you, or you can also visit Cosmetics Info and just type the ingredient you want to search.

In conclusion, education is the key in becoming a safe consumer. Always be aware of the long term effects, you may not see the effects now, but it eventually will.

I hope this POST helps a lot, and really, it is a BIG DEAL.

Filipinas! wake up! GET INFORMED! Because you too can change the future by speaking up!

XOXO!

Sources:

http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/natural-beauty-cosmetics/safe-cosmetics
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/downloads/Dirty-dozen-backgrounder.pdf
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/top-tips-for-safer-products/#pick_safer
http://watoxics.org
http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org