Beauty-full Products?
Beauty-full Products?
The
Times recently published an article by Helen Rumbelow called ‘Could
things we do everyday give us cancer?’. In it, she explores the
potential damage that chemicals found in our daily toiletries and
skincare are having upon our health.
Rumbelow focuses on two
groups of particularly common and damaging substances present in our
beauty products: parabens, used as a preservative in most commercial
toiletries; and phthalates, frequently used to give that ‘slippery’ feel
to products such as nail varnish and liquid soap.
She writes that there may be a possible correlation between these ingredients and the rise of cancer in younger age groups:
‘Breast
cancer in women under 50 is now a record high — is due merely to better
diagnosis, obesity or other simple explanations. What about
environmental chemicals?
The Centers for Disease Control in
America has found all three of these substances in the urine of more
than 90 per cent of Americans. Women have more parabens and phthalates
in their urine than men because, as one study by Harvard School of
Public Health showed, the levels correlate with beauty product use,
particularly including moisturiser and perfume (ie, the stuff you leave
on your skin rather than wash off).
Not to panic yet. The levels
of each are low, not enough to alarm medical bodies. Cancer Research UK
states that “there is no good scientific evidence to believe that any
of these products could cause cancer”, but here’s what’s interesting:
each of these chemicals has been shown to have a similar effect on
hormones, albeit one that is weak.
They are called “endocrine
disruptors”, they can affect oestrogen and (we are making another
hypothetical leap now) possibly cause cancers that are affected by
oestrogen, such as breast and prostate cancer.
What if all these
tiny doses added up to a much bigger problem? If you drank sips of
different beers, wines and spirits through the day you would still end
up being very drunk. Could all these tiny sips of chemicals have a
big-enough effect on your hormones and health over time?’
So
whilst there is no solid proof yet that links these chemicals with
cancer, as a 22-year-old woman with an indulgent daily beauty routine
involving generic cosmetics, this article still triggered a wake-up
call. For, surely, a daily dosage of a chemical cocktail can only lead
to harm.
My naïve former self paid negligible attention to the
content of my moisturisers and perfume. This now seems like a
hypocritical act for someone so careful of what I put into my mouth,
conscious of what foods and preservatives are doing to my insides and
wellbeing. I now question how I could have neglected my skin, when it
absorbs health-threatening chemicals like the tongue absorbs flavours.
Yet
I am certain this ignorance resides on a vast scale. There are plenty
of people whom, like me, pride themselves on being healthy, but pay
little attention to the damaging substances they lather their bodies in.
As consumers of reliable and seemingly trustworthy chemists and
pharmacies, why should we question what we’re buying is safe? Especially
when most bottles are adorned with labels and icons claiming they’re
‘dermatologist recommended’ and ‘clinically proven’ etc. That’s enough
to suggest it’s harmless, right? Well, no, apparently not.
What
we as consumers need, is more awareness. We need to stop shopping blind
and be ingredients savvy to know exactly what we’re rubbing into our
skin and make sure that our body is not absorbing damaging toxins.
Gaining awareness equips us with the gift of choice. We can choose
whether we want to continue using skincare packed with nasties, or make
the decision to use products with natural ingredients.
Thanks to
Rumbelow’s article, we have already gained basic awareness. We now know
how to translate some of the jargon found under ‘ingredients’ on a
bottle: parabens and phthalates mean toxic. So the next step is finding
products without them.
Unfortunately for us, these chemicals are
found in an abundance of commercial beauty products, from sunscreen to
hairspray. But thankfully there are organic, chemical-free ranges out
there, they’re just a little harder to come across, as most are
independent, internet-based brands and not all featured in our high
street chemists.
Fortunately, the organic beauty industry is on
the rise. Of course, like anything ‘organic’ such products are
inevitably more expensive than the standard, but I think it is time we
put our skin and health first and budgeting second. Quality, natural
skincare is wholesome nutrition for our outsides and it’s time to
replace the junk food.
* Side note: One other ingredient to look
out for is methylisothiazolinone or MIT for short. As a cost effective
substitute for parabens, it is used abundantly in everything from
moisturisers to household cleaners. The chemical can cause skin
irritation and is linked to a sharp rise in eczema and contact
dermatitis since the 1970s. So make sure you avoid wherever possible!
To make life easier, here are a few examples of leading brands in natural beauty products available in the UK:
1.
Eve Lom: With numerous prestigious beauty awards under their belt, the
high-end brand incorporates the finest botanicals to create quality and
chemical-free products. http://www.evelom.com
2. Honest: After
years of research and experimenting, Honest founder Katie Fisher has
discovered the purest way to nourishing skincare. All her products are
made by hand and even the packaging is ethical.
http://honestskincare.co.uk
3. A Vanilla Story: If you’re a
vanilla fanatic like me, the soothing, creamy lotions produced from
organic ingredients are a must! http://avanillastory.com
4.
Origins: As a more commercial brand, Origins’ products are easier to
track down with stockists including department stores such as John Lewis
and Selfridges. They pride themselves on using the purest of
ingredients and their products cover all of your beauty needs.
http://origins.co.uk
5. Nude: Driven by the idea to create
nutritious and ethical skincare, the company’s innovative approach
incorporates omegas, minerals, probiotics and antioxidants for
nutritious recipe for your skin to bask in. http://nudeskincare.com
6.
Ananné: The most recent deluxe natural skincare product to hit the
shelves has just launched at Fenwick of Bond Street. Ananné’s natural
formula targets sensitive skin using nourishing oils of borage seed,
rosehip and sea buckthorn, as well as brown algae and papaya leaf, and a
host of vitamins and key enzymes. http://ananne.co.uk