M2 Personal Care Products

EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetic Database

For this assignment, I chose two skincare products that I frequently use and assume are generally healthy due to the brand's marketing. 

The first product is Ever Straight Brazilian Keratin Shampoo by Organix (OGX).

OGX touts that their products are eco-friendly and sulfate free. This is evidenced by their tagline: "beauty pure and simple." I was shocked to find out that the product contains diazolidinyl urea, a formaldehyde releaser! Formaldehyde is harmful because it is carcinogenic. In addition, the shampoo contains fragrance and iodopropynyl butylcarbamate, which can both precipitate organ system toxicity, allergies, and immunotoxicity. Notably, both of these components are ecotoxic, which contradicts their marketing of an eco-friendly product. 

The second product is Skin Tone Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream by Kiehl's.

Kiehl's is another company that boasts it uses only the "finest naturally-derived ingredients." Due to this, they charge a premium price for their products. I use this BB cream as an alternative to foundation because it is supposed to be better for your skin.  Again, I was saddened to find out there are some harmful products contained in this face cream. Oxybenzone, SD alcohol 1, homosalate, octisalate, and phenoxyethanol cause the following issues: biochemical or cellular level changes, immunotoxicity, endocrine disruption, developmental and reproductive toxicity, organ system toxicity, and allergies. These are linked to serious health risks and cannot be ignored!

The Future

I really enjoy makeup and skin care products. I think it is fun to try new things and experiment. However, I have a few staples in my regimen that will be difficult to part with. I also am under the impression that all-natural products tend not work as well. Nonetheless, no beauty product is important enough to risk cancer or infertility. 

I talked to my friends over the weekend about some safer makeup brands, which I will be looking into more closely. Sephora has an entire section of natural makeup brands that hopefully are actually natural. From now on, I intend to check products on the database before buying them. 

General Knowledge

I think it is extremely important for consumers to be fully informed about the risks associated with these products. In healthcare, we need to get consent from a patient before we treat their disease. Because these products can have serious health risks, it should be mandated that consumers are notified of such risks. I wish the government took more of an active role in protecting people from these harmful chemicals and issuing sanctions against companies who endanger the health of so many people. 

Safe Cosmetics and Chemical Connections Videos

I found many aspects of these videos troubling and maddening. As previously mentioned, I use many different personal care products and naively assumed these products contained chemicals that were being monitored to ensure safety. Unfortunately, this is not the case. In fact, of the 12,500 chemicals most commonly contained in personal care products, less than 20% have been evaluated for safety. To make matters worse, the government has little control over recalling products that are known to contain dangerous chemicals. In addition, there are no industry standards on what defines "organic" or "natural" thus, allowing companies to market their products using these terms however they see fit. Another startling fact is that many compounds are not even listed on ingredient labels. One study found that over 40% of chemicals in fragrances were not listed in the ingredient list. This is extremely unethical and deceptive to the consumer. 

Being a nurse, I have added risks due to my workplace environment. I am exposed to harsh equipment and surface cleaners, antiseptics, medications, chemotherapy, and radiation. A study containing 1500 nurses, found that nurses with higher exposure to medication, chemotherapy, and radiation were more likely to have increased rates of cancer, asthma, miscarriage, and birth defects. While working with children, I have seen first hand the hardships that can occur when a baby is born with serious birth defects. It is life-changing for all those involved. I want to minimize my risks for this and the many other harmful side effects associated with chemical exposure. Additionally, the products healthcare professional use to clean their hands, can be equally as harmful. In one given shift, I will perform hand hygiene (with either Purell or antibacterial soap) well over 100 times. Many antibacterial products contain the compound called, Triclosan, a known thyroid disrupter. Because there is no evidence supporting the use of Triclosan, I strongly advocate for this substance to be removed from the products to better protect those of us who have high levels of direct exposure. 

What is most maddening about this situation is the lack of policy change that has occurred in recent decades. The Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act is only a 2 page document that was created in 1938. The Toxic Substances Control Act from the 1970s does not require health and safety testing of new chemicals, nor did it perform health and safety tests on the 62,000 chemicals grandfathered in under this law. A new bill (The Safe Chemicals Act) was introduced in 2013. It calls for stricter safety requirements and monitoring. Sadly, this bill was read in Senate and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works in April of 2013. No updated information has been posted since then (https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/696). It is impossible to effect change on a large scale without any government regulation. The first step towards a healthier tomorrow is lobbying for change on a policy level. Congress must make this a priority and see to it that the American people are better protected from unsafe and unregulated chemicals.