5 Ingredients to Avoid in Beauty Products
Chemicals in beauty products are at an all-time high. Everything from lipstick and concealer to even makeup marketed for kids and teen use are at risk of being highly toxic.
Sadly, even with the recent law passed to regulate cosmetics, there are still no strict boundaries in place to prevent cancer causing chemicals and hormone disrupters out of some of the most popular products on retail shelves.
Of course, at Liplove, I formulate only with ingredients derived from plants, and have a strict stance when it comes to even using water in products: it’s a no for me. With health crises and water shortages globally, I believe it is important to understand what’s in the products we use and how they impact our health, community and environment.
Keep reading for my beginner friendly guide to understanding which products to avoid in beauty products when checking your ingredient labels. And if you aren’t already studying labels carefully before making a purchase, start with the products you already use and check them against this list.
And remember: just because a product is on the shelf at a large retailer or marked as “all natural” does not mean it is free from toxic preservatives that are often used in water based products. The best thing you can do is your own research!
1. Parabens
The greatest concern about parabens is that they are known to known to disrupt hormone function, an effect that is linked to increased risk of breast cancer and reproductive toxicity. Parabens are most commonly used as preservatives and can be easily recognized by their name, such as methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben or ethylparaben. Less common parabens include isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben and benzylparaben.
2. Phthalates (pronounced "thah-lates")
Because companies are not required to disclose what would be considered a trade secret in their ingredient list, phthalates often fall under the category of ‘fragrance’ which contain dozens of chemicals. Linked to birth defects and reproductive issues, phthalates are also hormone disrupting chemicals, and there are concerns about phthalates causing an increased risk of breast cancer. There's also evidence that phthalates can mess with reproduction and child development.
3. Asbestos & Talc
Asbestos, a cancer causing agent, was found in makeup sold at Claire’s, a teen retail destination, twice in 2019. In addition, some talc can contain asbestos, therefore deeming it harmful. While these ingredients might seem like a no-brainer, this brings to light the importance of checking the labels on all products in your household, even if they are made for your baby girl or teenager. If you want to play it safe and are introducing your teen to makeup, opt for products like Liplove that give full ingredient transparency.
4. Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
Often used in lipsticks and moisturizers, the US Department of Health and Human Services says BHA is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen (capable of causing cancer). It can also induce allergic reactions in the skin.
5. Formaldehyde
Classified by The International Agency for Research on Cancer as a known carcinogen, formaldehyde has been linked to asthma, neurotoxicity, and developmental toxicity. It can be found on the ingredient panel listed as quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, formalin, or methylene glycol, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, bronopol, 5-bromo-5-nitro-1,3 dioxane, or hydroxymethylglycinate.
Beyond these 5 ingredients listed, do your own research and set a standard on what you will use and buy. This can look different from others, and it probably will as you grow on your clean beauty journey.
For example, I have stopped using products containing phenoxyethanol, a preservative that is generally marked as safe, because to me, there is not enough conclusive evidence that shows its safety. Phenoxyethanol is also mainly used in water based products and I choose to wear waterless beauty products because of their effectiveness and mindfulness of the environment. Learning about waterless beauty also had a significant impact on my journey to launching Liplove!
How to make the switch to clean beauty
If you’re looking at your current product ingredients and feeling overwhelmed with the amount of overhaul you need to do, I will give you the advice I wish someone gave me when starting my clean beauty journey 7 years ago: it doesn’t happen overnight. Take it one step at a time and before you know it, progress will be made.
Another helpful step for me was to start with one product category and work my way to the others. So first up was makeup, then personal hygiene, then home and laundry, and so on.
Does your beauty bag need an upgrade after reading this?
