How to Avoid Harmful Ingredients Hidden in Your Makeup
Did you know there is an average of 168 harmful substances found in makeup and skin care products? The reality is that beauty products on store shelves are not regulated and that can leave you feeling less than confident about your choices. In fact, it is common (and frighteningly legal) to mix formulas with harmful, if not skin-irritating, chemicals.
Case in point: hair dye contains over 5,000 chemicals, including some that are known to lead to potential health risks. Likewise, makeup products that veer from the clean approach are known to have toxic chemicals and contaminants like formaldehyde that can also lead to potential health risks.
Top Harmful Makeup Ingredients That You Should Avoid
Under U.S. law (and the law in most other countries), manufacturers are not required to list ingredients that only have a trace amount. Yet, daily use of those products may cause damage ranging from minor skin irritation or allergic reactions to serious hormonal imbalances and disease.
How does this happen? Well, a percentage of the makeup you apply to your skin can make its way into your body's bloodstream. Once that happens, the risks of irritation and imbalance could multiply.
Let's take a deeper look at these potentially harmful agents in your makeup and identify what you can do to avoid them.
Parabens
Parabens are a group of chemicals used to keep makeup fresh. Think of preservatives in food, but for makeup. Parabens are added to reduce the bacteria in your makeup and prevent molding.
Furthermore, parabens can harm fetuses and interfere with your body's hormonal balance. You may see these ingredients listed on a label as methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, propylparaben, proplyparaben, isopropylparaben, isopropyrl or isobutylparaben.
According to the Environmental Working Group, parabens disrupt hormones in the body, harm reproductive organs, and increase the risk of cancer.
The problems can start very early. Adolescent girls who wore makeup daily were 20 times more likely to show propyl parabens in their urine than those who rarely or never wore makeup.
Artificial Fragrances
According to the International Fragrance Association, fragrances contain an average of 3,059 substances.
At least ten flavors listed on the Toxic Substances Control's Candidate Chemicals List are noted under California Proposition 65 because they have been proven unhealthy. There are many others on the list where it is suspected that the ingredient causes cancer.
FD&C Color Pigments
Food, drug, and cosmetic dyes are made from petroleum-based products. These products often break down into lead and arsenic, both known carcinogens.
Manufacturers often make FD&C Color Pigments from coal tar. We know that coal tar causes allergic reactions, and the jury is still out on whether it also causes cancer.
Silicones
Silicones produce an illusion of silky skin and hair, but the truth is that they close pores so that cancer-causing toxins cannot escape from your body. It is challenging to get the silicones off your body. In turn, they stop cells from renewing.
Now that you understand some of the harmful effects, you may wonder if there is an alternative.
There is, and it is called clean beauty.
What is Clean Beauty?
Clean beauty refers to makeup and skincare products formulated without synthetic chemicals and ingredients that could harm your body or irritate your skin.
The term came about in the 1970s with CoverGirl’s “Clean Make-up” campaign. Since then, there’s been a sort of ‘clean makeup’ movement growing. More and more brands are developing makeup that favors natural ingredients healthier for women and better for the Earth, instead of synthetic chemicals.
If you don’t look carefully, the makeup you have right now very likely contains formaldehyde, parabens, artificial fragrance, silicones, or triclosan.
Synthetic ingredients like these are often used for consistency and texture upon application. Blush, for example, can seemingly appear ‘creamier’ with such additives.
What’s even scarier is that even if you read your makeup labels, personal care companies are not required to include trace amounts on their product labels. Sometimes, trace amounts are all you need to get sick.
The Difference Between ‘Clean Beauty’ and Natural
We’re about to really confuse you now. Clean Beauty is different from products that claim to be all-natural. Plus, there is no regulation on who can claim to have the most natural products either. It’s up to you to perform due diligence on the brand of your choice.
Confidence in TrūAura Beauty’s Commitment to Clean
TruAura Beauty is a skincare and makeup company you never need to worry about. Because we keep the health and well-being of our customers top of mind, we formulate our products without toxic ingredients.
Our skin care serums, lotions, cleansers, and cosmetics support healthy skin and are completely free from:
Parabens
Gluten
Synthetic Dyes
FD&C Color Pigments
Silicones
Synthetic Additives
Artificial Flavors & Fragrances
Replenishing Night Cream
Take our Replenishing Night Cream, for example. When you include our night cream into your daily skincare routine, the palmitoyl peptides used in our product naturally increase your skin’s collagen production.
Our night cream gives your skin strength, naturally helps reduce inflammation, and reduces wrinkles; all without parabens and other ingredients that work against your skin’s health.
Mink Moisture Balance Lip Gloss
Another great example from our cosmetics line might be our Mink Moisture Balance Lip Gloss.
All our lip glosses and lipsticks contain natural oils that help hydrate and keep your lips healthy and soft. Our Mink Moisture Balance Lip Gloss, for example, combines castor seed and coconut oils with shea and cocoa butters to give your lips the benefits of deep hydration with no added flavors.
Stay Beautiful with TrūAura Beauty
We are a purpose-driven skincare and beauty company that strives to help you look and feel your best every day while protecting you from harmful chemicals and being great environmental stewards! TruAura’s pledges to you to create clean, effective skincare and beauty products that are never tested on animals.
We understand that confidence in the choices that you make is important. And, that every person should feel confident in the products they use.
Try our clean products for yourself. Your skin will thank you for taking great care of it. Talk to a TrūAura Beauty Consultant today or shop now!