Why You Need To Read This. Cosmetics have always been a low priority at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as drugs and food seem to be more important. The Internet and international sales of medications as well as counterfeit and illegal drugs can be life-threatening. So can contaminated food. More than half our fruits, vegetables, and fish are imported through 400,000 ports of entry. Add to that new dangers from bioterrorism. It is logical therefore, that the one tousand FDA field agents who must contend with the safety of our food, drugs, and medical devices give cosmetics low priority. Cosmetics may contain cancer causing agents, which may take many years to produce cancer.
The real key to safety is your own knowledge. No matter what your age, before you spend a cent for a cosmetic "treatment product," you should know about your skin, the largest organ of your body. Your skin is made primarily of three parts:
- The outermost layer, epidermis, is also called the the horny layer. Flat and insensitive, it is continually flaking off. This epidermis receives nourishment from below.
- Dermis is composed mostly of collagen, a protein substance found in connective tissue, and elastin, which has the ability to stretch and then snap back. Dermis is layered. The upper, or papillary layer is made up of small mounds rich in blood vessels and nerve endings. The lower layer is a thick mesh of connective fiber.
- The subcutaneous layer consists of connective tissue and fat that protects your inner body structure.
The over-the-counter drug category, which requires no prescription, contains some products most of us consider cosmetics: fluoride toothpaste; hormone creams; sunscreen preparations; antiperspirants; and dandruff shampoos. These are "cosmeceuticals", or cosmetic products that have druglike activity. Few people are aware of the fact that many of the highly promoted cosmeceuticals on the market today, are actually against the law, as anyone can go into the cosmetic business without a license or notification to any regulatory agency. Today's cosmeceuticals include skin peelers, wrinkle creams, emollients, hair growth stimulants, skin lightners and darkers, and botanicals.
AHA Products. Superficial chemical peeling and microdermabrasion have become increasingly popular methods for producing facial rejuvenation. However, there are few studies reporting the skin barrier function changes after these procedures. Alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA) cosmetics are derived from the "chemical peels" that dermatologists and plastic surgeons used for years. The chemicals cause the skin to lose its outer layer, or peel off, revealing a fresh-looking layer of the skin. Known as chemical exfoliation, the procedure was done in doctors' offices so that doctors could control the process and prevent deep skin burns from the highly acidic solutions. Today, milder versions of these chemical peels containing AHAs for salon and at-home use are widely available. You should know that AHA may increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun and particularly the possibility of sunburn. The FDA's National center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) is currently investigating the effects of long-term exposure to AHAs to determine whether the AHA (glycolic acid) may increase the potential for cancer when skin is exposed to sun.
Researchers found that topical application of glycolic acid at concentrations as low as 4 percent and for as short a duration as four days can alter the skin's response to UV radiation
What's "NATURAL"? "Natural" can mean anything to anybody. "There are no standars for what "natural" means," says Dr. Baily, a former director of the FDA's Cosmetic Office. "They could wave a tube of plant extract over the bottle and declare its natural. Who's to say what they're actually using?" "Natural", according to the FDA, implies that ingredients are extracted directly from plants or animal products as opposed to being produced synthetically. There is no basis in fact or scientific legitimacy, the FDA says, to the notion that products containing natural ingredients are good for the skin.
"Natural" doesn't mean pure or clean or perfect either. According to the cosmetic trade journal Drug and Cosmetic Industry, "all plants [including those used in cosmetics] can be heavily contaminated with bacteria, and pesticides and chemical fertilizers used to improve crop yields. Still, even though there are no standards for organic cosmetics, reportedly any soap, shampoo, or other body item with the word "organic" in its name is a popular choice.
Adverse Reactions from Cosmetics. Labels that claim a product is "dermatologist-tested," "sensitivity-tested," "allergy tested," or "nonirritating" carry no guarantee that you won't have a reaction, and what you have in a bottle is not necessarily what you have on the skin in a few miniutes. Alcohol and/or water may evaporate, and you may be left with a very different compound than what is listed on the label.
About 2 million people work as hairdressers and barbers in North America and Europe. They are actually the "canaries" for the rest of us. (Canaries were used in the mines to give an early warning to miners about the presence of lethal gases.) Studies have shown that
- Male hairdressers had an increased incidence of cancer, particularly of the digestive tract, lung, colon, prostate and bladder.
- Female hairdressers and cosmetologists had an increased risk of cancer of the pancreas, lung, cervix, skin, and bladder, and possibly the breast.
- Female hairdressers, Michigan State researchers found, were at a higher risks of developing a rare cancer of the salivary gland.
- University of California researchers studying more than 58,000 hairdressers, manicurists, and cosmetologists found the group developed multiple myeloma at four times the rate of the general population. Multiple myeloma is a malignant tumor of the bone marrow.
- There is growing evidence that hairdressers and cosmetologists are at higher risk for cancer of the breast and urinary tract.
Contaminated Makeup. Who has problems with eye makeup? Contact lens wearers and people with allergies and sensitive skin are more likely to experience problems while using eye makeup. All eye cosmetics contain preservatives that retard the growth of bacteria in the makeup. However, if certain precautions are not taken, bacteria from skin can still grow in the cosmetic after use. Some women develop frequent conjunctivitis (infection of the outer part of the eyeball) due to contamination of their eye cosmetic or makeup applicator.
European rules state that makeup's best-before-date is thirty months from manufacture, but only products that last less than six months have to be stamped with an expiry date. Makeup artists recommend you toss your mascara after three to four months. Powder blusher lasts two years and cream blusher eighteen months. Eyeshadow should be replaced after a year, while lipsticks and glosses can be kept for two years, as can lip and eye pencils, as long as you keep them sharpened.
Hypoallergenic: Fact or Fantasy? Hypoallergenic implies that products making this claim are less likely to cause allergic reaction. There are no prescribed scientific studies required to substantiate this claim, the FDA says. Likewise, the terms "dermatologist-tested," "sensitivity-tested," "allergy tested," or "nonirritating" carry no guarantee that they won't cause skin reaction. "Hypoallergenic" can mean only that the manufacturer feels that the product is less likely than others to cause an allergic reaction. Although some manufacturers do clinical testing, others may simply omit perfumes or other common problem-causing ingredients. But there are no regulatory standards on what constitutes a product as being hypoallergenic.
Pay Attention to Label Warnings. Until times the public demands tighter control over cosmetics, your greatest protection is your knowledge. The cosmetic companies are very sensitive to consumer desires, and both the industry and the FDA will respond to reports of unwanted effects from a cosmetic. But they can't do so if no one tells about it.
Facts you should know about certain ingredients:
Preservatives: Parabens and quaternary ammonium compounds are widely used today as preservatives. So are various alcohols, such as ethyl and isopropyl, and so are the phenols, such as p-chloro-m-cresol. The parabens are the most commonly used in the United States. In 2004, a study published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology reported parabens are a cause for concern. British researchers found traces of parabens in twenty women who had breast tumors. The parabens are believed to act like the female hormone estrogen. In high amounts estrogen can cause some women to develop cancer.
What to do if you have an adverse reaction to a cosmetic
- If you recently visited a beauty parlor and had an adverse reaction, return to the shop and obtain the name of the brands used and sample of them.
- Report any adverse effects from cosmetics to the manufacturer of the product, to the FDA and to the store where you purchased them Look up the local Food and Drug Administration office under "United States" in your telephone directory. If you cannot find a local office, send reports about adverse reactions to cosmetics, as well as problems such as filth, decomposition, or spoilage, to:FDA, Office of Cosmetics and Colors (HFS-106), 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740-3835, or use the website:
www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/problem.html#cosmetics