Most common toxins in cosmetics

In general, pollutants and toxic substances can enter our bodies from air, water and food. In addition, many cosmetics and household cleaning products contain hazardous substances that can have harmful effects on health. They contain chemicals known to be harmful to health. Such chemicals are usually small in molecular weight and can enter the body through the skin, where they are transported by the bloodstream to vital organs and cause serious damage.

Most of the toxins and chemicals cannot be eliminated from the body and accumulate. It damages cell function, metabolism and regeneration. When our bodies become saturated with harmful substances, they react with disease.

What do we call a poison?

Everything that harms us.

Natural substances can also be toxic to us, especially if they are not used properly - such as mineral oils, antifreeze, fluorine compounds and aluminium compounds. These are definitely not substances for personal care.

Why are they still in cosmetics?

Perhaps because they are very reasonably priced and no one had previously considered that they can cause long-term damage to the skin and can be absorbed through the skin into the body. 

There may be consistency fillers, preservatives, pH adjusters and their neutralising, masking fragrances, colourants - substances that are mainly used as some kind of excipients, but there may also be chemical compounds that are present as active ingredients in the formulations - chemical sunscreens, anti-ageing agents that are used out of ignorance because they don't know what their full effect is.

Our first task is to have knowledge about the substances that are good and bad for us, so that we can avoid potential toxins.

Also, my general experience is that any substance that is synthetic, i.e. chemically produced in a laboratory from basic elements - "plastic", whether it is food, clothing or cosmetics - is not good for you. How harmful depends on many things - but mainly on individual sensitivity.

Opinions are now divided as to whether if a natural substance is somehow transformed, is it considered natural?

In this field, I follow the principle of the golden mean, i.e. I look at an active substance according to common sense : - the most important thing for me is the transformation that the natural substance has undergone. There are gentle processes whose end product I am happy to use, and of course there are serious chemical and even genetic manipulation processes whose end result I do not consider natural.

E.g. Vitamin C in its normal state gets into a cosmetic - after 10 minutes it's no longer present because it's completely unstable in solution - so it can be 10%, even 20% in the super serum in the advertisement, but we know that there's nothing in it by the time we put it on our face. However, the stable converted version is a super active ingredient and at a maximum dose of 3% it works wonders.

Why use less?- because it costs 100 X as much.

In conclusion, it is not just a matter of faith and choice what you put on yourself - the most important thing is the knowledge you acquire, so that you have as much information as possible about the substances and their effects.

The most common toxic chemicals used by the cosmetics industry:

1. Aluminium derivatives and aluminium compounds

They can be found in: deodorants, antiperspirants, aftershaves, face creams, sunscreens, baby care products.

2. Synthetic anionic surfactants and detergents

There are a lot of synthetic formulations in skin-friendly pH products (liquid soaps, shampoos, shower gels, face washes, etc.) produced by the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries and recommended by dermatologists. These are made using synthetic surfactants (detergents and degreasers), mainly anionic, which are highly irritating and drying. In these products, it goes without saying that pH correction with acids is essential to counteract the strong irritant and drying effect.

- The most dangerous ingredients were found to be sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulphate (SLES). They can contribute to the formation of carcinogenic nitrates and dioxides. In fact, as xenoestrogens, they affect the entire hormone balance. It can cause depression, cancer, obesity, infertility and impotence.
- Alkyl benzene sulphonate (ABS) - This includes alkyl phenol ethoxylate and alkyl sodium sulphonate. These are synthetic, anionic surfactants. In addition to causing skin irritation, they also weaken the immune system and have adverse effects on the endocrine system.
- Ethoxylated Alcohol - A surfactant extracted from coconut and therefore "natural". However, almost 50% of cosmetic products containing ethoxylated surfactants contain 1,4 dioxane contamination, a potent poison.

INCI:
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)
Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDC)
Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES)
Ammonium Lauryl Sulphate (ALS)
Ammonium Laureth Sulphate (ALES)
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Sodium Lauroyl Sarsocinate
Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate
Potassium Coco Hydrolysed Collagen
TEA (Triethanolamine) Lauryl Sulfate
TEA (Triethanolamine) Laureth Sulfate
Lauryl or Cocoyl Sarcosine
Disodium Oleamide Sulfosuccinate
Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
Disodium Dioctyl Sulfosuccinate

Natural soaps are the ones that respect the skin's lipid layer to the fullest, and soaps with added lipids provide even more lipid protection for our skin. With a well saponified natural soap, there is no alkaline pH problem, because the lipid (free oil) left on the cuticle restores the physiological pH of the skin immediately after rinsing.

3. Synthetically produced emulsifiers

Emulsifiers are the reason why the fat-soluble and water-soluble active ingredients in cosmetic products mix together to form an emulsion, commonly known as a cream. Artificially produced emulsifiers contain many dangerous compounds.

- The most risky cosmetic emulsifier is Triethanol amine (TEA) and its derivatives, many of which are also multifunctional emulsifier surfactants: (TEA-C12-C15 Alkyl Sulfate, TEA-Cocoate, TEA-Cocoyl Hydrolyzed Protein, TEA-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate, TEA-EDTA, TEA-Hydroiodide, TEA-Lactate) Unfortunately, all triethanolamine derivatives form carcinogenic nitrosamines in the body, are skin irritants, severe kidney toxicants, and are stressful to the liver.
- PEG derivatives - Polyethylene glycol - disrupt the skin barrier layer and are irritating. They form harmful peroxides when exposed to UV radiation ( PEG- number, PEG - esters, PEG - stearate, Copolyol, Polyglycol, Polysorbate, Polyethylene glycol, Ceteareth- e 33)

4. Synthetic fragrances

Chemically produced fragrances are the most common cause of what are known as cosmetic-induced allergic reactions (actually poisonings). Synthetic perfumes in cosmetics can cause skin damage and pigmentation when exposed to sunlight. Recent research has also confirmed their likely role in the development of dementia (autism, multiple sclerosis, Altzheimer's, Parkinson's, dyslexia, dysgraphia, migraine, epilepsy).

These are the first 11 substances that have been found to be the most problematic and their toxicity is well documented:
- Amyl Cinnamal
- Cinnamyl Alcohol
- Citral
- Eugenol
- Hydroxycitronellal
- isoeugenol
- Amylcinnamyl Alcohol
- cinnamal
- coumarin
- geraniol
- hydroxyisohexyl-3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde

5. Synthetically produced preservatives

90% of commonly used synthetic preservatives are harmful. Almost all of them are toxic in some form, some preservatives are even suspected carcinogens (Bronopol/2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol,Bronidox/5-Bromo-5-Nitro-1,3-Dioxane). They accelerate the ageing of skin cells threefold when exposed to sunlight.

The most common are:
Sodium benzoate
Behentrimonium chloride
benzoic acid
Butylparaben
Cetrimonium chloride
ethyl paraben
Glyoxal
Guar hydroxypropyl trimonium chloride
Imidazolidinyl urea
Isobutylparaben
Isopropylparaben
Methylparaben
Phenoxyethanol
Propylparaben

6. Mineral oil derivatives

They form an invisible (non-absorbable) layer on the skin that prevents the evaporation that goes with skin respiration, the natural water loss that is essential for healthy skin to retain heat.

What do they do?
- clog pores, blocking the skin's natural physiological processes: respiration, metabolism and secretion
- prevent the skin from detoxifying
- make the skin lifeless and fragile due to loss of function
- inhibit the skin's natural wear and tear, resulting in a thickened stratum corneum
- promote the formation of blackheads and acne
- increase susceptibility to inflammation and the development of skin conditions associated with inflammation (psoriasis, eczema, hyperkeratosis, seborrhoea, rosacea and other skin inflammations)
- these substances and SLS/SLES cause a certain "dry, drawn out and itchy feeling", thus causing addiction
- products containing mineral oils are life-threatening for babies' skin, as they do not allow the natural protective (skin-immune) acid mantle (pH 6-7) to form

Petroleum derivatives according to their INCI designation:
Mineral oil
Petroleum
Petroleum oil Mineral oil
Paraffin wax or Mineral wax
Vaseline
Petrolatum
Cera microcristallina
Hard paraffin
Ozokerite
Petroleum Wax
Ceresin
Mineral oil derivatives may be contaminated with carcinogenic PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons).

7. Phthalates, BPA

Phthalic acid is a chemical that leaches out of plastics and is a serious health hazard, and was included on the WWF's list of 103 toxic chemicals when they carried out one of the most comprehensive European surveys of toxins circulating in our blood. The worst choice for cosmetics packaging is PVC, which is always plasticised with phthalates. Thus, phthalic acid is not found as a cosmetic ingredient, it can only enter the product if contaminated by the plastic jar.

8. Synthetic dyes

Without exception, all synthetic dyes are harmful. They can be identified by the presence of a C.I. and a long number on the product's ingredients. Some of them are less harmful and toxic, but many are also carcinogenic.

They can be the most dangerous carcinogens:
C.I.19140 (Acid Yellow 23, Tartrazine, E102) - yellow
C.I.20040 (Pigment Yellow 16, dichlorobenzidine) - yellow
C.I.21100 (Pigment Yellow 13, dichlorobenzidine) - yellow
C.I.21108 (Pigment Yellow 83, dichlorobenzidine) - yellow
C.I.42053 (FDC Green 3) - green
C.I.42090 (Acid Green 9) - green
C.I.42520 (Basic Violet 2, Magenta III) - purple.
C.I.45170 (DC Red 19, Rhodamine B) - red
C.I.50325 (Acid Violet 50) - purple. Toxic phenol derivative.
C.I.60724 (Hydroxy.Phenylamino-Antraquinone) - purple. May contain toxic aniline.
C.I.74260 (Pigment Green 7) - green. May contain toxic dioxin.
C.I.77163 (bismuth oxychloride) - white.

9. Chemical sunscreen compounds

Already in the late 1990s, it was shown that most of our chemical sunscreen compounds, although not carcinogenic in themselves, can be converted into carcinogenic compounds by UV radiation. This paradox is supported by statistics showing that the incidence of skin cancer is much higher among people who use sunscreen on holiday than among people who are permanently in the sun without sun protection (road workers, agricultural workers, seamen, fishermen, harvesters, pipers, forestry workers). This paradox has prompted researchers to investigate the mechanism of action of chemical sunscreens. It has been shown that most chemical sunscreens contain carcinogenic compounds such as:
- 4-Methyl-Benzylidenecamphor (4-MBC or MBC)
- Octyl-Methoxycinnamate (OMC)
- OMCM (OMC)
- Octyl-Dimethyl-Para-Amino-Benzoic -Acid (OD-PABA)
- Benzophenone-1, Benzophenone-2, Benzophenone-3 (oxybenzone)
- 3-Benzylidenecamphor
- Oxybenzone and derivatives

10. Nano-sized (micronised) titanium dioxide sunscreen

Titanium dioxide has long been used in the cosmetic industry. It is safe and does not irritate even sensitive skin. However, this solid substance forms a white coating on the skin and is often applied in the form of micronised particles (titanium dioxide nanoparticles). In this form it hardly/not at all forms a white layer, but it is absorbed through the skin and poses a serious health risk.

11. Propylene glycol (PG)

 It belongs to the group of glycols and is found in many cosmetics. It's practically like antifreeze.
(Copolyol, Polyglycol, Polysorbate, Polyethylene glycol, Ceteareth- e 33, TEA-C12-C15 Alkyl Sulfate, TEA-Cocoate, TEA-Hydrolyzed Protein, TEA-Lactate, Triethanol amine, Diethanolamine (DEA))

12.butylhydroxytoluene (BHT), butylhydroxyanisole (BHA)

Synthetic antioxidants, used in anti-ageing products in place of natural antioxidants and as preservatives.

13.Triclosan (2,4,4'trichloro-2'-hydroxydiphenyl ether)

Banned as a preservative in 2005. However, it can still be found in cosmetic products as a humectant-plasticizer ingredient.

14.Diazolidinyl Urea, Imidazolidinyl Urea

Synthetic urea, used to replace the real and beneficial urea (Urea). Unfortunately, as it is absorbed into the skin, it releases formaldehyde, a toxic and protein-damaging substance.

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