In the US, literally thousands of people are suffering from adverse effects and reactions from cosmetic products. According to The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, there are over 900 chemicals in cosmetics contents that have toxic substances and are dangerous to your health and well-being.

Decorative Contact lenses

You may want your eyes twinkle like your idol superstar but do you know that wearing decorative contact lenses can snatch your eyesight?

Decorative contact lenses carry the same risks as corrective contact lenses, including

• conjunctivitis (pink eye);
• corneal (the eye’s outermost layer) ulcers;

• corneal abrasion;

• and vision impairment or blindness.

Further, sharing of contact lenses prescribed for one person can also lead to infections, abrasions, allergic reaction or blindness.

Food & Drug Administration (FDA) of America has received reports of corneal ulcers associated with the wearing of decorative contact lenses, especially when worn overnight.

Corneal ulcers, an infection of the eye, can progress rapidly if left untreated. Uncontrolled infection can lead to corneal scarring and vision impairment. In the most severe cases, this condition can result in blindness and eye loss.

Anti-Wrinkle Cream

“Age doesn’t bring you wisdom, it brings you wrinkles.” How true the words spoken by American actress, Estelle Getty. For years women all over the world are using the anti-wrinkles creams to look young and stay beautiful – to perennial despair.

Formally, collagen used in anti-wrinkle is crucial to keeping your skin as smooth as silk. Unfortunately as the years go by, collagen also ages and shrinks, contributing to wrinkles.

Lanolin, promoted as being able to ‘penetrate the skin better than other oils’, was found to contain pesticides, dioxins and known carcinogens.

Collagen, lanolin, liposomes, and elastin in the cream cannot get rid of wrinkles. They only help to moisturize and merely “make-up” up the skin to create unconvincingly youthful appearance. They cannot slow down or reverse the skins ageing process.

Just as eating bone would not repair a broken arm, applying an anti-ageing cream on your face won’t repair or remake saggy skin. And vegetarians take note: Most collagen and elastin is waste from the meat industry!

Foundation

Many liquid foundation make-ups contain mineral oil, a suspected human carcinogen (cancer-causing agent). Mineral oil (classed as a petrochemical pollutant) can have negative effects on hormones and the skin’s ability to breathe, attract moisture and detoxify.

It can also slow down cell renewal and causes premature ageing. In fact sunscreens produced from mineral oil may promote skin cancer as well as colon and breast cancer. However, no cosmetic manufacturers put health warnings on their products, and in the US, the FDA does not require this information to be on packaging.

Lipstick

The most toxic of all cosmetics.

Some lipsticks contain substances that can cause cancer, deformities and stillbirths. Many women also experience dryness, chapping, cracked and peeling lips from using lipsticks. Other problems that have been reported are inflamed eyes skin rashes, burns, numbness, swollen gums and respiratory problems.

The cause of the problems may be the perfume oils used, any of the colours, indelible dyes, vehicles for the dyes, or some of the other ingredients in the lipstick. It also contains lanolin, which can cause allergic reactions.

Nail Polish

A toxic product which should have a warning label. Contains phenol, toluene and xylene. Its basic ingredient is a formaldehyde resin which can cause discoloration and bleeding under the nails.

Phenol is suspected of causing cancer in humans, it can cause swelling, peeling, burning or breaking out in hives and pimples, if it comes into contact with skin.

Toluene is easily absorbed through the skin but eliminated slowly from the body. It can cause fatigue and weakness. Chronic exposure to toluene may bring in irritation of the mucous membrane, headache vertigo (giddiness) nausea and loss of appetite.

Nail polish removers are just as harmful. Its primary ingredient is acetone, a solvent which can cause your nails to become brittle and split, and can cause skin rashes to develop on your fingers.

The fumes from nail polish remover, when inhaled, can irritate your lungs and make you feel light-headed.

Lydia Ismail is a writer, who writes about issues that affect our health,
lifestyle and well-being. Her first ebook titled “The Fashion Crap” certainly ruffles up some feathers in blogs and forums. It discusses fashion that can hurt, maim and kill. Lydia can be reached at http://www.fashioncrap.com and her blog at http://www.verygoodtips.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lydia_Ismail
http://EzineArticles.com/?Hidden-Dangers-Of-Cosmetic-Products&id=751500

Here’s the scenario: you are on an elevator. The elevator stops and in walks someone with WAY too much cologne on and the smell overpowers you. Your sinuses start to hurt and you get a bit sick to your stomach. The smell of the cologne stays with you, in your hair, clothes and nose for quite a while after – hence the sick feeling does too. Yuk. It’s hard not to think how inconsiderate this person is.

It’s not just the smell that is inconsiderate. Have you ever thought about the chemicals that are used in fragrances? Many of them are not good for you to breathe or to put on your body!

This week Time Magazine did an article on air fresheners and how many brands have been removed from the market due to high levels of phthalates. Phthalates are estrogenic in nature, which is believed to contribute to certain cancers. Phthalates are used to dissolve and carry fragrances and soften plastics, sealants and similar compounds. They are commonly found in cosmetics, paint, nail polish and plastics.

This peaked my interest on fragrances in general – so, as usual, I did some research. Although fragrances have been used for centuries, they were made from plant and animal sources. Modern fragrances are primarily synthetic materials developed since World War II.

Did you know that 600 or more chemicals may be used in a single fragrance, and 95% of chemicals used in them are derived from petroleum? Why? Petro-chemicals in perfumes are less expensive and more easily available than the natural ingredients.

Many chemicals used in fragrances are considered hazardous waste disposal chemicals! Synthetic fragrance compounds accumulate in human tissue and are found in breast milk.

An EPA study in 1991 listed the 20 most common chemicals used in “fragrance products” which are used not only in perfumes but to scent shampoos, soaps, deodorants, lotions, creams and other beauty products. Here’s the list – it speaks volumes on its own:

ACETONE, BENZALDEHYDE, BENZYL, BENZYL ALCOHOL, CAMPHOR, ETHANOL, ETHYL ACETATE, LIMONENE, LINALOOL, METHYLENE CHLORIDE, a-PINENE, g-TERPINENE, a-TERPINEOL, 1,8-CINEOLE, b-CITRONELLOL, b-MYRCENE, NEROL, OCIMENE, b-PHENETHYL ALCOHOL, a-TERPINOLENE

There are relatively few studies available concerning the use and exposure to fragranced products. Testing by the cosmetics/fragrance industry focuses on skin effects without taking into account respiratory, neurological, or systemic effects. There is little regulation of fragrance by regulatory agencies. Not only is too much perfume often offensive to many, more and more people consider it to be an indoor air pollutant. Some are quite vocal about their opposition to the use of perfumes. For years, I thought I was the only one who got headaches from strong perfume!

There is a movement afoot to curtail the use of fragrances in the work place. Many businesses, at the request of their employees, are creating fragrance-free policies. Given that many people are highly affected by allergies, this makes sense (pun intended, get it? … sense…scents…).

But seriously, given that we are bombarded by more and more hazardous chemicals and pollution, having less on our bodies, homes and in our workplaces must be better for ALL of us. Breathe deeply and live well!

Sources:

Neurotoxins: At Home and the Workplace, (Report by the Committee on Science & Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, Sept.16, 1986. (Report 99-827).

“Living Healthy in a Toxic World,” David Steinman 1996.

“Stink-Free Office Mates,” Natural Health Magazine, Nov./Dec. 2000.

http://www.ourlittleplace.com/chemicals.html “How Fresh is the Air Freshener?”

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1664954,00.html?cnn=yes

About the Author:
Ainsley Laing, MSc. has been a Fitness Trainer for 25 years and writes exclusively Body for Mind eZine. She holds certifications in Group Exercise, Sports Nutrition and Personal Fitness Training. She is also a professional engineer and mom. To see more articles by Ainsley visit http://www.bodyformind.com or the blog at http://www.bodyformind.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ainsley_Laing
http://EzineArticles.com/?Is-It-Perfume-Or-Poison?&id=764432