Women's Life Link Be Well, Be Happy, Be YOU!
I have been doing mega research lately on the ill-effects of cosmetics and skin care products that are laced with toxic ingredients. It occurred to me that we may be damaging one of the most precious things we have…our eyes. With daily use of eye shadow, mascara, liner, and eye makeup removers, are we polluting our eyes with substances that could be stripping away our eyesight? These are good questions that deserve good answers. Therefore, I’m just going to touch on it here and continue to inform you as I find more studies on the topic.
What I Did Find
You might not like me after this paragraph. And I’m pretty sure that your daughters will hate me. According to Cosmeticsdatabase.com, there are hundreds of products that we use in the eye area that are considered highly hazardous. On the good side, there are many that don’t pose much (if any) risk at all. In other words, be responsible and do your research.
Teens at Risk
Young ladies tend to follow the makeup trends a little more closely than, say, we older gals do. They want to (no, have to) be hip and up-to-date with their look- understandable. Well, unfortunately, they may be putting themselves at risk for health problems. One of the trends right now for eyes is the high pigmentation eye shadows and lots and lots of liner and mascara. Vibrant blues, purples, greens can be seen on the lot of teen girls all over the world. This hip trend is also introducing some nasty chemicals into our daughter’s eyes.
Hazardous Ingredients
BHA – A mixture of isomers of tertiary butyl-substituted 4-methoxyphenols (as if that means anything to anybody), in some forms, has actually been banned for use in cosmetics. And though it may follow the government standards in products like Loreal’s HIP (high intensity pigmentation) eye shadows, you have to wonder: how safe is it, really?
Aluminum Powder – It is a metallic element composed of finely divided particles of aluminum. Hmmm…that doesn’t sound like something I’d want to put near my eyes. How about you?
Nano-titanium Dioxide – Nano-what? Again, pictures of tiny particles invading my eyes comes to mind. This one has been linked to cancer, allergies/immunotoxicity, organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), and irritation of the skin, eyes, or lungs. BTW, it’s in Maybelline’s roller color eye shadows and has a hazard rating of 10 out of 10. Yes, 10 is the worst.
Quick Tips
1. Creme eye shadows are worse than powder when it comes to hazardous ingredients.
2. Be informed about the products you purchase for yourself and your family.
3. Always try to make better choices. With the information that is available on the Internet, there is no reason to be ignorant.
4. Go natural for a couple days a week. You can stand to let the world see you without eye makeup. And, if you can’t give up the whole make up job for a day, just don’t wear the eye shadow or liner. Better choices.
5. Seek out some organic, natural products at your local health food store or online.
I’m going to stop there for now. Be warned, Ladies. I’m not done yet. I’m going to hit you with some more very soon. Just, please pay attention to what you and your daughters are putting on your faces. If you have to, replace one product at a time; that’s what I’m doing. For more information about the health risks of various skin care and cosmetic products, visit cosmeticdatabase.com and just enter the name of any product. Please let us know what you find out. Questions and comments are always encouraged. Be well-be beautiful.
Resource: Cosmeticsdatabase.com
Photo by Dark Goth
Good point about the cheap makeup. I did notice in my research that a lot of the less expensive types of cosmetics were among the most toxic. It must be cheaper to make them with bad ingredients. You might know that it is all about the big profit…with no regard for human safety. Did I just say that in writing?
You have made an excellent point here. I’d like to bet that the teens also buy make up that is inexpensive, not having a large budget for organic stuff. And the cheaper products are usually the worst.
Going natural unless you have a great party or big do toa ttend to would be the best. But I do know that it takes some courage if you are used to wearing lots of make up.