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How many of us read the label for our cosmetic or personal hygiene before we buy it? If you read your label, that shows you’re a concern with what substance that you have in your body intake daily. Cosmetics and personal hygiene is two things that we used every day. Imagine if we bought the wrong products and in long term, we are slowly develop cancer, illness and allergies in our body.

If you wonder why our daily products contain chemicals, here are the general answers that at least each of us need to know, it’s nothing personal, but business. Most of cosmetics company using chemicals as preservatives, fragrant purpose, and thickening agent. Most of the chemicals are unaware to public information and there so few organization out there that educate the public about the ingredients in their products other than food products.

Chemical is a substitute or synthetic replacement for anything organic or natural ingredients. Plus, it is cheap, easy to get or produced and easy to find in large amount of quantity anytime and anywhere making it is always the first choice for every cosmetics  and personal hygiene company to gain benefits with.

Following are the chemicals that usually found in our cosmetics and personal hygiene products and what they do to our body.

Phtalates

It is a group of endocrine disrupting chemicals. Usually found in nail polish or branded perfume. Phtalates is the ingredient that caused breast cancer, early puberty and decreasing estrogen production.

Triclosan

Use as antibacterial purpose in soap, deodorant, toothpaste and shampoo.  It is actually a form of pesticide and it can affect body hormone system and damaging it. It is also disrupt breast development.

Parabens

Parabens family or parabens group is usually used in antifungal agent, lotions, cosmetics, toiletries and even face cream. They are easily absorbed through skin and biopsy samples identified this substance from breast cancer tumors.

Ethylene Oxide

This is a sterilizer agent for surgical instrument. It is a carcinogenic and a contaminant in personal care products.

1,2- butadiene

Founded in sunscreens, shaving creams and anti-fungal treatment that have propellant isobetene may be contaminated with 1,3-butadiene which is a carcinogen. People can expose to it by inhalation. This chemical reported increasing mammary tumors in rodents.

Lead

Lead reported contamination more 650 products which include sunscreens, foundation, nail color, toothpaste and lip care/ lipsticks. It is neurotoxin and proven to cause disabilities in learning, language learning and causing behavioral problem. It is also linked to miscarriage in pregnant woman.

Cocamide DEA

This ingredient is moderate in overall health hazard, causing cancer and trigger allergies and immunotoxicity. It is toxic to our non-reproductive organ system. Always found in shampoo, facial foam and shower foam.

Methylchloroisothiazolinone

This ingredient has high concern for irritation to skin, lungs and eyes. It is a preservative and used in so many products like shower soap, shampoo, hand soap, or hair conditioner.  Cosmetic Ingredient review assessments come out with strong result of evidence that this ingredient is human skin toxicant and allergen.

So, be careful in what you are using in term of cosmetic and personal hygiene because the harmful ingredients are not your body’s best friend and it would be your worst nightmare that came into life that you’ll never ever wanted. Be safe and be smartly beauty at the same time.

Written by : Sabrinah A. Health Inspector, Public Health, Sipitang Town, Sabah State of Malaysia, 24.3.2015