Rebecca Okorie

What Could Make a Cosmetic Product Toxic Before I started using a face toner that was sold to me as, ‘Organic and Healthy’, the one song I had on repeat in my head was Ariana Grande’s 7 Rings. Especially the part she says, My smile is beamin’, my skin is gleamin’ The way it shine, I know you’ve seen it (you’ve seen it) But when I started using it, I wasn’t singing that for sure! I woke up one morning, 3 days after I started using the toner, expecting a glowing face. But I got the opposite! That toner made me look like I was aging! My face looked at least, 3 shades darker than normal and lackluster. I had to discontinue use immediately. Oh! Please let’s not talk about the lipstick that changed the color of my lips to dark brown. It took using cucumber for almost a week to restore the color of my lips. Pro Tip: Using cucumber to massage and moisturize your lips makes it soft and gives it a light color. You know, the negative effects of these products really puzzled me. Especially the face toner. What could possibly be wrong in an ‘organic’ product that’ll make my face darker and looking pale? I did a little research and found out it could either be that the products weren’t compatible with my skin or they were toxic. So, I had two assignments at this stage: - to find out what cosmetic products are compatible with my skin and - to find out what makes a cosmetic product toxic. It’s the second assignment I’ll be ‘submitting’ in this article. This article discusses what cosmetics are, a brief history of cosmetics, the uses of cosmetics and toxic ingredients to avoid in your cosmetics. You’ll also learn an interesting story of Maria Coventry, a lady who was called ‘the victim of cosmetics’. So … What Are Cosmetics? The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines cosmetic as, A product (excluding pure soap) intended to be applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance. They include a range of products such as styling gel, creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toenail polish, eye and facial make-ups, tooth paste, shampoo, conditioners, mascara, after shave lotion, permanent waves, hair dyes, hair sprays and deodorants, etc. A Brief History of Cosmetics: The use of cosmetics in different cultures can be traced to different times in history. You find evidence of the use of cosmetics as far back as the Old Testament times. The book of Esther describes various beauty treatments. Even 2 Kings 9:30 records that Jezebel applied eye makeup. According to a publication on Cosmetics Info, Egyptians started using cosmetics since 10,000 BCE. They used it for health and protection. You see, humans have always wanted to look beautiful. Not for the ‘gram’, not for the likes and reposts, but maybe for the attraction and neck-turnings that comes with looking beautiful. Uses of cosmetics: There are various uses of cosmetics as we saw in the definition we read earlier. Let’s talk a little more about them. 1. Beautifying, Altering and Enhancing Appearance: Perfumes, colognes, mascara, kajal, hair dye, hair relaxer, etc. work to achieve these. I know you can’t see the smell of perfumes, but there’s a lot a perfume can do to your appearance. Some perfumes make you smell boogie and classy. Some perfumes make you smell sassy. Different smells, different impressions. The same can be said of eye shadows, lip stains, nail polish, etc. They all serve to alter and enhance your appearance. 2. Medical treatment: Some cosmetic products are recommended for treating certain health challenges, such as skin cancer, sunburn, ring worm, body rashes, eczema etc. 3. Cleansing: Soaps, hand wash, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. fall under this category. These cosmetic products act as emulsifiers and contain surfactants which help to remove stains. 4. Protection Prevention is better than cure, right? Certain health challenges can be avoided with the help of cosmetics. For example, sunscreen prevents sunburn (which can lead to cancer). Body creams, lotions, lip balm, moisturizers, etc. are used to rejuvenate and prevent dry, cracked skin. Now, let me tell you a short, ugly story. It’s about… The Lady Who Was Called A Victim of Cosmetics There was this lady, Maria Coventry, who was also known as the Countess of Coventry. She died at the age of 27, on the 30th of September 1760. The press called her “a victim of cosmetics.” Why? So, in those days, it was common practice for ladies to apply lots of lead on their face to achieve a pale look. (Looking pale was cool and fashionable then). But lead is toxic and causes the skin to peel. To mask the peeling skin, they would apply more lead, which would eventually find its way into the blood stream, causing blood poisoning. This inevitably led to the death of the victim. That’s how Maria died. (There were other people who also died from lead poisoning. It wasn’t just Maria, but she was a popular woman in her time. That’s why her story made the news). Apart from lead, there are other toxic ingredients people used as and, in their cosmetics. We’ll look at them next. These ingredients have been banned by the FDA for obvious reasons. 10 Toxic Ingredients to Avoid in Your Makeup and Skincare Products: What makes a cosmetic product toxic is simply its makeup. Cosmetic products that contain toxic ingredients can be summarized as toxic themselves. You understand your skin is an organ too, right? The largest one at that. Most chemicals in your cosmetics will be absorbed by your skin, that’s why you should take note of the ingredients your cosmetics are made of and avoid the following: Parabens According to a report by medicalnewstoday.com, parabens can cause breast cancer cells to grow when absorbed by the skin. Parabens may appear on cosmetic labels as the following: methylparaben propylparaben ethyl parablen butylparaben Mercury compounds: Mercury is a harmful metal to the skin which can cause kidney damage, harm a developing fetus and affect the nervous system. Lead You remember Maria Coventry’s story, right? That’s a live instance of how harmful lead is to the body. Some cosmetics are still made of lead, albeit in small quantities, but these small quantities can accumulate leading to big problems. Prolonged accumulation of lead can affect the brain and bone marrow, leading to convulsion and anemia. Formaldehyde There’s are huge suspicions that this ingredient can cause cancer. However, what is known for sure is that it can cause allergic reactions as well irritation to the eyes and respiratory system. Triclosan and Triclocarban: High levels of Triclosan can affect the thyroid hormone and contribute to antibiotic resistance. Others are: Bithionol Chloroform Vinyl chloride Hexachlorophene Methylene chloride P.S.: This is not an exhaustive list of toxic ingredients to avoid in your cosmetics. How to Avoid Using Toxic Cosmetics Simple. Read. Read the ingredients listed on the body of the product. Both those written in bold and tiny prints, to be sure it’s made up of only the good stuff. Secondly, when you find a product that treats your skin right, stick to it. Don’t be tempted to regularly switch brands or try out new products. You disturb your skin by constantly altering the chemical composition of your skin. Worse is, you may not immediately see the negative effects of doing that. If you feel the need to try out a new product, you should check out for reviews on that product, keeping in mind that skin types are different. And oh, lest I forget. I got a new face toner. My friend recommended it and now, I can proudly sing Ariana’s 7 Rings because my smile is beaming, my skin is gleaming! I wish you could see the way it shines . 👌😊