Most people are completely unaware of the harmful ingredients that exist in the thousands of cosmetic and skin care products in the market. Everything from shampoo and conditioner, to nail polish, make-up, cologne and perfumes, lotions, and sunscreens are considered cosmetic products. Many of these products contain harmful and even toxic chemicals that enter the body by penetrating the skin. These shampoos, lotions, and hair products are loaded with potential irritants, carcinogens, neurotoxins, and hormone disrupters. Toxins from cosmetics can enter the body when we absorb, inhale and even ingest them during daily use.

Despite this, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is responsible for regulating cosmetic products, has little authority when it comes to enforcing these regulations. The FDA lacks basic authority needed to ensure that products are actually safe. The FDA cannot require companies to test products for safety before they are sold, does not systematically review the safety of ingredients and does not set limits for common, harmful contaminants in products. The FDA also does not require contaminants to be listed on product ingredient labels, . Additionally if a company does test their products, the FDA has no authority to review the records. Even though most cosmetic companies test their products, the National Research Council found that of the tens of thousands of commercially important chemicals, only a few have been subjected to extensive toxicity testing, and most have scarcely been tested at all.

The effects of toxins on your body depend on the hazardous level of each toxin, which range from zero (not toxic) to ten (highly toxic). Health effects include breast cancer, lung cancer, reproductive cancer, cardiovascular disease, tumors, cell mutations and deaths, liver disease, endocrine system disruption, brain and nervous system effects, gastrointestinal effects, immune system effects, and skin irritation. Some of these health effects can occur from exposure to very low doses of these toxins or when toxins are in constant contact with your skin for prolonged periods of time, a shocking thought when one takes into consideration how long women wear make-up throughout the day.

Though the European Union, Japan, and Canada have banned or placed heavy restrictions on most of the toxins found in American cosmetics due to their serious health risks, the FDA still allows these ingredients to be used in countless products that used on the skin. Even worse, the FDA allows these cosmetic products to label themselves as “natural”. Not only is the term natural miss leading, so is the qualifications a cosmetic product must meet to be allowed to use the term natural or organic on their label. ‘Natural’ simply means that one or more of a product'xs ingredients have been derived from a natural source, . With cosmetic products that can contain hundreds of ingredients, this is easy to do. On Cosmetic labels the term organic means that 95% of the ingredients are organically grown, and the term made with organic ingredients means that at least 70% of the product must be made with organic ingredients .

Just like you read nutrition labels of food, it is important to read ingredient labels on cosmetic and skin care products. The following toxins are extremely harmful to the body and should be avoided:

1. (Diethanolamine (DEA), Triethanolamine (TEA): Skin sensitizer, can form carcinogenic nitrosamine compounds in the skin or body after absorption if mixed with nitrosating agents. A respiratory toxin, neurotoxicity hazard and immunotoxicity hazard.

2. Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP): Possible reproductive or developmental toxin, potential endocrine disruptor, skin sensitizer, immune system toxin, gastrointestinal or liver toxicant, kidney toxicant, and neurotoxin. The European Union has found it to be dangerous for the environment, very toxic to aquatic organisms and has banned it from use in cosmetics. The EPA Water Quality Standards Database states it is a priority water pollutant under the Clean Water Act and a hazardous air pollutant under the Clean Air Act.

3. Formaldehyde, Formalin: EWG lists it as a known human carcinogen, skin and lung sensitizer, gastrointestinal or liver toxicant and neurotoxin.

4. Methyl, Propyl, Butyl and Ethyl Paraben: Widely used as a preservative. Have been assessed as hormonally active, possible endocrine disruptor, skin sensitizer and skin or sense organ toxicant.

5. Petrolatum, petroleum jelly: Emollient or lubricant. Potentially contaminated with impurities linked to cancer or other significant health problems. The European Union has banned petrolatum from use in cosmetics.

6. Propylene Glycol, Proptylene Glycol, 1,2-Propanediol: Used to retain moisture. Penetration enhancer, which alters skin structure, allowing other chemicals to penetrate deeper into the skin, increasing the amounts of other chemicals that reach the bloodstream. Suspected respiratory toxin, immunotoxicity and neurotoxicity hazard.

7. Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate, Anhydrous Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Irium: Used as a surfactant (makes it foamy). Penetration enhancer.

8. Talc, Talcum: potentially contaminated with harmful impurities linked to cancer or other significant health problems and a respiratory toxicant.

For more information see 10 Toxic Ingredients To Avoid below.