There is so much said and written about ingredients in skincare and cosmetic products that are toxic. Mentioning risks to a person’s health, which can ultimately scare us.
Firstly, claims that an ingredient can cause health scares such as disrupting and changing a person’s hormones and different elements of the biological system, etc. are absolute lies. When using an ingredient applied topically, it will not break through into the skin and find its way into the bloodstream, the skin is designed with a protective barrier. Does that mean that skincare ingredients are ineffective in achieving a certain skincare goal? NO, the ingredient will work on the skin and down into the different layers of your skin, but never “through” the skin and into the bloodstream. So, any ingredient deemed to be “toxic” or bad for the skin, would speak to that ingredient negatively affecting the condition of your skin, such as triggering or making worse acne, rosacea, eczema, etc.
So, is there any truth to the claims commonly found about certain ingredients said to be toxic circulating online? We will address some common ingredients and types of ingredients that have been labelled “toxic”.
Parabens?
Parabens are a group of preservatives that have received an enormous amount of hate. Many claim that parabens disrupt some biological systems, which could lead to various health problems.
Studies on this claim were made without considering and knowing how parabens are used in cosmetic products and the volume at which they are formulated. The studies used to claim the toxicity of parabens were based on examining products with extremely high concentrations of parabens, when in reality products formulated with parabens are formulated with amounts lower than 1% which is an optimal amount that parabens need to be formulated with to preserve products.
Many safety and health regulatory boards worldwide have stated that today in the world of cosmetics, parabens are safe and pose no health risk, and parabens are amongst the best and most effective preservatives around and are less sensitizing to the skin compared to other preservatives that are used in products labelled, “paraben-free”.
In conclusion, you do not have to fear parabens.
PEG compounds?
PEG is a type of ingredient that stands for polyethylene glycol. These compounds are mixed with fatty acids and fatty alcohols to create ingredients to function in many ways within skincare products, such as acting as thickening agents, emollients that are used to help prevent water loss from the skin and have a softening and soothing effect on the skin and as well as being used as a stabilizer for products.
Claims about PEG compounds being “toxic”, are based on the ingredient being contaminated with a harmful substance called 1,4 dioxane, which is a possible human carcinogen, however, studies show that the risk for this occurring is if the substance is inhaled in its purest form.
Yet, PEG compounds, when used in cosmetic products, are formulated to remove contaminants and a 2016 safety study from the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel concluded that PEG compounds are safe in their current use and concentrations used in formulations.
