by Colleen
I have to admit to having a slight obsession with reading labels. It all started in the grocery store where I would scour labels looking for such scary ingredients as high fructose corn syrup, or partially hydrogenated oils, but my obsession grew to include cosmetics labels as well. If we are going to be worried about what we eat shouldn’t our cosmetics be healthy too?
Having recently completed a course on cosmetic formulation and marketing, my eyes have been opened to the complicated world of cosmetic chemistry and regulations. For an ingredient that may have originally seemed scary for the chemically uninitiated may turn out to be completely innocuous. Take caprylic/capric triglyceride for example, often present as a skin emollient or conditioning agent is derived from coconut oil and minimally processed.( not so scary)
Other strange-sounding ingredients like Butyrospermum parkii, may just be the scientific term for a common ingredient like shea butter. Ingredients are listed in descending order on the label by volume or mass, meaning the last ingredient on the list will be in the smallest quantity. Here you will often find the preservative as they are strictly limited as to the percentage allowed in formulations. A note on preservatives; although many people now eschew parabens (preservatives believed to possibly be an endocrine disruptor) cosmetic companies still need to include some kind of preservative in their formulations to enhance shelf life and prevent contamination. Is it possible that these are any better? (And if you read the study on parabens from the website below, you may be inclined to be less wary of them.)
If you are ever in doubt about an ingredient here is a great website that contains information as to the safety of cosmetic ingredients and is a reliable source of information, as we know the internet has so much information that it’s easy to become alarmed about something for no reason. (stick to reading just the conclusion though as these reports are lengthy studies, that is unless you enjoy that sort of thing)
http://www.cir-safety.org/ingredients
Happy reading!
It’s true – we are being conditioned to be frightened by ingredients that we don’t understand in our cosmetics – having this resource to verify what we are in fact putting on our faces, bodies and hair is a great help! Like everything, being informed is key to making the right choices for yourself.
Thanks, Allana. You put that so well!