News Coverage
The shock risk in our toiletries
New research warns of the dangers in many products, says Peta Bee
Published August 22, 2004
Lured by the promise that they will cleanse the body and rejuvenate the skin, the British now spend almost £5 billion a year on toiletries and cosmetics. Yet new research warns that many moisturisers, deodorants and shampoos expose users to a cocktail of potentially dangerous ingredients that can over time put their health at risk. The US study conducted by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit, consumer research organisation, found that everyday use of some personal care products causes a "chemical overload" that can cause allergies or even disease.
Each of the 7,500 products analysed in the EWG's Skin Deep report, many of which are sold on both sides of the Atlantic, was given a "risk rating" which ranked its ingredients according to their potential to cause, among other problems, allergic reactions, hormonal problems and an increased cancer risk. Labelling on many was poor, with 356 products containing "ingredients for which there was insufficient data to support their safety".
In the EWG analysis, each product was rated on a 1 to 10 scale, the higher figures representing the more risky, chemical-laden products (see below). Those considered potentially most harmful that are on sale in the UK include products by Elizabeth Arden, Pond, Maybelline, NARS and L'Oreal. Hair dyes were particularly risky, with Clairol faring the worst.
According to the study, the typical adult uses nine cosmetics a day, with an average daily load of around 126 chemicals.
Jane Houlihan, who led the study, insists that the findings are "cause for concern, but not alarm" although she adds that policing the inclusion of dangerous toxins as ingredients is a legal minefield. In the US, cosmetics aren't subject to control by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the government watchdog which conducts pre-market reviews and safety checks on supplements, foods and medicines.
The UK cosmetics industry is ruled by the Department for Trade and Industry's 1996 Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations, but loopholes in the legislation allow some dangerous synthetic chemicals to be used in products. More than 3,000 cosmetic ingredients are approved for use in Europe, but many more banned substances find their way into products because a caveat in the rules permits their inclusion if they "cannot reasonably be removed" after manufacture.
In the absence of industry controls, many products are tested for their ability to cause sensitivities only by the companies which make them. As such, an increasing number of calls to the helplines of Allergy UK are from people who have developed allergic reactions to ingredients, nearly all of them man-made, including formaldehyde, benzene, coal tars and phenylenediamine that are present in everything from skin creams to make-up.
"It is not just the fact that these chemicals are being absorbed through the skin that is worrying," says Lindsay McManus, an adviser on chemical sensitivity for Allergy UK. "Many of them are perfumed and the fragrance alone can contain 200 chemicals that need not be listed individually on the label, so people don't know what they are getting." When inhaled, the chemical mixture can lead to ME-like symptoms of nausea, fatigue and headaches.
A L'Oreal UK spokesman says: "Our company has checked its records for the past two years: no cases have been reported of allergic reactions to any of the products mentioned, including Dermo Expertise Hydrafresh cream, Pure Zone pore unclogging scrub and Visible lift line minimising make-up. This is despite selling thousands of units."
Dr Jean Munro, an allergy specialist and medical director of the Breakspeare Hospital in Hertfordshire, estimates that she has seen 10,000 women with problems that can be traced back to their cosmetics use in the past 20 years. She is calling for UK personal-care products to be regulated in the same way as food and drugs.
However, while allergies are a risk for sensitive people, Dr Richard Sullivan, head of clinical programmes for Cancer Research UK, says that links between cosmetics and cancer risks remain low. "There's currently no solid evidence to show that cosmetic products increase the risk and ingredients that have been proven carcinogenic such as azo dyes used in hair products, have been withdrawn," he says.
Allergy UK: www.allergyuk.org; helpline: 01322 619864; Environmental Working Group: www.ewg.org
THE PRODUCTS RATED THE WORST
Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Pump Perfect Moisture cream (on a 1 to 10 scale): 6
Ponds Dramatic Results Anti-Wrinkle Cream: 9.3
NARS Balanced Foundation: 9.3
Maybelline Full and Soft Mascara: 9.2
L'Oreal Hydrafresh Dry Skin Cream: 9.4
Clairol Natural Instincts hair dye: 10
Clairol Loving Care (hair dye): 9.9
