Ingredient Awareness

Ingredient Awareness

Understanding the Loopholes

Many beauty products marketed as “clean,” “organic,” or “all-natural” still contain toxic ingredients, thanks to misleading practices like greenwashing. This occurs when brands use vague or deceptive claims to appear eco-friendly or safe, even when their products include harmful chemicals.

One major loophole is the Federal Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, which allows companies to use “fragrance” as a blanket label for undisclosed ingredients. Under this regulation, brands can hide harmful substances behind “fragrances” to protect trade secrets, leaving consumers unaware of what they’re applying to their skin.

To make informed choices, always scrutinize product labels and look beyond marketing buzzwords. Hidden toxins can lurk in everyday items, so it’s important to educate yourself on harmful ingredients to avoid.

Ingredients to Avoid

Formaldehyde

Synonym: quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, sodium hydroxymethyl glycinate, 5-bromo-5-nitro-1, 3-dioxin, bronopol (2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol)


Known to cause: Known carcinogen, skin irritant, and can cause severe allergic rashes. Associated with neurotoxicity and developmental toxicity.

Synthetic Fragrance

Synonym: fragrance, parfum, perfume, flavor


Known to cause: Skin irritation, and can lead to immunotoxicity, nuerotoxicity and development toxicity. Known hormone disruptor and allergen.

Parabens

Synonym: methylparaben, ethylparaben, butylparaben, propylparaben, isobuthylparaben


Known to cause:  Linked to breast cancer. Known endocrine disrupter and skin irritant. Can lead to immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and reproductive toxicity.

Phthalates

Synonym: DBP (dibutyl phthalate), DEP (diethyl phthalate), DEHP (diethlhexyl phthalate), BPA (bisphpenol)


Known to cause: own endocrine disrupter causes damage to the reproductive system for both genders and affects fertility. 

PEG’s

Synonym: 1, 4-dioxane, ceteareth, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene, PEG-10 laureate


Known to cause: Known carcinogen and shown to harm the nervous system.

Triclosan

Synonym: Antibacterial, triclocarban


Known to cause: Harmful to the reproductive system and the thyroid function.

SLES, SLS, and ALS

Synonym: Sodium Laureth Sulfate, BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole), BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene)


Known to cause: Can cause skin depigmentation and damage to the liver and stomach.

Other products to look out for

Chemical sunscreens

Endocrine and hormone disruptor


Avoid: octinoxate, oxybenzone, avobenzone, benzophenone, homosalate, and octisalate.

Petrolatum

Known carcinogen and causes cancer.


Avoid: Petroleum jelly, paraffin oil, and mineral oil.

Benzoyl peroxide

Known to have high levels of benzene, a cancer-causing chemical.


Avoid: Products containing terms like “BPO” (a shorthand for benzoyl peroxide), acne washes, spot treatments, and moisturizers containing the ingredient. It can also be found in some retinol, vitamin C, adapalene, tretinoin, and topical antibiotics like clindamycin or erythromycin.