Mascara

[Guest guest]

You might want to try the most " natural " product you can find. I use

product reviews from www.thegreenguide.com and that's how I found my

mascara. The brand I use is Paul Penders.

 

Here are some snippets from an article about lip and eye makeup:

 

>>Lip and Eye Makeup

 

THE PROBLEMS

 

Personal Health

 

At the beginning of the 20th century, before the 1938 Food, Drug and

Cosmetic Act was passed, it was believed that skin was a mostly

impenetrable barrier protecting everything inside the body, similar to

the way a raincoat repels water. As science has grown more

technologically advanced, we've discovered that skin is very

permeable—indeed, acting more like a sponge than a coat. Ingredients

placed on the skin around the eyes can be absorbed by the skin; these

substances go right into the bloodstream without passing through the

liver, the body's de-toxifying organ, says Samuel Epstein, M.D. Mucous

membranes around the eyes are particularly permeable and highly

sensitive. Powdery cosmetic ingredients also can be inhaled, further

introducing toxins into the body. The skin on your lips is less

sponge-like than other skin, so it doesn't absorb toxins the same way,

but exposure can happen through ingestion.

 

Unfortunately, given the current lax state of cosmetics regulation,

many problematic ingredients exist in lip and eye makeup to be

ingested, inhaled or absorbed. These include potential irritants,

allergens, possible and known carcinogens, and ingredients that may be

hormone disruptors (see below, What to Look Out For).

 

What to look out for

 

Ingredients of Concern

 

Formaldehyde can be present in the preservatives DMDM hydantoin,

diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, quaternium-15, and Bronopol

(often listed as 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol), commonly found in

many cosmetics. Formaldehyde is " reasonably anticipated to be a human

carcinogen, " according to the National Toxicology Program's Tenth

Report on Carcinogens, and the Environmental Protection Agency

classifies it as a probable human carcinogen.

 

As they are primarily coloring agents, lip, eye, and cheek

makeup—lipstick in particular—carry heavy loads of pigments. These

colors may make faces more alluring, but problematic coloring agents

in cosmetics pose unneeded health risks. Particularly worrying are

coal-tar dyes found in many FD & C and D & C colors. FD & C Blue 1 and FD & C

Green 3 are carcinogenic, and impurities in other colors—D & C Red 33,

FD & C Yellow 5 and FD & C Yellow 6—have been shown to cause cancer when

applied to the skin.

 

David Steinman, author of The Safe Shopper's Bible, suggests avoiding

the following colors:

 

• D & C Green 5

• D & C Orange 17

• D & C Red 9

• D & C Red 19

• D & C Red 33

• FD & C Blue 1

• FD & C Green 3

• FD & C Red 4

• FD & C Red 40

• FD & C Yellow 5

• FD & C Yellow 6

 

Another coloring agent of concern is lead. Often found in makeup and

hair dyes as lead acetate, lead is a known carcinogen and hormone

disruptor as well as a brain- and nervous-system toxin. Although a

tiny amount is allowed as a preservative in eye makeup, lead

accumulates in the bones.

 

Parabens (methylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben, or butylparaben)

are preservatives widely used in cosmetics. They can be allergenic,

often causing skin irritation, and there is concern that parabens may

be linked to the development of breast cancer. According to a study

published in the Jan/Feb 2004 Journal of Applied Toxicology parabens

have been found in tissue samples from human breast tumors. There is

also preliminary evidence that parabens act like estrogens; they

therefore may be able to disrupt normal hormone functioning in humans.

 

Talc, commonly used in eye shadows and facial powders, has caused

cancer in laboratory rats when inhaled, and has been linked to lung

cancer. It may also irritate the eye area. Loose-powder products,

which can easily be inhaled, are best avoided.

 

Benzophenone compounds (benzophenone-3, homosalate, and

octy-methoxycinnamate), sometimes found in lipsticks and lip balms as

well as sunscreens for UV protection, also cause concern. They can be

irritating, and also, more troublingly, may mimic the hormone

estrogen. In one study, estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells in test

tubes multiplied when they were exposed to benzophenone-3, indicating

that the substance was acting like estrogen. More recently, Dr.

Margret Schlumpf of the University of Zurich's Institute of

Pharmacology and Toxicology has demonstrated that benzophenone

disrupted hormones, affecting the development of the brain

(particularly the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal system) and

reproductive organs in laboratory rats. While research on this subject

is preliminary, results suggest that benzophenone compounds have the

potential to disrupt the endocrine system of people who use it. Their

use in personal care products is particularly risky because studies

show that they are readily absorbed by the skin. NIOSH's Registry of

Toxic Effects of Chemcial Substances, moreover, describes benzophenone

as a mutagen.

 

Considered protected trade secrets by the FDA, personal care product

manufacturers do not have to disclose the many ingredients in the

fragrances they use. According to the American Academy of Dermatology,

fragrance is the number one cause of allergic reactions in cosmetics.

Phthalates, commonly used in perfumes, may be a component in the

mysterious " fragrance " ingredient you often see listed on makeup

labels. Various members of this family of chemical plasticizers,

solvents, and fixatives have been found to produce cancer of the liver

and birth defects in laboratory animals; the possibility of ties to

hormone disruption in humans is being studied. In a population of

women aged 20 to 40 tested for phthalates by the Centers for Disease

Control (CDC), five percent harbored phthalate levels high enough to

concern the CDC. A December 2002 study by Harvard researchers also

found a correlation between sperm damage in men and the levels of

diethyl phthalate in their bodies (diethyl phthalate is commonly used

in fragrances and perfumes).

 

To avoid phthalates, choose unscented products or those whose labels

reveal simple essential oils from botanical sources. You can also

choose products from companies that have publicly refrained from using

phthalates. Aubrey Organics, Avalon, Kiss My Face, Jason, Logona,

Nature's Gate, Speickwerk, Terressentials, Tom's of Maine, and Weleda

have affirmed to The Green Guide that they never use phthalates in

their products.

 

The lack of oil glands in the lips makes them prone to chapping, which

drives us to use lip balms to soothe and heal. However, a common lip

balm ingredient, phenol, can be ingested or absorbed by the skin.

Besides potentially triggering allergic reactions, the EPA warns that

phenol is corrosive and can cause diarrhea, fainting, dizziness, and

kidney and liver damage, at least in the concentrations found in home

disinfectants. It also describes phenol as a " hazardous substance "

when found in lotions, creams, and moisturizers.

 

Mercury, which is a potent nervous-system toxin that accumulates in

the body, is allowed as in very small amounts as a preservative in

eye-area cosmetics.

 

Glycol Ethers, including propylene glycol, are not only found in

antifreeze but in a variety of cosmetics, including nail polish,

deodorants, perfumes, where it is used as a solvent. Some glycol

ethers can affect the reproductive system or cause birth defects, and

overexposure can result in kidney damage and liver abnormalities. It

is often a skin irritant, causing contact dermatitis. Avoid those

listed on labels as EGPE, EGME, EGEE, DEGBE, PGME, DPGME, and those

with " methyl " in their names.

 

Besides being a petroleum product that depletes a non-renewable

resource, petrolatum can cause allergic reactions. Look for the

ingredient in cold creams, lipsticks, lip balms, baby creams, and eye

shadows, or by its more common names: petroleum jelly and vaseline.

 

Toluene is solvent common in nail products. It can cause liver damage

and skin irritation.

 

Although banned in Europe, phenylenediamine (PPD) is still found in

many hairdyes in the US. PPD is linked with skin irritations and

respiratory disorders. Derived from coal-tar, it is anticipated to be

a human carcinogen.

 

Irritants/Allergens

 

Since they remain on the skin for extended periods of time, makeup

products are a leading source of adverse reactions in women, according

to the American Academy of Dermatology. Fragrances, in all personal

care products, are chief culprits in cases of contact dermatitis --

allergic skin reactions that include swelling, itching, inflammation,

and even blisters. Reactions for some irritants even can occur days

later and appear far from the product's contact site. It can be

difficult for a consumer to avoid particular problem ingredients even

when they are known, as fragrance ingredients often are not detailed

in labels. Those with sensitive skin and with known allergic reactions

to perfumes may wish to choose fragrance-free products. Read labels

carefully: even " unscented " products often will have a " masking

fragrance " listed among its ingredients.

 

Formaldehyde, associated with several common preservatives used in

makeup, can cause nausea, coughing, wheezing and burning sensations in

the eyes, nose and throat at air levels as low as 0.1 ppm (parts per

million). Some synthetic ingredients (such as paraben compounds) and

some natural substances (such as peppermint, eucalyptus, and

wintergreen oils) can trigger potentially serious allergic responses.

Propylene glycol, Bronopol, imidazolidinyl urea, quaternium 15, D & C

Green 5, FD & C Yellow 5, and FD & C Blue 1 can also cause adverse

reactions. Also look out for " Germaben II " and " Germaben IIE, " used as

preservatives in personal care products. They contain propylparaben,

methylparaben, diazolidinyl urea, and propylene glycol.

 

Eye shadows and facial powders can contain potentially irritating

cosmetic-grade lanolin (in creme products), talc, polymethyl

methacrylate (used to hold talc and oil ingredients together in eye

shadows), and phenylmercuric acetate (a mascara preservative).

Potential problems in lipsticks can also arise from microcrystallline

wax, amyldimethylamino benzoic acid, recinoleic acid, castor oil,

phenol, and benzophenone.

 

Although " hypoallergenic " products may seem like a safe solution,

claims that these products produce fewer allergic reactions are

unfounded. The FDA states that " there are no federal standards or

definitions that govern the use of the term 'hypoallergenic'. Those

with known sensitivities to personal care product ingredients should

not trust labels and instead carefully test products for problems and

avoid those with ingredients that trigger bad reactions. Adverse

responses can also develop or worsen over time, so those prone to

allergic reactions should always use personal care products mindfully.

 

What to look for

 

Goodies

 

Look for these " goodies, " generally less irritating and less risky for

health and the environment, in a variety of personal care products.

(You download and print this list as part of a comprehensive cosmetics

guide, available at " The Good, The Bad & The Ugly " ).

Annatto

Beeswax

Candelilla wax

Carmine

Carrageenan

Cornstarch

Hematite

Iron oxides

Jojoba oil

Kaolin

Pycnogenol (from pine trees)

Rice bran oil

Shea butter

Sunflower oil

Sweet almond oil

Titanium dioxide

Vitamins A,C,E

Safer Preservatives

 

Many preservatives can be contaminated with carcinogenic compounds.

Seek out these safer preservatives instead:

 

Grapefruit seed extract

Phenoxyethanol

Potassium sorbate

Vitamin A (retinyl)

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)

 

Shopping Suggestions

 

Products

 

Burt's Bees Eye Shadows are not only talc-free but also 100% natural

with no synthetic preservatives or petrochemicals ($9.00) as are its

lipsticks; ($9.50, www.burtsbees.com).

 

Aveda Uruku Cheek-Lip Creme can be used as a blusher or a lipstick and

contains no synthetic pigments or preservatives ($14.00), while the

Uruku Eye Accent is applied as a creme but dries to a powder without

using petrochemicals or synthetic dyes; ($14.00, www.aveda.com).

 

Jess' Bee Natural Lip Balm, in peppermint and tangerine flavors

contains only beeswax, soybean or almond oil, shea butter, aloe vera

gel, and vitamin E; ($3, www.beenaturallipbalm.com)

 

Mad Gabs lip lube is a blend of almond oil, beeswax, and vitamin E;

($3.00, www.madgabs.com).

 

L'Occitane's Lavender Mini Pure Shea Butter for chapped lips, $6 and

sumptuous balm in tints like Wild Blackberry; ($13,

usa.loccitane.com).

 

Kathy's Simple Sunny Citrus Lip Treatment in a tube refreshes as it

soothes with coconut, sunflower, jojoba and almond oils; ($3.50,

www.kathys-family.com).

 

Online Retail Stores

 

Natural Beauty Solutions, www.naturalbeautysolutions.net

Saffron Rouge, www.SaffronRouge.com

Manufacturers

 

The following companies carry a variety of lipsticks and eye makeup

products made from safer ingredients. Note that it is still important

to check ingredients in individual products: :

 

Aubrey Organics (www.aubrey-organics.com, 800-282-7394)**

Aveda (www.aveda.com, 866-82301425)

Burt's Bees (www.burtsbees.com, 800/849-7112)

Dr. Hauschka (www.drhauschka.com, 800/247-9907)*

Earth's Beauty (www.earthsbeauty.com, 888/586.9719)**

Ecco Bella (www.eccobella.com, 973/696-7766)*

Gabriel (800/497-6419)**

Honeybee Gardens (www.honeybeegardens.com, 888/478-9090)

Kettle Care (www.kettlecare.com, 406/862-9851)

Lavera (www.lavera-usa.com, 877-528-3727)

Living Nature (New Zealand, www.nzavenue.co.nz/LivingNature/)

Logona (www.logona.com, 888/4-LOGONA)*

NaturElle (www.naturalbeauty.com, 800-442-3936)

No-Miss Healthy Alternative Cosmetics (www.nomiss.com 800/283-1963)

Paul Penders (www.paulpenders.com, 603/519-1888)

Perfectly Beautiful (www.perfectlybeautiful.com, 480/380-3053)

Real Purity (www.realpurity.com, 800/253-1694)

Santé Kosmetics (a division of Logona, see above)*

Terressentials (www.terressentials.com, 301-371-7333)

 

You can also make your own homemade makeup; Kim Erickson's book, Drop

Dead Gorgeous, contains many homemade cosmetic and personal care

product recipes. You moreover can choose to forego colorful additions

to your face, or decide to save makeup for special occasions. It might

take some getting used to, but you may decide you like a more natural

look, and your skin may even benefit from the breather.<<