13 Nasty Ingredients Lurking in Your Beauty Products Lipstick that contains bug juice, soap made of human breast milk … see what you’ve been slathering on your face and body? If you’re one of those folks whose mantra is “ignorance is bliss” then stop reading right now. But for those of you who don’t mind a little disillusioning every now and then, you’ll most likely be repulsed, yet fascinated by these gross ingredients found in some cosmetics. It’s like when you get an email with a ridiculous YouTube video of a dog tap dancing and you just have to forward it to your friends or post it on Facebook — these findings are just too dang interesting not to share. We did some online digging and got in touch with our researcher friends from Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database and Stacy Malkan from The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, author of “Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry”. We reported not so much on the dangerous ingredients to avoid, but more like omg-we-can’t-believe-our-lipstick-has-bug-juice-in-it (yes, bug juice) type of stuff. And it doesn’t stop there. We found that some beauty products contain pretty much everything in the circle of life from placenta to road kill — we’re not making this up. The purpose of this story is not to point fingers or out any makeup, skin care or hair care companies because sometimes there is a communication break down in the supply chain, and some cosmetic companies aren’t even aware of the shocking ingredients in their products. In addition, many companies have phased out the use of some of these disturbing ingredients such as whale vomit (more on that in a minute). 1. Gas Relief Medicine (Simethicone) The same ingredient that helps with tummy troubles may also tame frizzy hair. Yup. According to Relativity Online, some conditioners contain simethicone, which gives your hair that slick feeling just before you rinse. 2. Placenta (Placental Protein) Extracts from human and certain animal placenta are known to condition skin and hair and found in certain products. However, since placenta is crucial for a baby’s growth in the womb, these same extracts in cosmetics give your body a hit of hormones. Estrogenic content in cosmetics may increase breast cancer risk in users, and if a woman uses personal care products that contain estrogen while she is pregnant, it may trigger extremely early puberty for her child, says Malkan. 3. Emu and Mink Oil According to the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database, fat scraped from the back of the hide of mink or derived from emu are conditioning agents found in some, shaving creams, sunscreens (don’t forget to reapply after swimming or excessive perspiration now) hairsprays and more. 4. Human Breast Milk Some soaps are milled with human breast milk, but according to StyleCaster it’s illegal and controversial to sell this type of soap in most states. 5. Cochineal Beetles (Dactylopius Coccus) Cochineal beetles eat the prickly pear cactus in South America. Pucker up because according to “The New York Times” when they are full of cactus juice, these insects are scraped off the plant, boiled and dried out and crushed into “carmine,” which is used in a particular red dye that’s used in some lipstick and blush. The good news is, by 2011 Malkan says that cosmetic companies will have to disclose any bug ingredients in their makeup. 6. Infant Foreskin (NouriCel-MD) A San Francisco-based company has patented a baby foreskin formula (no joke) in a special blend of soluble collagen, antioxidants, natural growth factors and matrix proteins that are said to help fight the signs of aging, reports StyleCaster. While it’s getting lots of press and might actually minimize fine lines and wrinkles, there’s just too much of an ick-factor here, no? 7. Whale Vomit (Ambergris) According to “The New York Times”, Ambergris, which is waste from the digestive system of sperm whales (um, vomit), is used as a fixative perfume base. Thankfully, most companies have phased out whale vomit and switched over to synthetic alternatives. 8. Dynamite (Diatomaceous Earth/Diatornite) Diatomaceous earth (DE) is one of the two components that make up dynamite. According to StyleCaster, due to its hollow and porous properties, DE makes a pretty good abrasive and is found in most mild exfoliators, natural toothpastes, deodorants and powders. 9. Bull Semen Although that famous scene in “Something About Mary” was clearly a farce, this is no joke — protein from bull semen is being used in some European salons. 10. Road Kill (tallow) According to Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database, the process of rendering animal fat consists of boiling animal carcasses in a pot to create fatty byproducts. The decaying animals used come from every source imaginable: lab animals, deadstock (animals that die before they reach the slaughterhouse), euthanized zoo and shelter animals, expired meat from grocery stores and — wait for it — road kill. The majority of this fat is used as a skin-conditioning agent and an emollient in cosmetics like lipstick, eyeshadow and soap. 11. Snail Ooze (KNU) Products that contain snail secretions (we couldn’t make this stuff up if we tried) are used in anti-aging creams that boast benefits like increasing your skin’s softness and smoothness — and are totally safe — reports StyleCaster. 12. Chicken Bone Marrow (Glucosamine) According to Relatvity Online, chicken bone marrow is used as an anti-inflammatory agent for topical skin care products like face creams and moisturizers. 13. Pepper Spray (Oleoresin Capsicum) The same ingredient that protects you in a dark alley is also your best fried when you have an itch that needs some scratching. According to StyleCaster, the warming agent found in most itch and muscle pain relief creams is pepper spray.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 01:30:00 +0000
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