Be Careful of Toxic Cosmetics

Lots of people, male, female, young, and old, use cosmetics. They want to look beautiful and attractive. For cosmetic users there is a wide variety of products and treatments. However there are some cosmetics on the market that contain ingredients that can pose a hazard to the user.

Collagen
What is Collagen?
Collagen is a protein found in abundance in the skin, bones, tendons, and other connective tissues. It can be found in humans and in animals such as cow, sheep, and pigs. Collagen gives skin its toughness and adds strength to tendons. In Europe collagen injections are a popular alternative to botox injections. Collagen injections are used to plump up lips and flatten out wrinkles. It is also used in face creams and body lotions.

Collagen From China
Most collagen companies produce their collagen from cows, sheep, and/ or pig skin. However, it is alleged that some collagen production companies and cosmetic companies based in China produce and use collagen from the skin of executed prisoners.

According to the investigative report of Ian Cobain and Adam Luck in their article The Beauty Products From the Skin of Executed Chinese Prisoners the Chinese government sells the skin of executed prisoners to cosmetic companies. The companies make collagen from the skins, and use it in cosmetic products and to make cosmetic injections. According to Cobain and Luck the collagen made by these companies is far cheaper than animal based collagen however it can cause serious infection. Many cosmetic companies purchase this collagen because of its low cost. Even though some countries, such as the U.S. prohibits the uses of human based collagen, some cosmetic companies within these countries purchase it illegally.

Lead In Cosmetics
Health safety groups have been found that there are tracable amounts of lead in some facial make up products.

Lipstick
The consumer group Campaign For Safe Cosmetics issued a report titled "New Product Tests Finds Lead In Lipstick" in 2007. The group hired an independent laboratory run tests on several lip stick brands. The tests found that many of the lipsticks contained detectable amounts of lead. Some of the lipstick brands tested and found to have detectable amounts of lead were:

L'Oreal Colour Riche "True Red"
L'Oreal Colour Riche "Classic Wine"
Cover Girl Incredifill Lip Color "Maximun Red"
Dior Addict "Positive Red"

More details of the report can be found on the website of Campaign For Safe cosmetics at www.safecosmetics.org.

Eye Make Up
In April 2007 the New York City Health Department warned citizens that some eye make up imported from over seas contained high levels of lead. The eye make up was imported from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The products names are Kohl, Kajal, and Surma. The health department ran tests on women and children who had lead poisoning and found the poisoning was related to the eye make up. The health department had samples of the eye make up the women and children were exposed to tested and found that it had high levels of lead. Details about the New York City Health Department's warning can be found at www.wcbstv.com and at www.nyc.gov.

Other common chemicals in cosmetics are aluminum, formaldehydes, and alcohol. Daily uses of the cosmetic products containing these chemicals eventually can affect the body internally and externally.

Benefits of Organic Cosmetics
Organic cosmetics are products made with one hundred percent natural ingredients. When applied, cosmetics absorb into the skin. When the common over the counter cosmetics are absorbed in the skin, chemicals and toxins get into the body. When organic cosmetics are used, the natural ingredients are absorbed in the system instead. So using organic cosmetics reduce the amount of chemicals and toxins in the body's system. Organic cosmetics will not cause nor trigger allergic reactions that are caused by chemical and toxins in the common cosmetics. Chemical and toxins can irritate the skin and ruin the texture. The natural ingredients in organic cosmetics however can nurture the skin.

In stores cosmetic brands labeled organic are offered. However, they are not one hundred percent organic. They contain some synthetic ingredients. Following are a few companies that produces 100% organic cosmetics I personally recommend.

Miessence
Miessence is an organic cosmetic company that produce a variety of organic skin care products, organic make up products which includes:
lotions
facial creams
bath soaps and body washes
shampoos
face powders
blushes and foundations
lip balm, lip creams, and shimmer creams
mascara

Their products are all made from naturally ingredients. Miessence products can by found on their website at www.chooseorganics.com.

Natural Joy
Natural Joy offers:
face powder
eye liner
mascara
eye shadow
lip gloss
and lip stick
nail polish
lotions
creams
shampoo, and so much more

Their products can be found at www.naturaljoybeauty.com.

Mineral Make Up Kits
This company produces make up made of 100% natural minerals. The company offers make up kits containing:
foundations
blushes
eye make up
lip sticks and more

Their products can be found at www.mineral-makeup-kit.com

Yes. We all want to enhances our beauty. Yet we must be conscious of the hazards cosmetics can cause. Fortunately there are cosmetics to use that can improve our looks and not be a hazard.