Cancer Causing Parabens and Other Toxins in Skin Cleansers

Parabens and Other Toxins Alert
Choosing skin care products is becoming increasingly difficult due to the large array of products with a growing list of unpronounceable ingredients. It's time to take a close look at skin care ingredients so that we may make informed choices. I chose this Estee Lauder skin cleanser because it is easy to use and washes away quickly with plain cold water. Better still; the product is not tested on animals. The cleansing properties are good and my skin does feel refreshed and very clean after using it. However if I don't apply a moisturizer immediately, the skin becomes dry and itchy within 10 minutes. This seems to be the case no matter which cleanser I use so I wanted to identify the common drying ingredients.

It was then I realized there are more important considerations than mere dehydration; toxins. Many ingredients on the list below are toxic, most notably the parabens which have been linked to cancer. However the are also many other toxins of which to be aware when choosing a skin cleanser. The complete list of 30 ingredients for this product is as follows:

Purified water
Potassium myristate
Glycerin (humectant)
Butylene glycol (humectant, solvent)
Potassium behenate
Sodium methyl cocoyl taurate (coconut oil extract with foaming properties)
Potassium palmate (surfactant)
Potassium laurate (surfactant)
Potassium stearate (surfactant)
Polygala senega root extract (skin conditioner)
Nymphaea Alba root extract (water lily root)
Berberis vulgaris extract (anti-microbial)
Dipotassium glycyrrhzate (humectant)
Caffeine
Sodium PCA (humectant)
Sodium hyaluronate (humectant)
Trehalose (humectant)
Sucrose
Cetearyl alcohol
Polyquarternium-51
Fragrance
Chlorphenesin (preservative)
Urea (humectant)
PEG-3 distearate (surfactant, emulsifying agent)
Disodium EDTA (enhances skin penetration)
Benzoic acid (preservative, pH balance)
Phenoxy-ethanol (preservative)
Methylparaben (preservative)
Propylparaben (preservative)

The majority of these ingredients seem harmless enough although many of them are skin irritants. The public should realize, however, that just because an ingredient has not been linked to health problems does not mean they do not possess toxic qualities; only that no one has discovered them yet. Detergent properties of the surfactant ingredients, moisture retaining properties of the humectants, and antimicrobial properties of plant extracts are attributes to be expected in a skin cleanser. However do we really need a multitude of chemicals to perform these functions?

Potassium palmate and potassium stearate are both surfactants without, or with low level, irritant properties, so it would seem unnecessary to add a moderately hazardous surfactant like PEG-3 distearate in a skin cleanser. This chemical is considered unsafe for damaged skin in particular.

Certain sugars like trehalose act as humectants, so why do we need urea for humectant activity? Urea is derived from human and animal urine or other excretions. It is a toxic waste product and we're expected to apply it to our face. Are we really cleansing the skin, or merely exchanging oils and grime for toxins and other chemicals that ought not to be in a skin cleanser?

Do we also require five different biological toxins to act as a preservative? Parabens in particular are high level toxins linked to cancers, immunological disorders and other serious ailments. These ingredients are not indispensable. Parabens are not found in every skin cleanser indicating they are an unnecessary hazard.

The bolded ingredients listed above have all been given at least a moderate warning label on the Skin Deep cosmetics database website. At best they act as preservatives, surfactants and emulsifiers all designed to protect the skin cleanser product, not your skin. At worst they are known skin irritants and carcinogens. Companies are allowed to use these ingredients in skin cleansers and other skin care products however, provided they are below certain concentration limits.

Estee Lauder complies with the regulations to deliver "products of the highest quality" according to a US consumer representative. I mentioned to the representative that I liked the product, although I was concerned about some of the ingredients including the parabens. My suggestion to omit the toxic chemicals (those listed in bold type), in order to achieve a more acceptable skin cleanser 'product of the highest quality', resulted in three email responses. The first was to recite a list of ingredients that I didn't request.

"Thank you for taking the time to contact us and for your interest in Estée Lauder.

Enclosed is the ingredient list that you requested. We trust this will answer your question, however, please do not hesitate to contact us should you require additional information.

We appreciate this opportunity to have been of assistance. We look forward to having you visit the Estee Lauder counter or our website in the near future."

So I tried again. The second response received was an automatic spiel about the company's own opinion of itself in preference to dealing with my request to have the toxins removed from the skin cleanser.

"Thank you for taking the time to contact us and for your interest in Estée Lauder.

Consumer safety has always been a top priority at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. We are committed to selling only safe products and work diligently to ensure that our formulations and packaging meet our exceedingly high standards and comply with applicable regulations in every country in which our products are sold.

Our approach to safety evaluation requires collaboration of efforts and expertise across biological, microbiological, toxicological, and dermatological sciences. Every product must meet or exceed our stringent safety standards as well as our high standards for ingredient preservation and stability, product efficacy and compatibility.

Estée Lauder formulas are evaluated based on clinical tests on human volunteers, for irritancy and allergy using in-vitro biological assays and clinical tests. We do not test our ingredients or finished products on animals, nor do we ask others to conduct animal testing on our behalf, unless required by law.

We are proud of the enviable safety record The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has sustained since our Company was founded in 1946, and of our continued commitment to developing and marketing products of the highest quality.

We appreciate this opportunity to have been of assistance."

I then sent Estee Lauder a third and final email requesting that they answer my specific question. I was simply asking whether they would consider removing unnecessary and potentially hazardous and cancer causing and toxic chemicals such as the parabens to make a safer skin cleanser. Not only are the additions of unnecessary ingredients more expensive, but the extensive testing required to meet the safety standards imposed on hazardous chemicals also adds to the cost of the final product; all of which we are obliged to pay for even though we don't want these toxins on our skin in the first place. The final response was non-committal of course but at least there is acknowledgement.

"In response to your inquiry, we have forwarded your interest for the removal of urea, parabens, benzoic acid, EDTA, phenoxyl alcohol and PEG 3 distearate from our products to our Marketing and Manufacturing Departments for future consideration."

I hope Estee Lauder and other large cosmetic companies do consider this option since many of us would happily buy a skin cleanser that we feel is natural and safe in preference to that which contains a zillion chemicals, even if it doesn't appear to be as luxurious superficially. Although each item in the extensive list of ingredients complies with safety limits on concentration, the fact that at least 13 of the 30 ingredients in this skin cleanser alone are known skin irritants or toxins means that the overall concentration of irritants is high. Parabens seem to be the greatest risk ingredient due to the strong links with cancer, and I would like to see these toxins removed from skin cleansers at least. In the end, product safety will be judged by the customer.