Stem Organics

Eleven Common Cosmetics Chemicals You’re Better Off Avoiding

Common cosmetic ingredients can age the skin, affect your health and damage the environment. So now you know what you’ve have previously been paying for in "traditional" skincare products…

1. Sodium Lauryl and Laureth Sulphate (SLS/SLES)
Easily penetrates human skin, builds up in the body, can cause eye irritation, skin rashes, hair loss, flaking skin and mouth ulceration. Capable of combining with other chemical used in product formulas to form carcinogenic nitrosamines.

2. Propylene Glycol
A petroleum by-product. This toxic synthetic ingredient causes many allergic reactions, and via skin contact can cause liver abnormalities and kidney damage.

3. Methyl, Propyl and Butyl Paraben
Made from a petrochemical derivative, most common synthetic preservative. Widely known to be highly toxic and commonly causes allergic and skin reactions. Can damage DNA of skin cells. Parabens may also be a causative factor in breast tumours in women and male fertility problems. Research also suggests ‘liver abnormalities and kidney damage’.

4. DEA diethanolamine, MEA monoethanolamine TEA triethanolamine
Used to adjust PH balance, but is toxic and may cause eye problems. These are also hormone-disrupting chemicals, which can form carcinogenic nitrates and nitrosamines.

5. EDTA and disodium EDTA
Used as preservatives. Has been shown to accelerate the formation of hydroxy radicals, which can damage cell membranes and trigger degenerative changes in the cells. Suspected of being a mutagen. A skin and eye irritant.

6. Sorbic acid
Used as a preservative in many skincare products, can trigger the formation of cross-linking collagen and elastin and make skin sag and wrinkle.

7. Isopropyl Alcohol SD-40
Drying and irritating solvent which disrupts your skin’s immune protective barrier making it more vulnerable to invasion by microbes and to penetration by other destructive chemicals. Also promotes the formation of age spots and pigmentation.

8. DMDM Hydantoin and Urea-Imidazolidinyl
A common preservative. A primary cause of contact dermatitis. Also used as a pesticide in the cotton industry.

9. Artificial colours
Coal Tar Dyes FD&C Colour Pigments- common synthetic colours made from coal tar. They can contain heavy metals to pollute the body and deplete it of oxygen. Can also be carcinogenic. Coal tar dyes are a major culprit in skin reactions.

10. Artificial Fragrances
Many of the chemicals used to make artificial fragrances are known to be both toxic and carcinogenic. They can affect your central nervous system, even triggering emotional disturbances and behavioural problems in some people. There are many, many artificial fragrance compounds, the majority of which are dangerous due to the solvents used to disperse their molecules and to suspend these complex organic chemicals in solution. Synthetic fragrances can cause headaches, rashes, coughing, and dizziness. Synthetic fragrance oils are frequently used because compared to essential oils they are incredibly cheap. Essential oils may be more than 100 times the price of a synthetic substitute.

11. Phalates
Commonly found in the perfumes and colognes, hairspray and nail polish. Phalates are health culprits linked to birth defects, which is particularly alarming as women use so many scented products.