Les produits cosmétiques (document en anglais)

INTRO

Cosmetic industry is tending to promote the natural side of their products and the fact that they are

good for health. But what is it really about?

BHT

It was used as a preservative in cosmetics. We could find it in moisturizers and make up, but this chemical is now forbidden in EU. It may interfere with hormone function, and it is dangerous especially for children because it may cause hyperactivity and cancer. It was also used as a food additive.

COAL TAR DYES

Coal tar is a mixture of chemicals derived originally from distillation of petroleum. It contained dangerous residues due to an non efficient distillation. It is recognized as carcinogenic for human.

Now coal tar dyes are synthetic products but they are always called coal tar dyes.

Examples are Para-Phenylenediamine in hair dyes, and colours identified as “C.I.”(colour index) followed by five digits in other products.

Some dyes which are not allowed as food coloring can be used in cosmetics. They can be ingested if they are in lipstick (we eat 90% of the quantity of lipstick we put on our lips). Some dyes may contains traces of heavy metals. They can potentially cause cancer and can be contaminated with heavy metals which are toxic to the brain.

P-Phenylenediamine is classed as toxic in UE if it comes into contact with the skin, inhaled or swallowed, because it can cause allergic reactions.

PRODUCTS DERIVED FROM SILICONE : dimethicone, cyclomethicone..

They are hydrophobic components and they are used as antifungal agents and as texture agents (for a velvet touch of creams). Dimethicone keeps the active on lips for lipsticks.

They are widely used in moisturizer, makeup, hair products, etc. They clog the pores of the skin. They may interfere with hormone function and damage the liver.

SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE (SLES) and SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE (SLS):

They are surfactants used to produce foam. We can find them in shampoo, cleansers, bubble bath.

They are anionic surfactants, so they can cause irritations (they are not used alone in shampoos, they are combined to other surfactants which are not irritants).

Their frequent use removes the natural protection of skin. The skin or hair is more sensitive to agressive products, it becomes brittle. Skin can’t filter toxics anymore. So the toxics can get through the skin.

SLS can become carcinogenic, it slows down the functioning of the body, and it can cause hair loss. Finally, SLS may damage liver.

SLES can be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, which may cause cancer.

SYNTHETIC MUSKS :

They are odorant synthetic components. They were created in order to replace animals components from cosmetics. We can find them in fragrance, shampoos, body lotions..

They are divided in three groups : nitro-musks, polycyclic musks and macrocyclic musks.

They

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