The Truth About Cosmetics and Our Health

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and it seems everywhere you go, you notice pictures of little pink ribbons on everything, including cosmetics and personal care product packages.  We assume that if there is a pink ribbon on the box, then the product is “good”.   What if some of the ingredients in the product are linked to cancer?  The unfortunate truth is that this is sometimes the case.  

In North America, we have very little regulation over personal care products.  Health Canada and Environment Canada are working to reduce harmful chemicals in these products.  However, the current regulations rely on the manufacturer submitting an accurate ingredient list to Health Canada’s Cosmetics Program.  Furthermore, our “hotlist” of banned and restricted ingredients is not as comprehensive as health activists would like.  In the U.S. very few ingredients are banned by the FDA for use in cosmetics.  In Canada, there are over 500 ingredients that are banned or restricted (ingredients are allowed in certain concentrations).  The European Union, meanwhile, has completely banned over 1,500 ingredients.  The Story of Cosmetics is a good video outlining this problem and potential solutions.

Some of the main ingredients of concern with regards to breast health and cosmetics are parabens and phthalates.  Parabens are preservatives used in cosmetics that mimic estrogen.  They are classified as endocrine disruptors (meaning they interfere with your hormones).   Phthalates are plasticizers found in everything from packaging to synthetic fragrance.  They have been shown to decrease fertility in men and to cause early puberty in girls, which increases their risk for breast cancer later in life.  All phthalates have been banned in the EU, but not in Canada.   Ethylene oxide is a known mammary carcinogen, but will often be lumped under “fragrance” on the label.  For a more complete list of toxic ingredients in cosmetics check out the Environment Working Group’s Skin Deep database.

Fortunately, there are many safe products out there, too! The Skin Deep database highlights many of these wonderful cosmetic products.  For women living with breast cancer and wanting to look fabulous, mycancerchic.com offers lots of tips on social media and interactive workshops to support women through beauty, fashion, and fitness.

As savvy consumers, we can start demanding that companies put less importance on the pink ribbon on the outside of the box, and more importance on the ingredients inside the box.