They may be reluctant to leave home without it, but make-up
is putting women at risk of deadly diseases, say experts.
According to a new book, cosmetics and beauty products often
contain toxic ingredients that can cause cancer and other fatal illnesses.
Loopholes in Government regulations are being exploited by
manufacturers to allow banned chemicals into over-the-counter products, it
claims.
Authors Kim Erickson and Samuel Epstein say many ingredients
in make-up have been shown to cause cancer in animals and should never be used
as part of a beauty routine.
Coal tar colours, phenylenediamine, benzene and even
formaldehyde are some of the toxins commonly found in shampoos, skin creams and
blushers, they say.
Hormone-disrupting chemicals, which could lower immunity to
disease and cause neurological and reproductive damage, may also lurk in
everyday cosmetics.
In their book, Drop Dead Gorgeous: Protecting Yourself from
the Hidden Dangers of Cosmetics, to be published next month, they claim the
adverse effects of cosmetics build up over years of use.
Miss Erickson said: 'Modern cosmetics contain a host of
dubious ingredients which would be more at home in a test tube than on our
faces.
'These synthetic ingredients are inexpensive, stable and
have a long shelf-life. Manufacturers love them, but the results from long-term
use could be deadly.'
She said the same poisons that pollute the environment, from
dioxins to petrochemicals, can be found in the average bathroom cabinet.
'Many of the same ingredients have been shown to cause
cancer in laboratory animals,' she added.
The UK cosmetics industry is worth £4.5billion a year and
employs more than 20,000 people. It is controlled by the Department of Trade
and Industry's 1996 Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations. The regulations
approve about 3,000 ingredients for cosmetic use, but many more find their way
into the finished products.
One loophole in the regulations allows cosmetics to contain banned
substances if they cannot 'reasonably' be removed.
The authors say chemicals get into the bloodstream in a
number of ways. Hair sprays, perfumes and powders are inhaled; lipstick is
swallowed; eye make-up absorbed by sensitive mucous membranes and others taken
in through the skin.
Allergy specialist Dr Jean Munro, medical director of the
Breakspear Hospital in Hertfordshire, supports the claims.
In the last 20 years she has treated 8,000 women, nearly all
of whom were found to have a sensitivity to beauty products.
Dr Munro said: 'There is no question that people are being
damaged by their cosmetics.
'So many things are put into cosmetics now that are
carcinogenic, and it is allowed because cosmetics are not considered to be as
serious as drugs or food.
'One of the most extreme cases I have seen was a woman whose
bone marrow was affected by chemicals used in hair dye”..
