Product design and development overview

Beauty Product Analysis

The Hidden Dangers of Beauty Products

Whether people realize it or not, they are constantly being bombarded by pollutants in their environment and through the cosmetic and other personal beauty products. Through product reformulations, the products we use on a daily basis have the power to pollute our bodies on an increasing basis. However, cosmetic toxicity is nothing new to the industry. Ancient Egyptians were poisoned by their lead-based makeup and women in Elizabethan times were poisoned by their arsenic-laced cosmetics (Barczac, 1995). Because skin is highly permeable, "less than one-tenth of an inch thick, skin is a porous membrane that is highly sensitive to toxic chemicals. What we put on our skin affects our health just as much as, if not more than, what we put in our mouths" (Epstein, 2013). Through an analysis of the product's one uses on a daily basis, one can begin to understand what toxins they are continuously submitting themselves to and can work to change their habits and reduce their exposure to different cosmetic toxins.

Based on a personal, daily health and beauty routine, I have determined that I use on average seven different beauty and health products, most of which have a rating of 4 as determined by EWG's Cosmetic Database. My daily beauty routine begins in the shower through the use of Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Shampoo and TRESemme Smooth & Silky Conditioner. The Herbal Essences has an overall rating of 4, which is a low to moderate overall hazard, and has not been seen to cause cancer. Its worst ingredient is fragrance, which is linked to ecotoxicology, allergies, irritation, and non-reproductive organ system toxicity; these fragrance side effects are applicable to the fragrance effects in other products. The conditioner's rating is 5, a moderate overall hazard, and has a low chance of causing cancer. The worst ingredients -- besides fragrance -- are lilia, geraniol, and amylcinnamahyde, which are linked to allergies, endocrine disruption, and bioaccumulation. The Neutrogena Cleanser/Mask that I use has an overall rating of 4 and has not been seen to cause cancer; the worst ingredient is fragrance. I use Dove Moisturizing Body Wash, which has a rating of 4. Once again, the worst ingredient is fragrance. In my post-shower routine, I use Jergens All-Purpose Face Cream, which has an overall rating of 4; its worst ingredient is fragrance. I also use John Frieda Frizz-Ease Mousse, which has the highest/worst rating of all the beauty products I use on a daily basis. This mousse has an overall rating of 8 and although it has not been demonstrated to cause cancer, its worst ingredients are fragrance and propylparaben, which has been shown to cause reproductive and developmental toxicity, ecotoxicity, and endocrine disruption. Lastly, I use Smith's Rosebud Salve on a daily basis, which has the lowest/best rating of all the beauty products I use on a daily basis. Smith's Rosebud Salve has an overall rating of 1; the highest hazard -- rated at 4 -- in this product are its unspecified oils that create miscellaneous concerns.