Cosmetics: avoiding the chemical cocktail

Are you aware of what's lurking in your favourite moisturiser? Lucia Cockcroft looks at the importance of choosing your cosmetics wisely.

Most of us are well versed on the benefits of eating organic food: for example, fewer (or no) chemicals, and support for a system of farming that encourages diversification and environmental sustainability.

But how often have you stopped to think about the implications of what you are putting on your skin?

While the organic food industry continues to do pretty well, relatively little attention has been paid to exactly what we are absorbing through our skin.

We're a cosmetics-loving society: consumers spend £5bn a year on skin and make-up products, with the average female using up to 20 different products every day.

These include an ever-expanding range of day creams, night creams, body lotions, toners, cleansers and eye gels.

Despite our cosmetics fetish, few of us stop to consider exactly what's in our favourite face cream or foundation. As the human body's largest organ, up to 60% of whatever we put on our skin is absorbed.

The chemical cocktail
Yet most high street cosmetics are laden with a dubious collection of chemicals, scents and preservatives that have been linked to allergies, skin irritation and even - as a result of a build-up of toxins - cancer.

The list of offending ingredients is alarmingly long and includes parabens, Sodium Laurl Sulphate, Propylene Glycol, Diethanolamine (DEA) and Triethanolamine (TEA).

A recent survey of 16-64 year olds by market research company TNS found that 412,000 people are allergic to their daily moisturiser and almost 2 million suffer from allergic reactions to their deodorant products.

Over the last few years, awareness of the issue has grown and a host of so-called 'natural' and organic skincare products are now available. Some claim to be pure enough to eat.

A new breed of companies such as Live Nature (www.livenative.com) and Rai Gaia (www.rawgaia.com) are going one step further by offering products containing live, naturally occurring enzymes easily absorbed into the skin's cellular structure.

A few big name high street stores are also smartening their act - Boots now stocks an organic Botanics range, including Toners, Lip Balms and Bath Oils, where between 90% and 100% of the ingredients are certified organic.

Natural or organic?
The absorbent nature of our skin makes the issue of what lurks in our daily cosmetics bag a serious one . Despite this, there's a long way to go before consumers automatically check the labelling of their favourite moisturiser for hidden nasties.

A confusing array of terminology doesn't help matters. The long chemical names can be hard to decipher, and different labels of 'organic', 'natural' and 'chemical free' paint a muddy picture.

By law, cosmetics must only contain 1% 'natural' ingredients to warrant the generic label. Janie Moore, founder of Pure Girl Organics (www.pure-girl.co.uk) says the term, which often refers to ingredients such as Lavender, Aloe Vera and Grape Seed Oil, can be highly misleading.

She says: 'These products are the ones that have synthetic and often harmful ingredients such as Parabens, Proplene Glycol and SLS. Using these synthetic ingredients kills off any goodness that the natural products may offer.'

By contrast, organic means 100% natural, derived from organically farmed or bio-dynamically cultivated ingredients, made without the use of pesticides and to strict processing methods.

So-called 'active' ingredients are another label to watch out for. A growing list of skincare companies pledge to use mostly active ingredients that have not been bulked out by non-active ingredients such as water, and by cheap synthetic ingredients used to create 'better' feel and appearance.

Sue Losson, sales and marketing manager for Green People, says the firm's skincare range contains over 90% active organic ingredients, compared to an average 6% active ingredients in cosmetics on the high street.

Making informed choices
It may be a skincare minefield out there, but there are a few broad pointers to follow when making your next cosmetics purchase.

Seek out products that have been certified natural or organic by certification bodies. The main ones are: the Soil Association, Germany cosmetics certification scheme BDIH and French organic certification standard, ECO-CERT.

As a basic rule, avoid cheap synthetic ingredients such as SLS/SLES (an engine degreaser), proylene glycol (a constituent of brake fluid), formaldehye (embalming fluid) and Parabens.

Check how far down the listing these ingredients are - according to official rules described by the International Dictionary of Cosmetic Nomenclature (INCI), ingredients should be listed in order of their concentration in the formula.

With time, and armed with some basic knowledge, peering at the label of an appealingingly packaged cosmetic item becomes a habit - and a pretty good one to nuture at that.

Ingredients to avoid: supplied by Green People

* Methyl, Propyl, Butyl and Ethyl Paraben - preservatives, can cause allergic reactions and skin rashes. Parabens have also been linked to breast cancer.

* Diethanolamine (DEA), Triethanolamine (TEA) - used as emulsifiers and/or foaming agents, can cause allergic reactions, eye irritation and dryness of hair and skin.

* Diazolidinyl Urea, Imidazolidinyl Urea - widely used preservatives, a primary cause of contact dermatitis.

* Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate - harsh detergents used in shampoos for its cleansing and foam-building properties. Often disguised in so-called natural cosmetics with the phrase "derived from coconuts." Causes eye irritation and itchy scalp.

* Petrolatum/ petroleum jelly - mineral oil derivative used for its emollient properties. Has no nutrient value for the skin and can interfere with the body's own natural moisturising mechanism.

* Propylene Glycol - a synthetic petrochemical mix that has been known to cause allergic reactions, hives and eczema. When you see PEG (polyethylene glycol) or PPG (polypropylene glycol) on labels, beware - these are related synthetics.

The skin-care minefiled: a glossary

* Natural: Though consumers may be tempted by a 'natural' label, it can be misleading: by law, cosmetics must only contain 1% 'natural' ingredients to warrant the generic label. Skincare products labelled 'natural' frequently contain many synthetic chemical ingredients (ie parabens) that counter the positive benefits of purer ingredients such as essential oils. To be sure that skincare products are as pure as possible, look for the organic label.

* Organic: Currently, a company can label or describe a product as organic even if they only contain tiny amounts of organic ingredients. To be certain or a product's organic credentials, look for the Soil Association symbol - a product carrying the symbol and labelled organic must contain at least 95% organic ingredients. The remainig ingredients must be proven to be GM-free. The Soil Association is working with a group of EU certification bodies, for example Ecocert, to develop a common European organic beauty and cosmetic standard.

* Active: Active ingredients are chemicals applied to skin care products to enhance their functional properties and include anti-ageing, exfoliating, moisturising, antimicrobial and botanical ingredients. Examples are: Vitamin C, soy, alpha lipoic acid, beeswax, biotin.