Do you know how to read cosmetic labels?

There are ingredients that should never be part of your beauty routine. Do you know how to read cosmetic labels? Some people grab a magnifying glass and turn to Google search when buying nail polish, while others think that if a baby body lotion has reached the shelves of a certain establishment, it is because it is 100% harmless to the skin and health.

There is no need to go to one extreme or the other. Turning to ‘reliable’ brands saves reading and research time, and you should also know that there are “guaranteed” minimum safety standards, especially in Europe. On this continent, the Cosmetic Product Notification Portal is responsible for collecting product information for the purpose of registering legally responsible parties and for providing guidance on how to act based on the composition in the event of an accident with a product.

Europe has a very strict and active regulation for the evaluation of substances for cosmetic use, as well as a long list of prohibited and restricted substances (more than 2,000). Furthermore, companies are also required to conduct a safety assessment by an expert. In the United States, legislation is not as strict. The FDA is the entity that regulates cosmetics, but the reality is that there are only about 13 prohibited substances, and they leave the responsibility of deciding on “safety” to the company.

We put the word in quotation marks because there are permitted active ingredients and preservatives that, depending on their concentration or combinations, can be potentially toxic, and because the FDA specifically gives the green light to any product that has not demonstrated any problems and allows higher concentrations of active ingredients.

This does not happen in the European Union. While ‘clean’ cosmetics require going further and eliminating ingredients with a well-founded basis of suspicion from their formulas, even if the levels are lower than those legally permitted, the goal is to eliminate risks, since the legal limitation process takes years and even decades.

Luckily, since 1996 (and in Spain with the Royal Decree of 1997), the law has required that the complete list of ingredients—without abbreviations—appear on the label of any cosmetic product, and it only allows the use of colorants, preservatives, and sunscreens that are on the permitted list.

READING COSMETIC LABELS: WE’LL TAKE CARE OF IT!

We understand that it can drive you crazy. But at Beldon, we want to make things easier for you and tell you what the ‘blacklist’ of ingredients to avoid is.

COSMETIC INGREDIENTS TO AVOID

We are not going to be carried away by false alarms or accusations without verified studies. But just in case, pay attention to these ingredients:

• Formaldehydes. The WHO has already declared them “officially carcinogenic” and their use in cosmetics is prohibited, but be careful, because there are substances like Quaternium 15 (an ammonium salt) that can release them, and some still use it as a preservative.





• Mineral oils. It sounds very natural, but mineral oil is very cheap for the cosmetic industry as a formulation base, and it is derived from petroleum. Due to its petrochemical origin, it is obtained from non-renewable sources, is not biodegradable, has no affinity with the skin's components, and contributes to occlusivity.





• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. It is used as a cleaning agent and is a surfactant that makes bath products foamier. It may appear on labels under the name (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate). Technically, sodium lauryl sulfate is not a PEG, but there is an ingredient in the family, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, which has an oxyethylenated part in its structure. In general, surfactants alter the barrier, which can lead to greater penetration of ingredients in the formula, but there are no studies that prove this level of penetration. In this case, due to its nature, it is difficult for it to penetrate because it is highly water-soluble and the skin provides a barrier. However, what is clear is that by altering the barrier due to its aggressiveness, it causes irritation. In the case of Sodium Laureth Sulfate, there are also problems associated with oxyethylenation, with possible traces or impurities of 1,4-dioxane.





• Parabens. Until 2004, they were the most widely used preservatives. Since 2014, the European Union has banned forms of parabens with longer chains, such as butylparaben and isobutylparaben. A new evaluation is now beginning due to their possible endocrine-disrupting action.





• Triclosan. It is an active ingredient still used in formulating some antiperspirant deodorants, cleansers, and hand sanitizers. It is suspected that it could be a hormonal disruptor.





• Polyethylene glycol (PEG) compounds. It is known that using ethylene oxide in their production creates an impurity: 1,4-dioxane, which is a known carcinogen. They can be recognized in the list as PEG*-, Polysorbate- (20, 30, 80, ...), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, and ingredients ending in -eth, such as CETEARETH-X, Laureth-X, Steareth-X).





• Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). These are antioxidants, although they can be found in all types of products. The main problem is that they are suspected, with quite a few reliable reference data, of being carcinogenic.





• Phenylenediamine. It is only used in some hair dyes and appears on the product label as “CI” colors followed by a five-digit number. However, not all colorants, which are indicated with the color index CI, contain phenylenediamine. In general terms, synthetic colorants have very problematic structures from a toxicological standpoint as aniline derivatives and are linked to carcinogenicity or endocrine disruption.





• Diethanolamine (DEA, MEA, or TEA). These are chemicals used to create foam. DEA, MEA, or TEA are pH regulators, but in reality, only TEA is used as a free compound, which is recognized as TRIETHANOLAMINE and is used as a pH regulator. The rest are more part of ingredients like Cocamide DEA or MEA. What is concerning about them is that they have the capacity to form nitrosamines under certain circumstances.





• Phthalates. What is concerning about them is their capacity for endocrine disruption. They are part of the ingredients in some nail products and some perfumes. It is important that perfumes do not contain them under the INCI FRAGRANCE (PARFUM), as well as synthetic masks.





• Siloxanes. They hide in ingredients ending in “siloxane.” They are silicone-type compounds, and their main problems are associated with ecotoxicity, as they are not biodegradable and are persistent in the environment, in addition to not coming from renewable sources. They can be recognized by terms such as: Silicone quaternium, Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone, Siloxane. In the case of cyclopentasiloxane and cyclohexasiloxane, there is concern about the toxicity of a carcinogenic impurity, tetrasiloxane.





• Methyl-Benzylidene Camphor (4-MBC or MBC), Octyl-Methoxycinnamate (OMC), Benzophenone-3 (Oxybenzone), Homosalate (Homomenthyl salicylate or HMS), and Octyl-Dimethyl-Para-Aminobenzoic Acid (OD-PABA). They are listed in chemical sunscreens and it is suspected that they could act as potential endocrine disruptors. Today, it is known that they affect marine ecosystems such as corals, which is why they have been banned in certain geographic areas.

DO YOU KNOW IF THE LABEL IS RELIABLE?

The names of plants must appear in Latin. Ingredients must be listed according to their quantity in decreasing order down to a 1% concentration. You may be in for many surprises, because sometimes the one advertised on the bottle is in the last positions. If there are colorants, they must always be preceded by a CI number.

BRANDS YOU CAN TRUST

Beyond their seals, at Beldon, before introducing a brand, we make sure to read every label and consult with experts if necessary regarding the safety of each product and its possible reactions. Furthermore, you already know that our personalized diagnostic is one of the most requested in Madrid.