Albuquerque Journal

by Tania Soussan

OK, looks can't really kill, but what if the stuff that makes you look good could make you really sick?
Several advocacy groups have recently stepped up their campaigns to alert women that everything from lipstick to lotion can contain dangerous ingredients that can cause cancer, alter reproductive systems, trigger asthma and more.
"Many problematic ingredients are used in cosmetics," says Stacy Malkan, a spokeswoman for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and author of the book "Not Just Another Pretty Face." "Companies are using carcinogens or hormone-disrupting chemicals."
She and others involved in the campaign cite research studies to back their claims, but the issue is far from resolved. Many medical experts say there is no definitive proof certain beauty products pose a health risk.
"There have been a lot of studies on this stuff, but not enough," says Dr. Barrett Zlotoff, a dermatologist with the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center.
"A lot of these groups have made claims that these chemicals are toxic," he says. "It is easy to say that, but it's harder to find out the truth."
He says the advocates and the cosmetic companies have a bias and "the truth probably lies somewhere in
the middle."
A more common problem is allergic reactions. Ten percent of all allergic contact dermatitis cases in the U.S. come from cosmetics, Zlotoff says.
In the dark
The bottom line is that consumers are left confused and often scared. Choosing a facial cleanser or mascara from the dizzying array of products out there is tough enough without considering the safety of the ingredients - many of them unpronounceable alphabet soup such as methoxypropylgluconamide.
Activists and dermatologists do agree on one thing: It's up to consumers to do their homework before they buy. There are several resources online, including:
Individual company Web sites;
Skin Deep, a database of safety ratings for more than 27,000 products with more than 7,000 ingredients compiled by the Environmental Working Group (cosmeticsdatabase. com); and Cosmetic Ingredient Review, an independent but industry-funded scientific assessment panel, which has safety lists for hundreds of ingredients (cir-safety.org).
In addition, Lara Stark, an aesthetician at Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy, recommended "A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients" by Ruth Winter.
Protect yourself
"It's not always easy," says Albuquerque dermatologist Barbara Einhorn. "You have to be a good consumer, you really do, because there's so much out there."
To help consumers, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics wants to see increased federal oversight of the cosmetics industry and tougher standards on what ingredients are allowed. The group is a coalition of women's, public health, labor, environmental health and consumer-rights groups founded in 2002.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has some authority over cosmetic ingredients and labeling, but federal law places the burden of safety on the industry rather than requiring premarket approval or specific product testing.
There's no simple list of ingredients to watch out for, but among the top concerns to health advocates are lead, parabens and phthalates. Here's a quick rundown:
LEAD
There's no dispute here: Everyone agrees lead is bad. But is there really lead in lipstick, as some groups say?
Democratic U.S. Sens. John Kerry, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer want the FDA to find out. In December 2007, they called on the agency to test a range of lipstick brands for lead.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics did its own testing of 33 lipsticks last fall and found lead in a third of them at levels that exceeded the FDA-recommended limit for candy.
Zlotoff says lead is one ingredient he'd tell women to avoid. "I would not want my mom or girlfriend to be using any cosmetics that had lead in them in any levels," he says.
PHTHALATES
Phthalates (pronounced thal-lates) are probable human reproductive or developmental toxins and endocrine disruptors and have been found to cause birth defects in laboratory animals, according to the Campaign.
Testing done by the group found phthalates in more than 70 percent of products even though they aren't listed on the ingredient labels. They are commonly included in fragrance, Malkan says.
In addition, two types of phthalates have been banned in t he European Union.
But a review by the American Council on Science and Health found "growing evidence" that there is no "compelling scientific basis" for concerns over phthalates.
The council faulted advocacy groups for basing many of their conclusions on lab tests in which animals ingested high doses of the chemicals. Other than lipstick, cosmetics are absorbed only through the skin and in much lower doses.
Advocates, meanwhile, criticize the cosmetics industry for evaluating the effects of a particular ingredient in just one product.
"Companies will often say ... 'It's just a little bit of that toxic chemical in my product. It's not likely to cause harm on its own.' ... but most of us are not using just one product," Malkan says.
PARABENS Parabens are used as preservatives not only in cosmetics but also in food. Health advocates say parabens can affect estrogen levels, and they point to a study in which U.K. researchers found parabens in some human breast tumors.
But many medical experts disagree. The American Council on Science and Health concluded that parabens have a long history of safe use and found no scientific data to support fears of cancer or hormone disruption.
"Parabens are pretty benign," says Kim Breen, a registered nurse and skin care specialist at the Lovelace Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery Center in Albuquerque. "We've been using them for years."