HOUSTON, TX (KPRC) – Grab any beauty product, turn it around, and you’ll find a long list of ingredients. Studies in certain animals show some of those same chemicals can cause tumors and Alzheimer’s, but the Food and Drug Administration says they are fine to use.
“You’ll find creepy chemicals everywhere,” says Dr. Valencia Thomas, a dermatologist with UTHealth and Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. “Formaldehyde is a very common material.”
Formaldehyde, Aluminum and sulfates. Why are these chemicals in so many beauty products?
“There are certain products that we have to have in resin in order for them to harden and there are certain chemicals that are necessary to help a process move forward,” Dr. Thomas explains.
That means, for example, Formaldehyde in nail polish is necessary for it to dry.
“Formaldehyde does cause cancer in higher concentration and can increase the risk of nasopharyngeal cancer. So, when we take a step back and look at the formaldehyde that’s released from common cosmetic products, we find that the levels are very low,” Thomas told KPRC-TV.
Thomas says there are there are also links between Sodium Lauryl Sulfates found in soaps and shampoos and metabolic issues.
“I guess there are compounds that are used to increase the cosmetic feel of a product,” Thomas said referring to the suds produced by the Sulfates in soaps. “The main use is the bubbliness.”
That’s right, she said Sulfates are for nothing but suds. While the amount sold in products is very small, there’s no shortage of products without Sulfates.
“You can certainly get clean without the bubbles,” Thomas said.
The biggest warning Dr. Thomas has for consumers is to buy domestic products. The scary part about buying online is you sometimes don’t know where the product is coming from. She says, products purchased overseas don’t get the scrutiny of our FDA and might have chemicals over the legal limit, and all of them can be harmful in large amounts.WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON RIGHT NOW:
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