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You pay attention to your diet and what's in the foods you eat. You even go to the trouble of finding the best health care practitioners or providers, but how much attention do you pay to your cosmetics, what's in them and how safe they are to use as health products for your wellness?
The term 'cosmetics' doesn't just refer to the content of womens handbags or the
likes of lipstick, nail polish or eye make-up etc., If you wear perfumes, use cleansers, shampoos, lotions or creams, toothpaste or wear deodorants, you are a cosmetic and health product wellness user.
These every-day health product wellness solutions are an integral part of our personal care and self-grooming regime so, just as it's important to have awareness of what goes into our bodies, is it not time we paid more attention to what is being applied to what is perhaps the most important organ of our bodies!
One of the main functions of your skin is to act as a protective barrier against the outside world, but what are we really applying to it when we use these so called health and wellness products.
What's in cosmetics?
Without doubt, the health product wellness elements of many cosmetics help ensure we stay clean and fresh, as well as helping to reduce potentially harmful bacteria to which we are exposed.
However, the most common cause of many skin problems are due to fragrances, (which happens to be one of the two main ingredients in your every day cosmetics). Yet, there are reported to be approximately 5,000 different kinds of fragrances commonly used in a variety of cosmetic health products, many of which you may rely on to ensure aspects of your hygiene and wellness.
The second ingredient used in health product wellness cosmetics is preservatives. Again, preservatives happens to be the second most common cause of skin problems such as irritation, which can lead to infections. Yet, preservatives are needed in cosmetics to prevent bacteria and fungus from growing in the product. It is also used to keep products safe from any damaging effects that can be caused by air or light.
Examples of some of the preservatives used in every-day health
product wellness cosmetics, are cited by the US Department of Health and Human Services as being:
The following list of ingredients are those which either cannot be used or their use is limited in cosmetics. This is because they are known as likely cause of cancer or other serious health issues:
Safety of health product wellness cosmetics
While it is a requirement of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), that safety tests are carried out on any colour additives in health product wellness cosmetics, the FDA does not review cosmetics, nor the ingredients used prior to their going on sale to the general public. The FDA simply urges manufacturers to carry out any tests they feel are needed to prove their products are safe.
A cosmetic manufacturer can therefore sell its products without the need for FDA approval, with the only requirement being that a warning statement is added to labels of health product wellness cosmetics that have not been safely tested. This would be to the effect that 'safety has not been determined'.
As regard FDA regulation on the use of colour, health product wellness cosmetics may only contain approved and certified colours, which should be clearly stated on the labels as follows:
What's perhaps even more worrying, is that health product wellness cosmetic manufacturers are under no obligation to report any health-related injuries arising from their products. The FDA merely collects this kind of information on a voluntary basis from them and it is only by way of the cosmetic maker (wanting to be a part of this voluntary program), that they choose to send reports to the FDA.
It stands to reason that if there is no means of accurately measuring harm or risk to consumers by health product wellness cosmetics, other than relying on voluntary disclosure by manufacturers, consumers like you are at their mercy.
In addition, since the FDA cannot directly themselves recall any dubious health product wellness cosmetics, voluntary recalls are also at the discretion of manufacturers.
I suppose it's little comfort knowing that the FDA does monitor health product wellness maufacturers who do recall products. However, the FDA must first prove in court that a cosmetic product is a danger or breaks the law in some way before it can be taken off the market.
Women are by far the biggest consumer group of health product wellness cosmetics of all kinds. Could it be that we are at the greatest risk for this very reason? Maybe the time has come for womens health to look to alternative care health remedies that enhance rather than pose risks to our wellness.
"Lifestyle is the art of discovering ways to live uniquely". (Jim Rohn)
Source:
US Department of Health & Human Services: Womens Health a
You can obtain further information on cosmetics at the following resources:
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), OPHS, HHS
Phone: (888) 463-6332 (Consumer Information)
Internet Address: http://www.fda.gov
Office of Cosmetics and Colors Automated Information Line, FDA, OPHS, HHS Phone: (888) 723-3366 Internet Address: http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-toc.html
The information on this site is purely of educational value and is not intended to replace your seeking medical advice. You must consult your doctor over all your health concerns.
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