For the most part, conventional makeup will contain very similar ingredients to conventional skincare products – except of course, for the added colours. Some of the ingredients of conventional skincare/makeup that Scene Green would recommend as probably worth avoiding until further safety research has been carried out are as follows:
Preservatives – Parabens (methylparaben, ethylparaben or similar) are very common. British researchers have found traces of parabens in tissue taken from women with breast cancer, and although there is no evidence that parabens cause cancer, researchers have asked for the use of parabens in personal care products to be reviewed, as these studies suggest that these chemicals may accumulate within the body after having been applied on the skin. We have discussed parabens elsewhere on Scene Green and would advise people to avoid using any product containing them. Another preservative that is probably best avoided is formaldehyde – studies suggest that it may be carcinogenic.
Synthetic Fragrance – can be made up of a complex mixture of chemicals, even if the product also includes some additional natural fragrances. Since the manufacturers are not legally required to list the fragrance ingredients, products may contain phthalates (studies suggest for example that they may interfere with the development of male foetuses) and synthetic musks (environmental contaminants which may bio-accumulate within the body).
Another ingredient that may be included in conventional makeup is mineral oil – we can find no substantiated evidence that this is damaging to the skin, but you might like to avoid ingredients that indirectly support the petroleum industry. And of course, there are the usual synthetic line fillers, wrinkle plumpers and skin smoothers which tend to be a part of any conventional product intended for use on the skin nowadays – which could be made up of just about anything.
Cosmetic Colours can come from one of three sources. Organic Colours are not organic in the usual sense but are mainly petroleum derived and are also referred to as coal-tar dyes or synthetic organic colours and are totally man-made. Inorganic colours include clays, iron oxides and ultramarines and are sometimes referred to as mineral colours.
Although these colours have natural sources and are generally considered to be safer than synthetic organic colours, they are not totally natural as they are often heat treated to produce different colours and few have been tested for safety. Inorganic colours have the European classification numbers beginning with C177. Natural colours are derived from plant or animal sources. Examples include beetroot, cocoa powder and turmeric. Natural colours have the European classification numbers beginning with C175.
Natural makeup lines are available which contain natural substitutes for some of the ingredients above. Another alternative is mineral makeup, which has been hitting the headlines recently. Despite some concerns over the lack of safety testing for inorganic colours, mineral makeup contains nothing but inorganic colours, so it is an excellent way to avoid ingredients such as synthetic fragrances and preservatives and also provides a way to avoid synthetic organic colours. True mineral makeup is made purely from mineral colours with no other added ingredients - but we have come across conventional makeup brands who sell products labeled as 'mineral' when they in fact contain a large proportion of the ingredients listed above which we'd all rather do without – so do check labeling carefully!
