WHAT IS THE TRUE COST OF BEAUTY?

BY SHERENA MAHARAJ-MOOTOO

20TH JULY, 2024

Everyone wants to look their best. Makeup has made it simple by applying some foundation, face powder, lipstick, eyeshadow, and eye liners to enhance our natural appearance. Maybe it is just to cover up that uneven skin tone or making our eyes look dramatic, women use makeup all over the world. But how much we really know of what is in these products.

When I was is my teens, I suffered from bad acne. My skin would break out all the time, there was no special time of the year or month, it was like everyday. I hated it and at the time It made me question why my skin is so bad and my friends have such flawless skin.

Then one day I went to the washroom with one of my classmates and as she was washing her face, I noticed the water in the sink was brown, at first, I was thinking “omg is that dirt from her face”, but a moment later she pats her face dry and pulled out some foundation and powder from her bag and quickly re-applying it on her face.

I was most shocked as at the time I thought only adults were allowed to wear makeup, little I had known, that was only in my household.

Figure 1, Women applying make up [photograph]

Nevertheless, she was wearing makeup, so I never noticed that she had pimples too. So, I decided to ask my mother if I can have some foundation and powder to cover up my pimples. My mom eventually caved after a month of protest. At the age of fifteen, I officially started to wear make up, light foundation to cover my pimple marks and some face powder to make it look flawless, sometimes you could not tell I had pores. Things was good, I felt more confident and happier, and no one was looking at me funny or asking about my embarrassing pimples.

“The horror of the breakout on my face”

As the months went along, I noticed my face breaking out even more, but hey, I had make up to cover that up, so it was not really a concern. I was simply happy to have found a fix for my problem. But my problem got worse and could not longer hide under that make up, my skin was getting irritated everyday until my pimples started to cover my entire face. After using the products everyday for school, I was forced to stay home from school because my skin was so painful, and I started to experience headaches.

Figure 3, 60% / 40% Pie Chart [photograph]

Did you know?

“60% of what you put on your skin is absorbed by the body?

Figure 2, Girl with Skin Break Out [photograph]

I soon found out from my doctor that the makeup could be making my skin worse as makeup products has some harmful chemicals that is absorbed by my skin that can cause my skin to become worse and lead to my headaches.

According to Alina Laktina from Alyaka Beauty Magazine “60% of what you put on your skin is absorbed by the body” and based on U.S research, one in eight of the 82,000 ingredients used in makeup and personnel care products are industrial chemicals that pose health hazards. (Alyaka The Art of Beauty, The Dirty Dozen, Oct 18, 2022)

This was a shock to me, I never really thought of it that much. I mean, who really checks the ingredients in makeup and even if I do as a teenager, I really do not know what most of those ingredients are.

We know for a fact that Alcohol, Drugs and Cigarettes are harmful to your body, there are even age limits to purchase these items, but there are limited warnings about the chemicals in beauty products which women have been using at a noticeably early age. Being exposed to these chemicals from 15 to 40 years, can you imagine what long term effect this exposure can have on the human body.

Some long-term health risk associated with Makeup with toxic chemicals are Cancers, Fertility Issues, Neurological issues, Hormone imbalances, Asthma and Thyroid Issues (Asbestos, Feb 10th, 2023). There are also short-term effects of wearing makeup like clogged pores, oily or dry skin, breakouts, premature aging, pigmentation changes, eye irritation (Kalos, Jan 13, 2023)

Learn more on what was discovered about the effects of using makeup / cosmetics on the human body from the “Toxic Beauty” documentary.

Click the link for the Trailer Toxic Beauty (2019) | Official Trailer HD (youtube.com)

“Toxic Beauty” is a documentary about the exposure of the hard truths about harmful chemicals in cosmetics.

Figure 4, Nations with Regulations [photograph]

After my experience, I stopped wearing makeup for about 5 years, until I did more research and found some interesting facts giving me some answers to my questions on why the chemicals was not being labeled as harmful. I discovered that countries have different regulations for cosmetics companies just like the production of food or cars.

The United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) only rejected eleven ingredients as unsafe in cosmetics and the European Union has banned hundreds of chemicals. Cosmetic manufacturers are not required to share any of the ingredients other than color additives in the United States. Bottom line is most manufacturers can add any ingredient in their products without it being reviewed by the FDA (Alyaka The Art of Beauty, Oct 18, 2022).

However, the United States has recently announced the introduction of a new law under the Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act which will be applicable from January 01, 2025, in hopes of addressing this issue (Focal Point, Mar 19, 2024)

Makeup is a must for most people so if you have to use it, you can look out for those harmful chemicals in products and check the countries that your brands are manufactured by to ensure the product has been checked for harmful chemicals like Parabens, Artificial Fragrance, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Toluene, Phthalates, Polyethylene, Formaldehyde, Oxybenzone and Diethanolamine just to name a few.

As for me, I do not wear makeup everyday, mostly for special occasions. My family and friends have gotten so accustomed to me not wearing makeup but, when I do, they are overwhelmed by my appearance. Even when I do use make up for occasions my skin tends to feel a little uncomfortable, so I do not keep it on for too long. My skin has now improved so much, I hardly ever get pimples anymore and I have become wonderfully comfortable with my appearance.

I encourage women to pay attention to the products they use just like we do with food choices as we can be avoiding unhealthy habits on one side and silently being exposed on the other side.

Figure 5, Top 10 Harmful Ingredients to avoid [photograph]

References

1. Alyaka THE ART OF BEAUTY. (Oct 18, 2022). The Dirty Dozen: 12 Toxic Chemicals in Makeup and Cosmetics That You Must Avoid, By Alina Laktina, Available https://www.alyaka.com/blogs/alyaka-magazine/dirty-dozen-12-toxic-chemicals-makeup-cosmetics-must-avoid

2. Asbestos. (Feb 10th, 2023). 45% of People Worry About Toxic Makeup-Should You? by Karen Selby. Available https://www.asbestos.com/featured-stories/makeup-toxicity-survey/

3. Kalos. (Jan 13, 2023). Here’s How Makeup Affects Your Skin’s Health. Available https://www.kalosmedicalspa.com/how-makeup-affects-skin-health/#:~:text=Many%20cosmetic%20products%20contain%20harsh,impact%20your%20skin's%20overall%20health.

4. Focal Point Research. (March 19th, 2024). Washington’s New Cosmetic Law! by Shrishi Chaudhari. Available https://focalpointresearch.net/cosmetics/washingtons-new-cosmetic-law/

5. Figure 1, Women applying make up [photograph], The Image Bank Via Getty. (June 2006). By Shannon Fagan. Available https://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/photo/teenage-girls-applying-make-up-in-bathroom-royalty-free-image/200389334-001

6. Figure 2, Girl with Skin Break Out [photograph], Adobe Stock. (n.d.). Portrait of young woman with acne. Available https://www.freepik.com/premium-ai-image/portrait-young-woman-with-acne_184265469.htm#from_view=detail_alsolike

7. Figure 3, Shutter Stock, 60% / 40% Pie Chart [photograph], (n.d), Available 848 60 40 Pie Chart Images, Stock Photos, 3D objects, & Vectors | Shutterstock

8. Figure 4, Nations with Regulations [photography], Know Your Environment. (May 05th 2020). The Toxic Twelve Chemicals and Contaminants in Cosmetics, by Scott Faber. Available https://www.ewg.org/the-toxic-twelve-chemicals-and-contaminants-in-cosmetics

9. Figure 5, Coconuts & Kettlebells. (25th July, 2022). 10 Ingredients To Avoid In Skincare And Makeup Products, By Noelle Tarr. Available https://coconutsandkettlebells.com/10-harmful-ingredients-makeup-skincare-products/

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