AFIYA Magazine Sept/Oct | Page 5

BEAUTY What’s In Your Make-Up? By CARINA BROOKS-KING L.E. Labels on cosmetics and body care products can be misleading. The industry is so unregulated that it’s almost impossible to trust the claims that some companies place on their products. A word such as “natural” can be used by anyone for almost anything, and even “organic” is misleading. Companies are only supposed to use an organic label when all ingredients are certified-organic, but they can also say it’s “made with organic” if it contains a minimum of 70 percent certified-organic ingredients. Most of the industry has a “innocent until proven guilty” approach to ingredients. Unless a chemical used in beauty products is proven to cause harm to human health, it is classified as GRAS or “generally recognized as safe.” This classification is upheld by the U.S. FDA this does not have the best interests of the consumer at heart. The best thing we as consumers can do is read ingredient lists carefully in order to avoid chemicals that are known to be harmful. Here is a list of the top 20 toxins to avoid: Coal Tar: A known carcinogen banned in the EU, but still used in North America. Used in dry skin treatments, anti-lice and anti-dandruff shampoos, also listed as a color plus number (i.e. FD&C Red No. 6.). DEA/TEA/MEA: Suspected carcinogens used as emulsifiers and foaming agents for shampoos, body washes, soaps, and more. Ethoxylated surfactants and 1,4-dioxane: Never listed because it’s a by-product made from adding 5 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 AFIYA MAGAZINE