How To Identify Toxic Ingredients In Beauty And Cosmetics

Beauty and cosmetic products can have a lot of harmful ingredients! Learn how to clean up your go-to products with this post.

I always felt lucky to have access to a ton of nearly free cosmetic and beauty products growing up. Being that my Dad works for Estee Lauder, we get allowances to spend at the Company Store a few times a year. My Mom and I would shop together, picking out Mac, Bobbi Brown, Smashbox, Tom Ford, and other brands at greater than 50% off the MSRP. This felt like I had access to the highest quality cosmetics! I would give a gift set to my teachers at the end of the school year, pick out a new colorful eyeshadow palette to play with, and explore lipsticks that fit my skin complexion. Sounded like a pretty sweet deal to me!

It isn’t until recently that I realized many cosmetic and beauty products are LOADED with TOXIC INGREDIENTS. I thought there was no way the awesome products I’ve been using for years (as in… back to Kindergarten dance recitals!) would be culprits of this horrible care for their customers. In fact, it’s more the exception to provide a clean product… and hopefully this is changing!

Spoiler alert: Expensive does NOT mean BEST quality.

Once I began discovering there are many harmful ingredients in what I’ve been using daily, I decided to do a little spring cleaning and learn more about what products are better for my health and in alignment with my values — clean, toxic-free, intentional living.

I most certainly do not claim to be an expert and am very open to learning more!

Ingredients to Avoid

The below ingredients can be harmful to your health in many ways! They’re listed from A to Z and this list is not considered exhaustive.

BENZALKONIUM CHLORIDE
BUTYLATED HYDROXYANISOLE (BHA) and BUTYLATED HYDROXYTOLUENE (BHT)
CARBON BLACK
CHEMICAL UV FILTERS (E.G. OCTINOXATE and OXYBENZONE)
ETHANOLAMINES
FORMALDEHYDE and FORMALDEHYDE RELEASERS
HOMOSALATE
HYDROQUINONE
METHYLISOTHIAZOLINONE and METHYLCHLOROISOTHIAZOLINONE
PARABENS
PFAs and PFCs
PHTHALATES
POLYETHYLENE (PEGs)
RESORCINOL
SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE (SLES) and SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE (SLS)
SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCE
TALC
TOLUENE
TRICLOCARBAN
TRICLOSAN
SILOXANES (aka cyclical silicones)

Dirty Secrets of These Ingredients

BENZALKONIUM CHLORIDE

Why to avoid: Avoid if you have sensitive skin or are prone to allergies
Found in: Sunscreens and moisturizers; it’s an organic salt that acts as a surfactant

BUTYLATED HYDROXYANISOLE (BHA) and BUTYLATED HYDROXYTOLUENE (BHT)

Why to avoid: Known carcinogen and can affect hormones
Found in: Personal care products with fragrance, all makeup/skincare, as a fragrance/preservative

CARBON BLACK

Why to avoid: Possible link to cancer with regard to inhalation
FYI: FDA put some limits on its use, but still found in cosmetics
Found in: Eyeline and mascara as a pigment

CHEMICAL UV FILTERS (E.G. OCTINOXATE and OXYBENZONE)

Why to avoid:
- Oxybenzone: Potential endocrine disruptor
- Octinoxate: May or may NOT be harmful to coral reefs, but harmful to sensitive skin
Found in: Sunscreens, including SPF spray/creams, makeup, and skincare with SPF
Better choice: Zinc Oxide, Avobenzone, and Titanium Dioxide [better ingredients]

ETHANOLAMINES

Example(s): DIETHANOLAMINE (DEA) and TRIETHANOLAMINE (TEA), Monoethanolamine (MEA)
Why to avoid: DEA banned these in many countries because it’s a carcinogen!
Found in: Hair/skincare products as a pH adjuster

FORMALDEHYDE and FORMALDEHYDE RELEASERS

Example(s): Diazolidinyl Urea (gives off formaldehyde), Bronopol, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, quaternium-15
Why to avoid: Known carcinogen and hormone disruptor
Found in: Nail polish

HOMOSALATE

Why to avoid: Homosalate is a common sunscreen ingredient. Research indicates it is a weak hormone disruptor, and sunlight breaks down the chemical into harmful byproducts (source)
Found in: Sunscreens as UV absorber

HYDROQUINONE

Why to avoid: Linked to organ toxicity and cancer
Found in: Complexion whitening products for skin bleaching and lightening
Better choice: Vitamin C, niacinamide, or licorice extract

METHYLISOTHIAZOLINONE and METHYLCHLOROISOTHIAZOLINONE

Why to avoid: Sensitivity, irritation, allergies
Found in: Shampoo, conditioners, body wash as a preservative

PARABENS

Example(s): Propylparaben, butylparaben [known carcinogens!]; butyl, propyl, and ethyl parabens [linked to hormone disruption]
Why to avoid: carcinogens and linked to hormone disruption
Found in: Cosmetics and household products as preservatives
FYI: EU and FDA regulations say they’re safe to use… yikes!
Better choice: Look for “paraben-free” label

PFAs and PFCs

Example(s): Teflon (a PFA), brand name for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
Why to avoid: linked to hormone disruption and reproductive issues, linked to cancer, thyroid disease, reduced effectiveness of vaccines
FYI: PFAs are a class of thousands of chemicals that can be hiding behind the “fragrance” label; they are fluorinated chemicals
Found in: Sunscreens, hair products, shaving creams, waterproof mascara or eyeliner

PHTHALATES

Example(s): Dibutyl phthalate [carcinogen, hormone disruptor]
Why to avoid: Endocrine disruptor (early puberty in girls/boys and reduced sperm count in men; source), harmful to the environment
Found in: Fragrances, parfum, body spray, nail polish, hairspray, cleansers, and lotions

POLYETHYLENE (PEGs)

Example(s): PEG-10 Laurate [affects hormone health], propylene glycol (PG), butylene glycol (BG)
- Like all glycols, butylene glycol is a type of alcohol. It’s often made from distilled corn. (unsure of true damage from it (source)
Why to avoid: “It has been found that PEGs contain impurities, which include ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane. These two are known carcinogens and respiratory irritants. Long-term exposure to ethylene oxide can cause serious health consequences, including damage to the nervous system. In fact, this chemical was used as nerve gas in World War I. Another concern about PEGs is their penetration enhancement effects, and is why we recommend avoiding PEGs in your hair color products. However, there are also studies claiming PEGs with a molecular weight of 200 to over 10,000 are considered harmless, as long as they are not applied to damaged skin.2 But why bother when there are many products out there that are PEG-free?” (source)
Found in: Hair dye, moisturizers, creamy makeup products

RESORCINOL

Why to avoid: Linked to skin irritation and immune system dysfunction; can disrupt thyroid function as seen in animal studies
Found in: Hair color and bleaching products

SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE (SLES) and SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE (SLS)

Why to avoid: SLES is very irritating, disrupts the endocrine system, and can cause irritation and/or allergic reactions
Found in: Face wash, shampoo, soaps
Better choice: Look for “sulfate-free” label

SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCE

Why to avoid: There can be phthalates or other harmful chemicals hiding behind the label. YUCK! Let’s be real though – is synthetic ever truly good?
Better choice: If you see “Fragrance” as an ingredient, you don’t know what this is, so shop FRAGRANCE-FREE!

TALC

Example(s): talcum powder
Why to avoid: Has potential to be contaminated with asbestos, which is a known carcinogen and instigator of lung disease
Found in: Mineral makeup as a smoothing agent

TOLUENE

Example(s): Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)
Why to avoid: Toxic to liver and immune system; linked to brin toxicity and can be dangerous during pregnancy
Found in: Nail polish, nail treatments, hair dye

TRICLOCARBAN

Why to avoid: Harmful to reproductive system and aquatic life
Found in: Hand soap, face wash, body wash as a preservative and antimicrobial agent

TRICLOSAN

Why to avoid: Hormone disruptor and irritant
FYI: FDA banned it in soaps
Found in: Toothpaste, face wash, deodorant, and MORE

SILOXANES (aka cyclical silicones)

Why to avoid: Harmful to environment, linked to endocrine disruption
Found in: Cosmetic and skincare products
Better choice: Dimethicone, which is considered safer when using sparingly

Ways to Research Products and Ingredients

Good Face Index for database of products, plus the Good Face App
Cosmethics (App)
EWG Skin Deep: Website to search products, which has a full breakdown of the ingredients and potential hazards. Look for the “EWG Verified” seal!

Think Dirty (App): Scan ingredients and look up products for ratings
Byrdie: Has a lot of great articles!
Cosdna.com: Can research ingredients and products

Examples of Cleaner Brands

100% Pure
Almay
Beauty Counter
Cocokind
Complex Culture
Honest Beauty
Ilia
Juice Beauty
Osea
Pacifica
Well People

Where and How to Shop

Once you start learning what products to look for, it gets a little easier to determine if a product is clean and fitting your values. Some shops make it easier with the “Clean Beauty” seal, such as at Sephora and Ulta.

I’ve been exploring more beauty products outside of Estee Lauder through IPSY, which is a monthly membership for beauty products. So far, I’ve been loving it, but it does not provide exclusively clean beauty products, which is a little disappointing to me. I’ll keep exploring, so keep your eyes out for a future post with my favorite products and more I learn!

What did you learn? Do you have any favorite beauty products, brands, or ways to find clean, non-toxic options?

Feature Photo Credit: Canva

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