Harmful Chemicals in Make-Up - Long-Term Effects More Than Skin Deep

In the past, during the Elizabethan Era, royalty painted their faces with white paint to achieve the ‘look’ of the day. Unfortunately, this make-up contained high quantities of lead, a likely cause of their tendency towards early death, and definitely the catalyst behind the havoc wreaked on their skin.

Today, use of cosmetics is not reserved for royalty. Far from it - the cosmetic industry is a multi-billion dollar cash cow, and the application of make-up and use of cosmetics is a daily part of most peoples beauty regimen. Not surprisingly then, there has been a growing demand for regulations to monitor the inclusion of potentially toxic chemicals that could have adverse long-term effects on the human reproductive systems, or that could contain potential cancer-causing agents.

Up until now, the cosmetics industry has been largely self-regulated. Current laws require the safety of make-up before it’s allowed to be sold to the public. However, ‘safety’ is mostly determined by whether the products create skin irritation. The call for studies on the long-term effects and disclosure of potentially harmful components is now requested.