Recently, with advertising posters and TV screens, cosmetics manufacturers have vied with us to inform us that their new lines and facilities do not contain harmful components: parabens, sulfates and silicones. But are these substances really harmful? Let's take a closer look at this issue.
Parabens
The question "What do they eat with?" In the context of parabens, it is appropriate to ask literally: after all, we lean on them every day. And also we wash ourselves, we are treated and spread on ourselves. Parabens are one of the most popular preservatives in the cosmetic, food and pharmaceutical industries. The main task of these esters is not to give mold and microbes to settle, including in your cream. As a rule, parabens alone can not do it, manufacturers like to combine them with other preservatives, because this way you can expand the range of microorganisms from which you need to protect your property. Once a new life does not spring up, the expiration date is automatically extended. This is the second important advantage of parabens. Absolutely without preservatives, the product can be active for two to three days, and even then, subject to a certain storage temperature. These are all they, parabens, prolong the life of effective means and provide an opportunity to fill the bathroom with tubes before the end. Then why does the Paraben free label appear more and more often on beauty products? First, it's fashionable. And secondly, even for its short history, which lasted only a few decades, the broadcasts managed to wet their reputation. It was in 2004 year. The British scientist, as always, did not rest. They also conducted a study showing that parabens have the property of accumulating in the tissues of the breast. In 18 of 20 breast cancer samples, these preservatives were found. The study did not prove that these substances provoke the development of the disease, but the sediment remained, and persecution began on the parabens. It went so far that in December 2010, the Scientific Committee on EU Consumer Goods stated: there are no sufficient grounds for talking about the harm of propyl and butylporaben, but their concentration in any product should be reduced from 0.8 to 0.19%. In March 2011, Denmark became the first country to prohibit the addition of both of these parabens to products for children under 3 years of age. And almost all the manufacturers of deodorants and antiperspirants excluded them from the composition - check it and just in case.
Studies continue, and here you must decide on whose side you are. If you choose the camp "Without parabens," take into account that spending money on cosmetics will have more. Or go to the natural rulers of traditional brands, because now many brands make eco-friendly-funds to please conscious customers. But even if you take serum Paraben free, it does not mean that it should be discarded in two days, just the parabens in it are probably replaced with some other preservative.
Sulphates
Sulfates are salts of sulfuric acid. They were added to cosmetics as a cleaning and foaming component already since the 1940s. Manufacturers loved them for their ability to reduce the surface tension of water or how chemists joke, making it even more watery. That's why sulphates cause the product to foam lustrously and so well to remove impurities. Find these salts simply in shampoos, shower gels and all kinds of umyvalka. And you will certainly find them in your laundry detergent or dishwashing liquid - which, you must agree, makes you think.
The main culprits of all disputes are sodium lauryl sulfate SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) and sodium laureth sulfate SLES (sodium laureth sulfate). Unnatural sulfates based on petroleum (just these SLS and SLES) are dangerous by aggressive action on the epidermis. After all, the oil substance is dead, and getting on the skin or penetrating inside, it is not built into the metabolic processes, respectively, and is eliminated from the body is difficult. Some studies have shown that the accumulation of sulfates can cause cancer, but especially these salts are dangerous for children and adolescents, because they can lead to a delay in physical development. As for the cosmetic side of the matter, the sulphates purify the skin and hair by oxidation and leave the finest film on them, and they also destroy the structure of your curls, can provoke dandruff and even baldness. Also, none of the experts deny that the salts of sulfuric acid increase the likelihood of allergies to other components.
Despite all these horrors, no one thinks to close the road to sulphates in the beauty industry. Many countries simply put a limit on their concentration - no more than 1%, and independent studies convince of the harmlessness of these salts. In the end, modern formulas provide a ton of neutralizing and softening components that reduce the harm of sulphates to a minimum, and do not touch useful properties.
Refusing cosmetics SLS and SLES makes sense, if you care about the planet. For example, sodium lauryl sulfate is recognized as toxic to aquatic fauna, which means that when you go to the shower, you wash off its solution in the sink together with the gel - the fishes of such feeding will not rejoice. In addition, any cosmetics with sulfates are tested in animals. Yes, not all brands scoff at poor rabbits, but while sulfuric acid salts are used in cosmetics, such studies will be conducted. To clear your conscience, look for the marking in the form of a crossed ears.
Not ready to disaccustom to foaming makeup? Try to at least avoid prolonged contact with her: soaped her head - do not pull, wash off the shampoo. Leave in the arsenal of your favorite gel for washing, and, for example, toothpaste change to bezulfate. Another way is to look for natural analogs in the list of ingredients: coconut oil (coco sulphates) and bark of the soap tree.
Silicones
Silicones are obtained from silicon, that is, sand, by polymerization and complex chemical processes. Call them a natural component after that the language does not turn. But even if there is no harm from the silicons themselves, then the process of their production obviously does not go to the environment for good.
In cosmetics, silicones began to add in the late 1950s: first only in hand creams and ointments, but as soon as new varieties appeared, silicone antiperspirants, hair conditioners, and mousses for styling became "silicone". Today you will find this component in almost all categories of cosmetics.
In their time in the segment of decorative cosmetics, they made a real revolution, making shadows, tonal creams, blush and eyeliner more durable and plastic. If you feel that the product has a gentle, fast-padding structure, if it does not leave a sticky feeling on the skin, then most likely it contains silicones. Especially these agents are important for liquid tonalnikov: silicones make them viscous so that they are better distributed on the skin. Means for hair are savored by this wonder-component, to smooth and "solder" the curls. And here the opinions are divided: some companies are convinced that only these substances are able to repair hair damages, and their opponents advocate for another - silicones form on its surface, as on the scalp, a film that does not allow oxygen and all useful to penetrate inside.
And yet the funds labeled Silicone free are gaining popularity for another reason - the substance is disliked because of the ability to bioaccumulate, that is, not to decompose, but to accumulate in nature. Ecoactivists urge to abandon cosmetics with this component or its derivatives, siloxanes, and cosmetic companies with ecological principles replace silicones with liquid or solid oils, fatty alcohols and hydrolyzed proteins.