Makeup. Is there any harm to the skin? Dangerous beauty: harmful substances in cosmetics

Why do we need cosmetics? Any woman after 50 will answer unequivocally: to be beautiful. And this is true, the main purpose of cosmetic products is to make our appearance well-groomed.

We all use a variety of products: creams, balms, powder, lipstick, shadows, deodorants, hair dye and much more.

But you need to remember that not all are equally useful. Often, it contains such harmful substances that cause our skin, and indeed the whole body, more harm than good.

What is harmful cosmetics for women's health

Consider how lipstick, cream, powder or other care and beauty products can harm female beauty.

Lipstick: how can it harm?

Almost all women use lipsticks and balms, some more, others less. The difference between the balm is that the first one causes dryness, and the second one retains moisture in the delicate skin of the lips. Therefore, before you paint your lips, apply a balm.

The cosmetic industry offers a woman a huge variety of shades of lipstick for every taste. Their composition is just as diverse, to which women do not always pay attention. But in vain! Many lipsticks often contain harmful synthetic and chemical substances that penetrate deep into the skin and can clog blood vessels. Such harmful lipsticks can cause irreparable harm to health. For example, red lipstick contains lead, which can penetrate the brain and cause various diseases, including tumors.

Is the cream always good for the skin?

A woman's life is unthinkable without the use of various face and body skin care products. , in fact, protects our skin from the harmful effects of the environment, and primarily from ultraviolet radiation. The skin must be protected from overdrying and pollution, softened and moisturized.

However, it must be remembered that only high-quality cosmetic products have such protective properties. As part of a quality cream, you will find only water, hydrosols, emulsifiers and vegetable oils. It is herbal ingredients that serve to protect the skin, moisturize it and prevent wrinkles.

But, if you find mineral oil and paraffin in the cream, then you should think about whether it is worth using it. A high concentration of these substances causes dryness and a violation of the natural balance of the skin, causing redness, rashes and premature wrinkles.

A fairly well-known cosmetic product are skin whitening creams. It is used to combat age spots and freckles. Especially popular with women is this type of whitening cream, such as hydroquinone. This cream is highly toxic and harmful not only to women's skin, but to the whole organism as a whole. The fact is that the substance hydroquinone easily penetrates into the blood through the skin and causes a disruption in the activity of cells that produce melanin. It can cause redness, dryness, flaking, burning, and a rash.

The strong chemical bleaches found in whitening creams break down the natural oils our skin needs to keep it supple. Remember that you can safely use only those whitening cosmetics, which include natural ingredients.

About talc and its effect on health

Talc, which is also often included in cosmetics, has an equally harmful effect on the skin condition: talc is used as part of powder, blush, eye shadow and deodorants.
Here, harmful substances are such chemical elements as silicates. They can cause allergies and even lung disease.

Of course, talc is also harmful for the skin itself, it clogs pores and causes various inflammations. Asbestos is a type of silicate, its particles can accumulate in our body (especially in the ovaries) and disable our reproductive system, and in addition, cause cancer.

Why is hair dye dangerous?

Most women use, which also contains many chemical ingredients. When stained, the paint can cause various unpleasant and even dangerous reactions of the body: redness, skin rash, burning and shortness of breath. The most dangerous harmful substance in hair dye is p-phenylenediamine. It causes not only redness, swelling and allergies, but it can lead to damage to the eyes, lungs and other troubles with our health.

The outdated phrase, "blood with milk", today acquires more meaning and curiosity from the opposite sex. This is not about the effect achieved by powder and blush, but about a natural blond face with a blush. And what is called "Picasso" in a common sense, fades into the background. What is the impetus for minimization in cosmetics? Maybe laziness? Maybe harm? Questions require an answer for the good of the fair sex.

Let's start with the impact on others. Excessive or even vulgar application of make-up can be a deterrent for beauty lovers, but the more annoying thing about using make-up is that it accumulates in the female body in the mammary glands. Rarely there are mothers who from birth want to feed their babies with chemistry.

Impact on your own body. Lips have lost their color, skin pores have completely forgotten about freedom, allergies to the ingredients of powder, foundation, mascara, and that's not all. Facial skin cannot exchange skin currencies. These are not mistakes, but rather currencies, because vital substances are the most valuable elements, without which skin cells cannot work in a healthy way. The cells contain the mechanisms of nutrition and purification - these are natural processes. But, as a rule, extremes are only harmful. Deep cleansing of the skin leads to dryness and destruction of the protective function of the epidermis. Eyelash extensions are in vogue. Why? Not because there are few eyelashes by nature, but because the carcasses can thin out their beds on the eyelids. The list of harms is not small, and despite the fact that some components of decorative cosmetics were not mentioned, which can contribute to the development of more dangerous diseases. What to do, and how to deal with it, we will consider later. Of course, cosmetics can be of high quality. Who has not heard of Israeli cosmetics?

Laziness

Why laziness? Perhaps there is a question. The fact is that there is a desire to emphasize beauty or hide flaws, and there is nothing reprehensible in this. Therefore, women of different ages resort to the services of cosmetics. But, having come home, a woman is often lazy and takes care of herself. All the harm mentioned above begins to take effect if a woman does not remove her excellent makeup. Laziness is often the cause of premature aging, skin carelessness and other issues. The skin must rest, breathe, renew itself if a woman wants to be at her best. Is it so hard to follow the rules if you feel naked without makeup? Lotion, nourishing cream, makeup, makeup remover and cosmetic milk. It is better to replace this chain with natural ingredients. In this case, there will be confidence in relation to health.

Fight for beauty

Taking care of your skin health takes effort. The skin is an organ just like the heart. It needs nutrition, exercise, protection from stress and infections, and so does the skin. If you neglect nourishing masks, do not massage with drops of aromatic oils, do not protect against wind and cold with special creams, do not protect against burns in the summer, and do not follow hygiene, then the skin will malfunction. It should be remembered what happens to a glass bottle filled with water in the freezer. It's the same at a microscopic level in our skin, if you make a mistake with the choice of cream before going out into the cold, applying a moisturizer.

How to choose the means for the benefit of the cause? The advice of a specialist is very important, just as we turn to a cardiologist for advice regarding the prevention of possible heart disease. He will tell you what is best for us. If you use cosmetics that are not according to your skin type and are not of high quality, then this is the same as eating poorly. It is not always a matter of price, the manufacturer, reputation, composition and place where the product is purchased are important. The advice of girlfriends, or even worse, “someone didn’t fit, maybe it will come in handy for me.” Such a strategy is harmful. Therefore, before striving for beauty in an artificial way, you should appreciate your natural beauty and preserve it with care.

In the recent past, makeup was a risky business, if not dangerous. Buying makeup was like playing Russian roulette. Manufacturers of cosmetics cared little about the health of their customers, and for the women themselves, the primary task was to disguise the flaws in their appearance and highlight their advantages as brightly as possible.

It is no coincidence that decorative cosmetics were often called simply “paint” or “plaster”. Indeed, “heavy” foundation creams, lipsticks and shadows with caustic dyes, in terms of the effect they had on the skin, were little better than the mentioned finishing materials. Caring mothers and grandmothers quite rightly warned their daughters and granddaughters against the abuse of decorative cosmetics. Substances contained in make-up products had a bad effect on the condition of the skin, provoked its premature aging.

A lot has changed since then. Consumers of decorative cosmetics have radically changed their priorities, finally putting their own health at the forefront, and cosmetics manufacturers, of course, could not ignore these changes. Demand gave rise to supply. Today, in the cosmetics industry, women's health is at the forefront. Cosmetics have evolved from “face paints” to cosmetics and skin care products.

Nevertheless, although the "monster" died, the fame of him still lives on. The older generation of women, mothers and grandmothers of today's young girls, grew up in fear of the monster of cosmetics that brings rapid old age. Many older women still find it difficult to believe that decorative cosmetics can be safe and even useful, so they resist with all their might that their daughters and granddaughters do makeup, and do not understand at all why, instead of gratitude, they hear annoyed exclamations in response.

However, are representatives of the older generation so wrong? Let's try to figure it out. The truth, as you probably understand, lies in the golden mean between the belief that "mom is always right" and the certainty that "mom does not understand anything at all."

Indeed, young skin should not be overloaded with decorative cosmetics without good reason. If you have healthy skin, a beautiful complexion, bright juicy lips and clear eyebrows, you absolutely do not need to “draw” what you have from nature again. Use minimal makeup. Moreover, not a “clown mask”, but a “natural face” is considered a classic of competent makeup.

If the condition of your skin leaves much to be desired, you can not do without cosmetics. However, do not try to hide pimples, freckles or vascular networks under a thick layer of makeup. Firstly, you still won’t succeed, and secondly, there are special make-up techniques that allow you to hide appearance flaws using a minimum of funds. Master the art of natural makeup and proper facial care - it will be much more useful and effective than smearing your face with 5 layers of foundation and powder.

The abundance of decorative cosmetics, even of very high quality, adversely affects the condition of healthy skin and exacerbates the disease problematic. Cosmetics clog pores and cause comedones to form. Foundations, blush and lipstick are especially dangerous in this regard. Therefore, it is advisable for the owner of problem skin to use not a foundation, but a light powder or a foundation with a light texture. Blush should be replaced with eye shadow of a suitable shade.

As for the question of the dangers of cosmetics itself, then the opinion of mothers and grandmothers is already outdated. By themselves, decorative products do not worsen the condition of the skin. Moreover, modern cosmetics contain components that have a beneficial effect on her health. Of course, it cannot be expected to heal acne and other dermatological problems. She is not yet capable of this, although it includes nourishing and moisturizing components. However, decorative cosmetics are able to protect your face from the influence of many environmental factors. Mineral screens protect the skin from ultraviolet rays, micro sponges absorb excess sebum, antioxidants and anti-radicals fight harmful substances and slow down photoaging.

The pharmacy sells decorative cosmetics that have a certain therapeutic effect. For example, you can find foundation creams that control the functioning of the sebaceous glands, have anti-inflammatory or antibacterial effects. Such funds are often used in conjunction with medications for the treatment of seborrhea and mild forms of acne. Pharmacies also have sunscreen tonal creams that mask and prevent exacerbation of vitiligo (white spots), lupus erythematosus, photosensitivity and other photodermatosis. Some tonal agents are prescribed after surgical operations for cicatricial tissue changes.

However, the usual decorative cosmetics sold in stores contain substances that have a beneficial effect on the skin. Among them are vitamin E, hyaluronic acid, squalene, aloe vera gel, herbal extracts (chamomile, rosemary, calendula), avocado and jojoba oils. So, chamomile, calendula and aloe have antiseptic and healing effects, moisturize the skin and promote the regeneration of its cells. In addition, they are strong antioxidants.

Rosemary is also an antioxidant. The substances contained in its extract and oil bind free radicals that cause irreparable damage to our skin, while avocado and jojoba oils heal wounds and strengthen the immune system.

Hyaluronic acid creates a protective film on the skin that prevents cell dehydration.

Squalene, a natural hydrocarbon belonging to the group of carotenoids, is found in olive, cottonseed, linseed and some other vegetable oils, in wheat germ oil, as well as in many animal and plant tissues and even in some microorganisms. It penetrates into the deep layers of the skin and transfers active ingredients, softens it and fights free radicals.

When choosing decorative cosmetics for young skin, purchase products containing the listed components. However, one should not forget that each person may have an individual intolerance to any substances that make up cosmetics. Even the label "hypoallergenic" on the packaging of a cosmetic product does not guarantee its absolute safety. Therefore, if when using decorative cosmetics you experience irritation, itching, peeling, redness, do not rush to blame the manufacturers of the product. Consult an allergist and find out which substances are contraindicated for your skin.

Separately, we emphasize that everything previously said applies exclusively to high-quality decorative cosmetics. Cheap counterfeit products, even if they are disguised as well-known brands, in most cases affect the skin as detrimentally as the decorative cosmetics of the youth of our grandmothers and mothers.

Decorative cosmetics is considered to be of high quality if it has passed the safety test: it should not irritate the skin and not cause allergies, have a pleasant color, smell and consistency appropriate for the purpose. For example, lipstick should be soft enough to be easily applied to the lips, but also hard enough not to “spread”. If the cosmetic is applied unevenly, paints the skin poorly and wears off quickly, most likely you are faced with a cheap fake.

One more nuance. Any, even the highest quality cosmetics "live" does not last forever. The packaging always indicates the expiration date. And these are not just "numbers" that manufacturers print for their own pleasure, but an important characteristic of the quality and safety of a cosmetic product. For example, lipstick lasts no more than 1 year, and mascara needs to be changed every 3 months.

What to do with expired cosmetics? The answer is clear: throw it away. When a cosmetic product changes its color, smell, consistency, there is no doubt: it is simply dangerous to apply it on the face. However, even if you do not notice external signs of product spoilage, get rid of it anyway. Otherwise, very soon these signs will appear on your face. Do not buy cosmetics for the future and do not leave funds that do not suit you for later in the hope that your tastes will change in the future. If this happens, the old cosmetics will still become worthless.

And the last. Sometimes, carefully choosing decorative cosmetics and monitoring its condition, we forget about the means of applying it. Sponges, brushes, brushes need care: they should be cleaned periodically.

In the modern world, it is difficult to imagine a young girl who does not use cosmetics, well, perhaps living in a very puritanical family. According to recent studies, it turned out that a modern woman with cosmetics applies more than five hundred chemicals to her face every day, most of which are far from harmless. But what is harmful for adult women is ten times more dangerous for a young person in adolescence, when the body is just beginning to actively adjust the functions of life and reproduction.

Harmful cosmetics for teenage girls- these are dozens and dozens of dangerous chemical compounds that manufacturers use in cosmetics to make them cheaper and more attractive to the consumer. And in the end, you will have to pay for everything with your health and, worst of all, with the health of future generations. Let us consider in more detail what is the harm of modern cosmetics and what is the best thing for parents to do so as not to cause irreparable harm to their child.

You can also read an article about a common problem - teenage smoking and how to prevent and save a child from an addiction. We also recommend viewing the material "Protecting children from the sun", which discusses the serious problems associated with a long stay under the scorching sun and methods for effective protection.

Young beauties, striving to conquer this world with their charm as soon as possible, actively use cosmetics, and many are on a par with adult women, and in some cases more than them. About two and a half kilograms of chemicals penetrate the female body per year with perfumes, hygienic and aesthetic cosmetics, according to recent studies. Girls eat lipstick alone from 100 to 150 grams per year. But in most modern cosmetics, harmful chemicals are added with very serious contraindications. This is done to extend the shelf life, to improve the target consumer properties and to reduce the cost of production. But all this is extremely negatively capable of affecting health at the present time or aggravating it in the distant future.

At the same time, an inscription about the “naturalness” of cosmetics or that it is some kind of special “natural” mixture or product “for children” will not always save you from the content of hazardous substances. In fact, manufacturers often just play with words to mislead buyers. After all, this very “naturalness” in practice is extremely difficult to prove or disprove, so the manufacturer may well rush to anything that does not bind him to terms. For example, even the term "organic" in terms of chemistry is nothing more than a compound containing carbon.

Many organizations protecting people's health are fighting against manufacturers, under their pressure, the most famous cosmetic companies have announced that they refuse to use phthalates, a toxic carcinogen that creates problems with the endocrine system, can cause infertility in men and women, asthma, and also provoke cancer. . But all this struggle, on the one hand, is moving rather slowly, and on the other hand, there are still hundreds of harmful substances in cosmetics, and many companies that ignore even elementary safety requirements and aim only for momentary profit.

Here are some real examples. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, the lathering shampoo so praised in commercials, was actually developed for cleaning industrial machines, cars and garage floors. Accumulating in the body, sodium lauryl sulfate can cause irritation, dermatitis and the development of cataracts. Propylene glycol - is part of moisturizing creams and shampoos, although in reality it is the strongest allergen that causes itching and irritation, disrupting the functioning of the kidneys and liver, especially in children and adolescents. In industry, propylene glycol is used to make coolants for transport systems and air conditioning and ventilation systems. When working with it, for safety reasons, it is necessary to use rubber gloves and protective overalls, as it is highly toxic. Polyethylene glycol is used in body lotions, and in combination as a solvent, oven cleaner and as a binder in solid rocket fuel. Diethyl phthalate, an odor fixative in perfumery products, is in parallel the strongest poisonous substance, in certain concentrations capable of instantly leading to death!

Harmful cosmetics for teenagers - a table of cosmetics

Let us consider in more detail the table of cosmetics and the most popular dangerous components in them. Keep in mind that many harmful effects appear only after a long time, so the statement: “I have been using it for many years and everything is fine” is at least frivolous, especially when it comes to the younger generation.

As can be concluded even on the basis of a brief listing of harmful compounds, we have a clear shortage of safe cosmetics. Now let's take a closer look at the harmful components themselves, so that you can more qualifiedly approach the issue of choosing cosmetics for your children and for yourself.

Harmful cosmetics for a teenager - a list of harmful ingredients

Table of the main harmful components in modern cosmetics.

Harmful cosmetics for a teenager girl. And what is the way out of the situation?

What to do if a teenager has an irresistible desire to use modern cosmetics? Of course, it is unlikely that it will be possible to completely abandon detergents and cosmetics. Therefore, to begin with, it is worth defining the “lesser of the evils”. That is, a list of manufacturers that use fewer harmful substances. Most likely, such products will not foam like that, will not have such a beautiful color shade and smell, will not be as thick or homogeneous as cosmetics saturated with thickeners, chemical flavors, dyes, emulsifiers and similar substances. But you won't put your teen's health at risk. Further, it is necessary, if possible, to limit the use of cosmetics by a teenager and periodically arrange fasting days or weeks. That is the time when body care is done with the help of all-natural cosmetics, made by yourself at home and applied fresh. This is especially true in summer and autumn, when there are many fruits grown in natural conditions.

Let's take a few simple examples. Apricots applied to the skin will soothe it, currants and lingonberries will narrow the pores and nourish it, bananas will smooth and soften, but pineapples will cleanse and remove oily sheen. Raspberries and strawberries have a moisturizing effect, lemon whitens the skin and narrows pores, apple refreshes and tightens it, sea buckthorn heals wounds, softens and nourishes. As you can see, nature gives us enough funds to periodically take a break from the harmful chemistry that destroys our body.

Most modern women have no idea how to get by. , body milk, and much, much more - all this range, necessary to maintain attractiveness and youth, occupies an important place in a woman's life. After all, desire is inherent in each of us. Therefore, we try to follow the latest in the cosmetics industry and fashion, buy magazines with beautiful models on the covers, try to look no worse than them, because it’s not so difficult anymore - modern cosmetics stores are overflowing with products for every taste and income.

In pursuit of new cosmetic innovations, we rarely think about whether there is any harm in using all these creams, tonics, lipsticks. In today's article we will try to find out, and is it worth it to get involved?

Why do we start painting?

All small children are happy to hold colored felt-tip pens in their hands and paint pages in books, draw houses and suns not only in albums intended for this, but also on new wallpaper in the children's room, diligently pasted by caring mom and dad. Because creativity is an important step in the development of a child.

But the children are growing up, and the boys, as before, continue to depict their art in albums and notebooks. But the girls slowly begin to show more interest in their mother's cosmetic bag, trying to portray something on their faces.

With age, this process captures them more and more, and from now on cosmetics become their new felt-tip pens and paints, with the help of which the girl hopes to make herself even more attractive, emphasizing the existing advantages of her appearance and hiding the flaws. And from that moment on, the first problems with the skin, and sometimes with health, may arise. But first things first.

On the naturalness of "natural" cosmetics

Think about it, if you make a cosmetic product without preservatives, how long will it keep its freshness? Not more than a week, and then if you put it in the refrigerator immediately after production. Have you ever met a factory cream that lasts only one week? Of course not. Therefore, the naturalness of industrially produced cosmetics is no more than a publicity stunt.

What is the harm of cosmetics?

The answer is simple - in chemical additives. It is no secret that all kinds of preservatives, dyes, flavors and much, much more are added to cosmetics. With their help, the product can be stored for a long time, have a pleasant smell and color, weightless texture. All this does not benefit the body, rather, on the contrary, it can negatively affect it. For this reason, it is desirable to minimize contact with such artificial substances and agents.

When choosing the safest cosmetics, it is necessary to study the composition of the product, find out what ingredients are included in it and how they affect the skin and human health. All manufacturers at the beginning of the description of the composition of their cosmetics indicate exactly those components, the concentration of which in this shampoo or cream is higher.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with what is still part of our favorite cosmetics.

• Fats and oils of natural, synthetic and semi-synthetic origin. For example, Tallow, Animal Fat are natural fats added to shampoos. They envelop each strand of hair, preventing it from dryness and pollution. And Lanolin is often added to body and face creams, which helps soften the skin, but often makes it more sensitive and.
• The list of many cosmetics may include Mineral Oil - a common technical oil. It consists of liquid hydrocarbons derived from gasoline. This ingredient is used in cosmetics as a moisturizer. Its mechanism of action is simple - it locks water in the cells, forming a kind of water-repellent film. This film interferes with the full functioning of the skin, depleting and irritating it, making it more sensitive.
• The list may also include emulsifiers - for example, Glyceryl. Without emulsifiers, it is impossible to imagine the production of any cream. However, if the percentage of their content is too high, the functions of the skin may be impaired, it will become drier and tighter.
• Then there are the preservatives. With their help, the contents of beautiful bottles and jars can be stored for a long time. Preservatives inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria, but in addition to them, they also have a destructive effect on skin cells. For example, the preservative TEM - Trithanolamine interacts with nitrates, resulting in the substance nitrosamines - extremely carcinogenic, capable.
• The composition of cosmetics can also complement bronopol. This substance is a derivative of formalin. It is found in many deodorants and creams. Its concentration is considered safe up to 1%. Otherwise, health problems may appear. Bronopol is often found in Russian, Belarusian and Swedish Oriflame cosmetics.

This may be the “natural” promised by advertising, but in fact 100% chemical cosmetics. And the harm from it can be greater than the benefit. Use industrial cosmetics with caution if you have oily or excessively dry skin, if you have or. Pay attention to the notorious "grandmother's" recipes. Instead of a purchased scrub, make a scrub from sleeping coffee, take clay for deep cleansing, and rinse your hair with water with lemon juice or herbal infusions. Be healthy!

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