Having been contributing to the 1Source blog, the platform has introduced me to the deeper side of the beauty industry, especially as a skincare junkie, I became more aware about the ingredients that I put onto my skin.

Using 1Source upload / scan, the revelation of ingredients leaves a long lasting impression about a product I use. And it certainly becomes disappointing when a product I really like has suspicious toxic chemicals.

Common toxic chemicals I find in good products are Phenoxyethanol and suspicious Colorants.

Example: Phenoxyethanol – How I personally use the app

To clarify, Phenoxyethanol is not a ‘bad’ chemical in skincare products. It’s a ‘great’ preservative and the best, for now – it replaced Formaldehyde, which to me looks like a sign that cosmetic brands are regularly finding / forming better and advanced chemicals for us.

Here is an excerpt of what Paula’s Choice (skincare and makeup focused site) had to say about Phenoxyethanol

‘Phenoxyethanol is a widely used synthetic preservative that has global approval for use in all cosmetic products in concentrations up to 1%’

‘The rest of the alarming studies are about using phenoxyethanol in full-strength or atypically high concentrations, not the amounts of 1% or less used in cosmetic products. Think of it as the difference between taking one sip of wine versus chugging several bottles at once!’

Hence approving and debunking the demonization of Phenoxyethanol.

However, the information 1Source Ingredients that provide about Phenoxyethanol should also not be ignored. As a science focused ingredient analyzer, 1Source’s ingredient information tab provides a summary of the ingredients and corresponding it to the potential risk index (PRI)

1Source’s PRI of Phenoxyethanol

Overall Phenoxyethanol has a rating of 5

‘Some blogs may claim that there is a link to ovarian cancer but the correlation has yet to be accepted by the scientific community as definitive…An alternative to formaldehyde-releasing preservatives’

And in the recent findings section. It has warnings and summary of scientific discoveries of the chemical, for example suggesting to not use it for new born babies and informing the ecotoxicity of the chemical.

Overall, the EU SCCS has classified phenoxyethanol as safe for use as a preservative with a maximum concentration of 1.0%. However, care should still be taken when using products with phenoxyethanol, given its potential as a skin irritant.’

Conscious Buying

So that’s how I use the 1Source app/site, it provides information that I find skincare focused sites seem to lack. I don’t only want to know if it would be good or bad for my skin. I want to know why it would be good or bad. I also like to know about the background of the ingredient more as a chemical substance rather than a name in an ingredient label on the back of a packaging. That, to me, is conscious buying.

I am in no way calling out other sites or am comparing 1Source to Paula’s Choice. Paula’s Choice is indeed reliable and informative, and of course, I will use it when it comes to choosing makeup and skincare products, as I use 1Source as well.

The Conspiracy of non-regulated chemicals

A few days ago, I came across a tiktok (unfortunately, I can’t find it anymore) where a user shows a list of chemicals that are banned in the EU for food / cosmetic uses that are fine in the USA.

From what I remember, he points out that the overall health of the European population tends to be better than that of the US is because the FDA is not as strict as the EU consumer regulations. He added that the reason is because unlike Europe which has freer healthcare and is seen like a social welfare, health care in the US is an economy or to be more accurate, a business of its own. The conspiracy is that if the unhealthy and toxic chemicals are banned, there would be less patients which threatens the economy of the country. 

Though, convincing. It doesn’t explain why some EU banned chemicals are in Hong Kong stores when public healthcare in Hong Kong is more similar to the EU rather than the USA.

According to Oliver Milman on the Guardian,  In cosmetics alone, the EU has banned or restricted more than 1,300 chemicals while the US has outlawed or curbed just 11.

Milman: ‘The clout of powerful industry interests, combined with a regulatory system that demands a high level of proof of harm before any action is taken, has led to the American public being routinely exposed to chemicals that have been rubbed out of the lives of people in countries such as the UK, Germany and France.

From this article, Asbestos was used as an example of the poor regulatory system of the US. ‘Asbestos exposure has long been known to cause deaths and illnesses but the substance is still not banned in the US. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) attempted to do so in 1989 only to be overturned by the federal court following a backlash from manufacturers.

In 1source, all types of Asbestos are labeled as a hazard. This substance has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

As much as it is fun to entertain the conspiracy. The fact is that the FDA in the USA is limited by law. According to them: FDA does not have the legal authority to approve cosmetics before they go on the market, although we do approve color additives used in them (except coal tar hair dyes)… FDA can take action against a cosmetic on the market if we have reliable information showing that it is adulterated or misbranded.

As I read this, I realized that it isn’t just makeup or skincare products that is not strictly checked. This applies to tattoo inks as they are categorized as cosmetics to the FDA too. The pattern becomes more apparent. ‘A report by Bioelements and Health Unit Italian Ministry for Health Roma categorized the heavy metals into different colorants and their health effects were reported to vary from mild irritations to harming of the brain.’

(click here to read more about the dangers of tattoo inks)

Products I use that I found to have ‘toxic’ or banned chemicals

Disclaimer: this section of the article is to show the products that I used that surprised me with it’s ingredient compounds. The performance and my “love” for the product has no relevance to this section.

Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub

This includes the colorant CI 73360 a.k.a Red 30 which is an Environmental Hazard.

Yves Saint Laurent TOP SECRETS Instant Moisture Glow

This includes the colorant CI 14700 a.k.a Red 4. This substance has been prohibited by the European Commission for use in cosmetic products.

FENTY BEAUTY Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer – Shimmering Rose Nude)

This includes the colorant CI 15850 a.k.a Red 6. This substance has been prohibited by the European Commission for use in cosmetic products.

Superdrug Vitamin E Skincare Gentle Micellar Solution

It says Bronopol – May release Formaldehyde under aqueous conditions, such as contacting with water or in humid conditions, which is quite an eye opener.

It also has Benzophenone-4. This compound is categorized in WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) 2018 – Group 2B

Honorable mentions of products that I like which are 1Source acceptable

Visible Ingredients SPRAY MASK



Overall Rating: 1

La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra Night Soothing Repair Moisturizer

Overall rating: 3

Tony Moly Egg Pore Blackhead Steam Balm

Overall rating: 4

Vichy Mineral 89

Overall rating: 4

Conclusion:

Comparing my consumer behavior now to before, it’s empowering to see how more aware I became with the products I use. Buying consumer goods is in my power even if I am to choose to buy a product with a chemical to look out for, I would at least know now.


References:

 “Formaldehyde – 1Source – 1Source.com.” https://1source.com/ingredients/formaldehyde. Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.

“phenoxyethanol | Paula’s Choice.” https://www.paulaschoice.com/ingredient-dictionary/preservatives/phenoxyethanol.html. Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.

“Phenoxyethanol – 1Source.” https://1source.com/ingredients/phenoxyethanol. Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.

“US cosmetics are full of chemicals banned by Europe – why? | US ….” 22 May. 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/22/chemicals-in-cosmetics-us-restricted-eu. Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.

“Asbestos – 1Source – 1Source.com.” https://1source.com/ingredients/asbestos?lang=eng. Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.

“Cosmetics Q&A: Why are cosmetics not FDA-approved? | FDA.” 24 Aug. 2020, https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/resources-consumers-cosmetics/cosmetics-qa-why-are-cosmetics-not-fda-approved. Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.

 “Tattoo Taboo: Think before you Ink – 1Source.” https://1source.com/holistic/tattoo-inks-what-you-should-worry-about. Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.