Parabéns, Fragrances, Sulphates, Formaldehyde, Gel Nailpolish

Common Personal Care ingredients to watch out for.

Your skin contributes to the way your body breathes.

It is a detoxification organ and your first protection within your immune system, full of active cellular pathways and signals that happen to keep your barrier intact and healthy, without you even thinking about it.

Due to the expanse of surface area, your skin has a vast capacity to absorb chemicals that contact it, including synthetic materials made in a lab to mimic natural ingredients and to extend shelf life, enhance texture, smell and overall experience.

Daily tiny dosing can build up in your organs and tissues, potentially harming them and disrupting your hormones and essential cell functions.

I have used the visual below before, but i love the way it really reminds us that we have a degree of control over our exposures.

5 Common Ingredients to Watch Out for :

Fragrance

Look closely at the ingredients on many personal care products, soap, and cleanser labels, and you are likely to see “fragrance” (or “parfum” or “scent”). Companies are not required to disclose what chemicals are in “fragrance” because it’s considered a trade secret. Unfortunately, it may be any of over 3,000 chemicals, including many known carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxins, allergens, and other potentially toxic ingredients.

As just one example, the US Environmental Working Group found that 75% of products that list “fragrance” contain phthalates, a potential hormone-disrupting chemical linked to serious health issues and banned in many other countries, such as Canada, South Korea and the European Union.

Parabens

Look for any ingredient ending in “paraben” on soaps and cleansers, such as methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben. These ingredients are included to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold, but unfortunately, they come with some potentially very serious downsides.

Research found that parabens are easily absorbed by the skin and can tend to stay in the body’s tissues and fluids. They are xenoestrogens, meaning they can mimic oestrogen, causing the body to react in various ways to the perceived excess of oestrogen. This may lead to multiple issues, including potentially increasing the risk of breast cancer. Furthermore, parabens may raise cellular-level damage caused by UV exposure, which may raise the risk of skin cancer.

Sulphates

Common sulphates include Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and Sodium Laureth Sulphate, which produce lathers and bubbles in soap. This is a banned substance in the EU, demonstrated to cause cancer in rats.

Unfortunately, these chemicals can strip your skin of its natural oils, cause local dryness and irritation, as well as increase penetration of the skin’s surface. They have been linked to skin, eye, and lung reactions, including eczematous dermatitis.
When combined with other ingredients frequently found in cleansers, soaps, and shampoos, sulphates can create nitrosamine, one of the chemicals banned in the EU.
In addition to being a likely carcinogen, research shows 1, 4-dioxane can easily penetrate the skin and may cause irritations of the eyes and respiratory tract.

Formaldehyde / Formaldehyde-Releasing Preservatives

These chemicals are added to soaps and other personal care products to help prevent microbes from growing. However, even though they are still widely used in products, they have been deemed a human carcinogen by the United States National Toxicology Program and The International Agency for Research on Carcinogens.

They may also cause allergic skin reactions and compromise the immune system.
In soaps, rather than adding formaldehyde directly, manufacturers often add preservatives that can release formaldehyde, such as quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidine urea, diazolidine urea, polyoxymethylene urea, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, bronopol, and glyoxal.

and now ….. Gel Nail Polishes

The European union is now prohibiting the use of a key chemical in some Gel nail polishes. The ban, effective this week targets TRIMETHYLBENZOYL Diphenylphosphine oxide (TPO). It has been classified as a reproductive toxicant. TPO is a photo initiator, meaning it helps the polish set under UV light.

Consider asking your manicurist for the non TPO options, as they are available.

This is a regulatory restriction on the ingredient TPO, not on all Gel nail polish. For example, Gel colour “OPI” is a professional semi-permanent solution lasting up to 3 weeks and are now available as TPO free.

I suspect that manufacturers do not knowingly set out to harm, however synthetic ingredients are far cheaper than their naturally based or organic alternatives. When you are a major brand with global reach, it can be more about the dollar than patient care and ethics.

For example, I have written previously that several brands of acne wash and dry shampoos were removed from shelves globally in 2024. These products were proven to contain high levels of known carcinogens.

Broadly, I would be cautious of what’s offered cheaply in the bins outside chemist shops, no matter price, how pretty they look or how nice they smell. I encourage you to share this information with family, daughters and granddaughters.

Resources:

Therapeutic Goods Australia (TGA) Industrial Chemicals Act 2019

Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing tga.gov.au

Environmental Working Group www.ewg.org