Not pretty, but true. A new study by the Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research (DIPSAR) uncovers dreaded toxins and adulterants in lipsticks, kajal, talcum powders, hair colours, toothpastes and shampoos. At the Indian Institute of Toxicological Research (IITR) in Lucknow, ongoing tests show up traces of toxicity in cosmetics. Studies on eye products by the Indian Eye Research Group (IERG) reveal how eye make-up can cause cancer. Herbal products are under fire for carrying harmful chemicals, with an Indian shampoo testing positive in the international market this year. Debates are raging about cancer-causing preservatives. Nanoparticles hiding in high-end cosmetics are being called the "new asbestos for skin". "We are exposed to a large number of chemicals through cosmetics every day, but not many people are aware of it," says Dr K.C. Gupta, director, IITR. "Most do not disclose all their ingredients-sometimes to guard trade secrets and often because the rules are not stringent."
Hope in a jar or the beauty myth? Global surveys indicate a new premium on beauty. Economists analyse why beauty helps us earn more, while sociologists show how we assign positive attributes to beautiful people. No wonder, the beauty market in India is growing at a blinding clip of 17% - twice as fast as that of the US. A 2009 four-metro Nielsen survey on modern attitudes toward beauty found over 90% of women willing to splurge on beauty products, regardless of price. "The greater presence of women in the corporate world is boosting the culture of looking good and feeling good," points out Dr Ranjan Pai, managing director of Manipal Education and Medical Group in Bangalore, which forayed into beauty and wellness retail to target them.
But the beauty boom is matched by patient footfalls, reporting adverse reaction to cosmetics. Dermatologists and ophthalmologists are raising the alarm: medics from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) report that 69% of clients of top beauty parlours in Delhi get acne and puffiness. Fragrance, deodorants, hair dyes, sindur and eye make-up are the worst offenders, report others. About 3.3% of the population is allergic to cosmetics, shows another. "In hospital allergy clinics, 10-15% patients have cosmetic-related problems," says Dr V.K. Sharma, head of dermatology at AIIMS. "Mostly from hair-dyes, colours, fairness creams, sunscreens and herbal preparations."
Herbal is a misnomer, he adds. "Just a tiny part is herbal, the rest is like any other product." Untoward reaction to cosmetics is a common reason for eye problems-from eyelid inflammation to eczema, allergies to dry eyes. "There are too many products with toxic impurities, especially in the parallel market,"says Dr Vaishal Kenia, who heads the Kenia Eye Hospital in Mumbai. "Repeated exposure to these can cause serious long-term disorders." The DIPSAR research confirms their worst fears. Since 2008, the researchers have been busy in their lab, under the supervision of professor S.S. Agrawal, the former director. In 2009, out of 53 brands of lipstick, kajal, talcum powders, shampoos and hair colour brands, they found toxic elements like lead, copper, nickel, chromium, cobalt, arsenic in almost all-some containing as much as 20 parts per million of lead. What's more, the tests showed liver injury after 28 days of oral administration on rats. "Of the shampoo brands we studied, some were found to carry controversial preservative, parabens - that can disrupt the endocrines and cause cancer-way above the acceptable level of 0.8%," says Agrawal. "The market needs serious attention, regulation and safety standards." The DIPSAR report created an impact, and not just in the Lok Sabha. This year their study reveals significant lowering of heavy metal in all the brands they studied.
Along with chemistry, the world of modern cosmetics has taken a quantum leap forward in the new millennium. That means, there are many more chemicals per capita consumption; that the line of demarcation between drugs and cosmetics is getting slimmer; and that the rampant use of unregulated (and often unmentioned) chemicals can seriously compromise health. "Cosmetics today carry ingredients that should really be classified as drugs," says Dr Abbas Ali Mahdi, professor and head of biochemistry at Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University, Lucknow. But they escape the strict testing, vigilance and standardisation that drugs go through.
Take the anti-wrinkle market. The products highlight ingredients-say, collagen, alpha hydroxy acid or hyaluronic acid-that give them a hint of medical authenticity. "Nobody really knows what they add," says Mahdi. "They are supposed to raise the skin's collagen content, but actually interfere with its natural mechanism and can cause damage." Similarly, most fairness creams use a potentially carcinogenc chemical, hydroquinone, that interferes with the skin's colouring agents, melanocytes.
The new fear factor on the cosmetics front is a byproduct of cutting-edge science: nanoparticles (or particles 70 times smaller than a red blood cell), that are being adopted by big-ticket cosmetic brands-including Revlon, Clarins, Clinique, Max Factor, the Body Shop, L'Oreal and Lancome Paris-ahead of studies establishing health or environmental hazards.
Ever since the environmental network, Friends of the Earth, brought out test reports in 2008-09, nanotoxicity has become a global issue. "Nanoparticles are added to cosmetics to make them more effective," says Gupta. "But the minuscule particles can penetrate the skin, blood vessels, cells and accumulate in organs." They can produce free radicals and cause dna and cell damage. The IITR tests have found nano-titanium oxide and zinc oxide in cosmetics.
There's an alphabet soup on store shelves. But which do you choose? The Rs 60 kajal that can give you lead poisoning or the Rs 2,000 sunscreen that can lead to cancer? Half the skin-care market in India is taken up by fairness creams, but do you want to "get ahead" in life on hydroquinone? How safe is it to reach out for "herbal" products?
The banned Himalaya shampoos in UAE now comply with safety norms. Why didn't they before? And why does Fabindia's Seabuckthorn shampoo contain a synthetic foaming agent, sodium laureth sulfate, that's also controversial? Too many questions that deal with vital issues of health and not enough that provide any answer. So cross your fingers and hope that science will eventually force the government to wake up and the beauty industry to get a conscience.
Heavy Metal Test - Flouting lead content (permissible limits: 20ppm)
- Lipstick Revlon 20.3, Elle 18 24.2
- Talcum Cinthol 21, Dermicool 21.9
- Shampoo Head & Shoulders 24.2, Clinic All Clear 32.8
- Kajal Revlon Streetwear 136.3, Lakme 123.1 Biotique 28.1
- Hair colour Godrej Expert Powder 71.9, Super Vasmol 33.3
Source: Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, 2009. Top scorers out of 10 lipstick, 15 kajal, 10 talcum, 7 shampoo and 11 hair colour brands
Shampoo
Chemicals 15
CHECK sodium lauryl sulphate or laureth sulfate
RISK skin and eye damage, potentially carcinogenic
*
Foundation
Chemicals 24
CHECK polymethyl methacrylate
RISK allergies, immune system disruptions, potentially carcinogenic
*
Eye Shadow
Chemicals 26
CHECK phthalate
RISK infertility, hormonal disruption, potentially carcinogenic
*
Blusher
Chemicals 16
CHECK parabens
RISK rashes, irritation, hormonal disruption, potentially carcinogenic
*
Lipstick
CHEMICALS 33
CHECK polymethyl methacrylate
RISK allergies, potentially carcinogenic
*
NAIL VARNISH
CHEMICALS 31
CHECK phthalates, formaldehyde
RISK infertility, hormonal disruption, skin rashes, potentially carcinogenic
*
PERFUME
CHEMICALS 400
CHECK benzaldehyde
RISK irritation, nausea, kidney damage, potentially carcinogenic
*
BODY LOTION
CHEMICALS 32
CHECK parabens
RISK allergy, hormonal disruptions, potentially carcinogenic
Source: Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database
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