4 make-up products you should stop using immediately

Are you aware that more than 60 per cent of your make-up is absorbed by the body?

KARACHI: Those pretty little trinkets you see in cosmetic stores are deceptive -- they're secretly wreaking havoc on your body.

Most girls don't realise the dangers associated with make-up and refuse to leave the house without applying their basic beauty products, however this daily cosmetic application on the skin causes negative effects on one's body.

Read: The Cost of Beauty - The Harmful Effects of Makeup on Your Skin

It's common knowledge that the skin absorbs make-up; up to 60 per cent of the chemicals you apply to your body seep into the epidermis, blood stream and finally, internal organs. But how much harm does this really cause?

Let's take a look at some of the toxic chemicals we apply to our skin:

1. Talcum Powder/ Talc

PHOTO: THE GUARDIAN

Licensed Esthetician, Shelly Ballestero claims that one of the main ingredients in baby powders, face powders and loose mineral cosmetics is talc. This toxic mineral is a known carcinogen and can cause ovarian cancer and lung tumor.

According to HuffPost, dusting talc powder on the body can result in inhalation of this carcinogenic mineral and cause acute or chronic lung irritation. In addition, using talc powder on genitals is also a cause of ovarian cancer because talc particles move through the reproductive system and embed on the lining of the ovaries leading to serious health hazards.

2. Lipstick

PHOTO: GREEN LICHEN

According to a study quoted by the New York Times, "Millions of women and girls apply lipstick every day. And not just once: some style-conscious users touch up their color more than 20 times a day". But are you aware that each lipstick contains traces of lead and as many as eight other metals, from cadmium to aluminium? Even the carcinogenic chemical titanium dioxide is found in lipstick formulas.

Aluminum is added to lipsticks as a stabilizer, claims Linda Loretz, chief toxicologist for the Personal Care Products Council: “It keeps colors from bleeding.” While titanium doxide is used as a whitening agent, softening reds into pinks.

Long-term exposure to such chemicals is extremely harmful because they are absorbed by the skin. Other chemicals such as ocopheryl acetate and retinyl acetate are also present in drugstore lipsticks in nanoparticle form. Nanoparticles cross the cell barrier and travel into organs, including the brain in humans causing brain damage and lead poisoning in the body.

Read: Toxic make-up: Looks that can kill

3. Mascara

PHOTO: BUMPING HANGER

Dramatic eyes are all the hype, but the dangers associated with it are not as exciting. Mascara contains metallic substance aluminium powder which is used as a cosmetic colourant, as well as preservatives called parabens which prevent bacteria from growing inside the mascara.

According to Medical Daily, long-term exposure of aluminum powder can impair the body’s ability to excrete mercury and as a result, cause the mercury in your body to become toxic.

Another harmful ingredient which causes skin irritation, propylene glycol is also present in this beauty product. It can cause an allergic skin reaction, which results in a red, inflamed rash paired with constant itching and minor pain.

4. Foundation:

PHOTO: BLOG.UDEMY

A must-have for most women, this product is generously lathered on most women's faces and necks. Liquid foundation, for example, contains plentiful harmful chemicals including propylene glycol, methylparaben, and propylparaben -- all of which disrupt the endocrine system causing havoc in all biological processes of the body such as function of the reproductive system and development of the brain and nervous system.

According to Ann Marie Gianni, all endocrine disruptors have been labelled a "global threat" to fertility and the environment by the World Health Organisation.

Foundation is also known to contain butylated compounds (BHT, BHA) as preservatives. These harmful chemicals can cause skin allergies and are  linked to organ, developmental, and reproductive toxicity.