Mascara and False eyelashes

Is Your Mascara Toxic?

Both Consumer Reports and the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommend mascara as a safe alternative to false eyelashes or extensions, but mascara isn’t without risk either. For starters, in a study of 49 different face makeup items, including seven mascaras, their testing revealed serious heavy metal contamination in virtually all of the products:12

• 96 percent contained lead
• 90 percent contained beryllium
• 61 percent contained thallium
• 51 percent contained cadmium
• 20 percent contained arsenic

Further, each product contained an average of two of the four metals of highest concern (arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury), which are designated as toxic in Canada because of proven health concerns. Most of the products also contained an average of four of the eight metals tested (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, nickel, beryllium, thallium, and selenium). Other common chemicals in mascara include:13

• Parabens: Synthetic preservatives known to interfere with hormone production and release. Studies have shown that parabens can affect your body much like the estrogens, which can lead to diminished muscle mass, extra fat storage, and male gynecomastia (breast growth). Other studies have also linked parabens to breast cancer. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has linked methyl parabens in particular to metabolic, developmental, hormonal, and neurological disorders, as well as various cancers.
• Phthalates: Another synthetic preservative that’s carcinogenic and linked to reproductive effects (decreased sperm counts, early breast development, birth defects) and liver and kidney damage.
• Petroleum products: Petroleum products coat your skin like plastic – clogging pores and creating a build-up of toxins. They can also disrupt hormonal activity.
• Dioxane: This toxic byproduct is "probably carcinogenic to humans," and is toxic to your brain, central nervous system, kidneys, and liver.

Another consideration is bacterial contamination. A study in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science revealed the presence of Staphylococcus aureus in 79 percent of mascara samples tested.14 Dr. Jody Krukowski of the University of Kansas Medical Center’s Department of Integrative Medicine told Bustle:15

“The moist, dark environment inside of the mascara tube combined with normal daily eye secretions that get transferred from the mascara wand to the tube creates the perfect place for bacteria to grow… [And because there are] many pores where eyelashes come out of the eyelids as well as glands and tear ducts, our eyes become very vulnerable to infection.”http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/03/28/eyelashes-keep-eyes-safe.aspx?e_cid=20150328Z1_DNL_B_art_2&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art2&utm_campaign=20150328Z1_DNL_B&et_cid=DM72908&et_rid=893597497