Do Chemicals in Cosmetics Accumulate in Your Body?

Colin Sanders has posted a long and informative article on cosmetics, skin absorption  and the long term effects therein over at the Personal Care site. Colin Sanders has been a formulator of cosmetic and topical pharmaceuticals for 27 years and an active member of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists since 1985. You can also read more of Colin’s writing at Colin’s Beauty Pages.

The core conclusion of his article, which agrees with the science that I’ve linked here in previous articles, is that there are no long term studies of cosmetic accumulation, because there is no long term accumulation.

The skin is an incredible barrier.  It keeps the good stuff in, and the bad stuff out…and that’s sort of the whole reason it exists.

Which is not to suggest that there aren’t chemicals capable of breaching that barrier.  Mr. Sanders points out that formulators stay on top of research and journals because it’s important that we know not only how chemicals can impact the users of our products, but also how our products are impacting the general well being of the planet as a whole.

Go read the article.  Then go check out his research on parabens. It’s fascinating.

• The Truth about Parabens I – What they are
• The Truth about Parabens II – The Case Against
• The Truth about Parabens III – Breast Cancer is on the increase
• The Truth about Parabens IV – Parabens are oestrogen mimickers?
• The Truth about Parabens V – love or hate them, they are everywhere
• The Truth about Parabens VI – Left breast more likely to develop cancer than right breast
• The Truth about Parabens VII – Conclusion: more work needs to be done to prove that parabens are indeed safe.
• The Truth about Parabens VIII – How can big cosmetic companies regain the trust of the consumer?