Decoding the contents and safety of your beauty products can pose a serious challenge for you as a consumer. Are you confused by all the jargon and unpronounceable names found on cosmetic labels? Finding it hard to tell your phthalates from your parabens? Wondering how many words have arcane or hidden meanings such as Fragrance (which doesn't ever just mean a sweet smell on a label)?
You are not alone.
Do you suspect that some of the reassuring sounding words on a label are empty and meaningless? Unfortunately this is true in many instances. Short of throwing out all your cosmetics for safety's sake, is there anything you can do to defend yourself from unhealthy ingredients?
Here are eight familiar buzzwords and phrases we keep hearing and reading on beauty products, decoded and defrocked for your protection.
1) Alcohol-free
How come if the label says alcohol-free, it might still have different types of alcohol listed? Because the one referred to by "alcohol-free" is usually ethanol. Ethanol is the one you want to avoid because it can be drying.
But others such as cetyl, cetearyl, lanolin or stearyl alcohol, known as fatty alcohols, are actually moisturizing. Isopropyl alcohol is hardly ever found in makeup.
2) Cruelty-free or Not Tested on Animals
Things get a little complicated because while a manufacturer may not have used animals in testing for, say, their finished products, they may have used supplies or labs that have performed animal testing. So, are such manufacturers cruelty-free? Well, yes and no. Sort of.
While a particular product may not have had animal testing, chances are testing on animals has been instrumental at some point along the way. What you really want to know is, are animals being used currently? Be on the lookout for "not currently tested" or "no new testing" on a product.
In the long run, though, none of this type of terminology has any actual legal meaning. It can be used to put one over on you, the consumer.
There are no legal restrictions or definitions from the FDA or any other American agency concerning these phrases. To be fair, neither, though, does the FDA require animal testing on cosmetics. The FDA leaves this matter entirely to the discretion of the cosmetic company.
You may be further ahead by looking for endorsement indicated with a logo by a group like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, otherwise known as PETA.
3) Hypoallergenic
While "hypoallergenic" gets bandied about, and gives the impression that a product is less likely to cause problem for a person with allergies or sensitive skin, legally the word is meaningless. Anyone can say this. The FDA reports that there are no federal definitions or standards for the term. Dermatologists, according to the FDA, say the term really doesn't mean anything.
Cosmetics are required by the FDA to carry a list, in order from greatest to smallest, of all their ingredients. Becoming familiar with a product's ingredients may help to protect you from buying something you'll have a reaction to.
4) Noncomedogenic
"Comedo" is a blemish that is caused by a blocked pore, according to the American Academy of Dermatologists. Supposedly, the product labeled as "noncomedogenic" will not clog pores or cause acne.
Use of this term is not regulated by the FDA or any other American agency. It may mean the product has no oil in it. Or it may not. To avoid products that might block your pores look instead at the ingredient lists on the labels. WebMD.com recommends you avoid these.
5) Shelf-life or Expiration date
This, by definition, indicates how long the product will be usable under normal circumstances. Storage in the warm and the damp can cause some products to expire earlier than is stated on the label. But the FDA does not require manufacturers to provide an expiration date on products though manufacturers must determine the shelf life for a product. This information need not be shared with the consumer however.
Any indication of possible shelf life on a product is based on an estimate that may or may not be accurate for the product, particularly if it hasn't been stored according to manufacturer's recommendations.
Prevention and EWG Offer Free Apps
To aid in the ongoing and sometimes overwhelming quest for safe and healthy products, Prevention.com recommends two beauty apps that are available for free.
Think Dirty has 12,000 products in its database, with sources that include peer-reviewed studies, international government warning lists and science agencies. You can use it with your iPhone.
Skin Deep has 78,000 products in its database from the Environmental Working Group. You can use it with your iPhone and Android.
All you have to do is type in the product's name, or scan a bar code and let the apps inform you.
Sources:
How to Read a Cosmetics Label. Web.MD.com. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2015.
http://www.webmd.com/beauty/makeup/how-read-makeup-labels
Alcohol-Free Skincare: Decoding the Labels. Youbeauty.com. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2015.
http://www.youbeauty.com/skin/columns/beauty-informer/alcohol-in-skincare
What does "noncomedogenic" mean, and is it important? Corsilver.com. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2015.
http://corsilver.com/blogs/the-beautiful-skin-blog/11887677-what-does-no...
Shelf Life/Expiration Dating. FDA.gov. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2015.
http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/Labeling/ExpirationDating/default.htm
Cosmetics Safety Q&A: Animal Testing. FDA.gov. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2015.
http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm167216.htm
"Cruelty Free"/"Not Tested on Animals". FDA.gov. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2015.
http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/Labeling/Claims/ucm2005202.htm
Beauty Without Bunnies: Search for Cruelty-Free Cosmetics, Personal-Care Products, and More. PETA.org. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2015.
http://features.peta.org/cruelty-free-company-search/index.aspx
Beauty Without Bunnies 101. PETA.org. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2015.
http://www.peta.org/living/beauty/beauty-without-bunnies
"Hypoallergenic" Cosmetics. FDA.gov. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2015.
http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/Labeling/Claims/ucm2005203.htm
Free Beauty Apps You Need. Prevention.com. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2015.
http://www.prevention.com/beauty/beauty/new-beauty-apps-make-identifying...
Visit Jody's website at http://www.ncubator.ca
Reviewed January 30, 2015
by Michele Blacksberg RN