When the alarm clock awakens her in the morning, she slowly gets out of bed, turns on the shower and under the steady stream of water, she gently scrubs her body with Ammonia, Formaldehyde and Phenol.

Next she shampoos her hair with DEA and Sodium Lauryl Sulphate.

Rinsing out the shampoo, she then applies a good amount of mutagenic DEA and Propylene Glycol and lets it penetrate while she pops the top on the shaving cream and shaves her legs with A-Pinene.

The shower finished, she towel dries and spreads on an even coating of contaminant, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PHAs) and a dusting of an asbestos-like substance (Talc) over her skin.

She then sprays the scented Aluminium under her arms, brushes her teeth with FD&C Blue, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, and Saccharin and Fluoride. Then she rinses and gargles with Ethanol and Phenol Alcohol.

She combs setting gel through her hair then blows it dry and sprays it with Polyvinyl pyrrolidine (PVP).

Sitting at her vanity, she carefully applies a thin film of Phenol Carbolic Acid, Dioxin and Propylene Glycol, over her face to reduce the fine lines.

Today, she’ll wear foundation and a little FD&C Red#3. She’ll add some Iron Oxide around the eyes, for today she has a special meeting and a little Toxic and Mutagenic Ascorbyl Palmitate to line her lids and a stroke of Bacteria and Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone (PVP) to her lashes.

A dab of Benzo-A-Pyrene and Benzo B-Fluoranthene to colour her lips, a spritz of her favourite scent, Toluene and Benzaldehyde, and a little carcinogenic Nitrosamine, NMP ABAO, on her face, arms and legs to block the sun’s rays and she is set for the day.

She looks absolutely radiant and healthy…

But unknowingly… her looks are killing her!

If you are wondering if these poisons are being absorbed through her skin… Go and just open a clove of garlic and rub it on the bottom of your foot and see how long it takes to taste it in your mouth… about 3 seconds!

THE NOT-SO-BAD GUYS

Makeup is an entirely unnatural phenomenon and no makeup product can claim to be 100-percent safe. Even those that don’t have carcinogens may use ingredients that cause allergic reactions, irritation, or photosensitivity. Or they may use ingredients deemed safe only because there are no solidly safe alternatives.

However, some manufacturers have shown a commitment to formulating whole products that are as low in known toxins as possible. These include Neways, Dr. Hauschka, Aveda and Aubrey in the US. But since not every product in these lines is completely benign, there is no substitute for reading labels and checking what the safer ingredients are.

Look for natural waxes like beeswax and carnauba, plant oils, and titanium dioxide, and more natural powders based on cornstarch, kaolin and silk. Make sure these are not just added to pay lip service to the idea of “natural”.

Environmental Chemicals

According to Environmental Chemicals compiled by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in 2001, while levels of lead in human tissues appear to be declining, there has been a rise in other things—levels of mercury.

Mercury-containing ingredients, such as phenylmercuric acetate, are common in cosmetics. Indeed, the same preservatives found in vaccines, toiletries and even makeup removers, eye moisturisers and mascara. These refer to mercury by one of its many synonyms—Mercurochrome, Merthiolate, sodium ethylmercurithiosalicylate, thimerosal, ethoxyethylmercurithiosalicylate, or mercurophen.

Mercury is absorbed more easily through the skin than it is when swallowed. It can impair the immune system and kidney function and affect brain development in children.

Heavy metals also get into cosmetics in other ways. They are contaminants in pigments and talc. One Finnish study looked at 88 brands of eyeshadow and found that 75% of the products contained more than 5 ppm of at least one heavy metal, including lead, cadmium, cobalt, nickel, arsenic and chromium. The levels of lead and nickel were 14 ppm and 49 ppm respectively—enough to cause an allergic reaction in sensitive individuals.

Sunscreen Hype

Sunscreens are also easily absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream. Many of the most common UV-filtering chemicals, such as benzophenone-3, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC), homosalate, octyl-methoxycinnamate (OMC), and butyl-methoxydibenzoylmethane (B-MDM) have been shown to mimic oestrogen and increase breast cancer cell growth. These hormone disruptors may also affect sperm quality.

Even more concerning is that these ingredients are included in products meant for children, pregnant women, and everyday use.

Colour Concerns

Most of us avoid foods that contain artificial colours, yet every day women paint their faces with a wide range of artificial colours known to cause allergic reactions, central nervous system (CNS) disorders and autoimmune diseases.

Artificial colours in makeup are often listed under FD&C or D&C labels with numbers. While use in food is highly regulated, in cosmetics it is not. Europe has stricter limits on the use of colours in cosmetics than the US. For example, D&C Red 33, which has been banned in Europe due to its carcinogenic effects, is still used in lipsticks in the US.