by Linda Chaé

©2007

The following are ingredients commonly contained in many skin care and acne care products that have been found to be hormone disruptors. Antibacterial ingredients, for example, can contain xeno-estrogens, which are known to mimic or block the actions of the hormones. Teens and women of all ages are suffering from scrambled hormones contained in foods and many personal care products.

Acne is often caused and perpetuated from the imbalance in estrogens and progesterone. Thus, conscious marketers have the opportunity to bring acne products, skin care products and progesterone creams to market Free from the very hormone disrupting ingredients that potentially caused the problem. Below are references about the strong possibility that some of these chemicals may also contribute to obesity.

Parabens. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has called parabens the most widely used preservatives in the United States and they have been detected for the first time in human breast cancer tissue. A decade ago Brunell University in Great Britain, identified parabens as xeno-estrogens that penetrated the skin. After skin applications with diluted parabens representing the level used as preservatives, Dr. Rutiledge and his team detected their presence in urine. Their studies found these xeno-estrogens contributed to sterility in male mice and hormone imbalances in females.

Dioxins. These are a class of chlorine-containing chemicals widely recognized as some of the most toxic chemicals ever made by humans. Dioxins are often contained in antibacterial ingredients, such as triclosan. Most Acne products contain antibacterial ingredients.

Phthalates. Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have found that chemicals called phthalates, which are known hormone disruptors, cause birth defects in animals. These are powerful reproductive and developmental toxicants – they do not belong in acne products, shampoos, or any other products marketed to teenagers or women of childbearing age. Phthalates are in many personal care items even though they are not listed on the ingredient deck. The Environmental Health Network of California reported that independent laboratory tests revealed a common fragrance ingredient, diethyl phthalate, is an irritant and a suspected hormone disruptor, is absorbed through the skin. Huber Chemicals of Switzerland found this chemical made up about 10% of the fragrance portion of many perfumes.

Harvard University School of Public Health investigators found a link between sperm damage and monoethyl phthalate, a compound used to maintain the color and scent in many cosmetics items. Many acne products contain synthetic color, which most likely contain this hormone disruptor.

In September 2000, a researcher at the CDC found that every person tested had dibutyl phthalate (DBP) in their body. They discovered that the most critical population – women of child-bearing age whose fetuses are exposed to DBP in the womb – appear to receive the highest exposures. CDC scientists found that DBP exposures for more than two million women of childbearing age may be up to 20 times greater than for the average person. In 2002, a major national laboratory tested 72 name brands of off-the-shelf beauty products for the presence of phthalates. Nearly three-quarters of the products tested (52 of 72 products) contained phthalates in concentrations ranging from trace amounts to nearly three percent of the product formulation.

Dyes, Pigments, Perfumes. “Humans are exposed to tens of thousands of potentially harmful synthetic organic and inorganic chemicals in their daily lives, in the form of pesticides, dyes, pigments, perfumes, flavorings, and other products. At relatively low levels of exposure, these chemicals may promote weight gain,” contends Dr. Baillie-Hamilton, “by altering metabolic functions in the body.” According to a study reported in the April 2002 issue of Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, these chemicals may have damaged many of the body’s natural weight-control mechanisms and may play a significant role in the global obesity epidemic.