Talc: In 2019, the FDA Source advised consumers to avoid using certain cosmetic items containing Talc due to possible contamination with asbestos a known cancer-forming ingredient.

Triclosan: May affect thyroid hormones and contribute to antibiotic resistance. Research is also currently looking into the long-term effects of triclosan on the development of skin cancer.

Mercury and thimerosal: Skin lighteners may contain mercury and may affect the nervous system, cause kidney damage, and harm a developing fetus.

Parabens: May be present in makeup, moisturizers, hair products, and shaving creams. Can cause breast cancer cells to grow. This is because an imbalance of estrogen can sometimes trigger a certain type of breast cancer called hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.

Formaldehyde: May be present in cosmetics, lotions, shampoos, shower gels, nail polishes, and hair straightening products. Some studies in laboratory animals have also linked this    ingredient with cancer. 

Carbon Black:  Often used in mascaras, eye liners, and lipsticks, as it gives these products their coloring. Has been linked to Cancer.

A Few Other Harmful Ingredients That Can Each Have A Dozen Alternate Names Used On The Product Label Are:

Harmful ingredients are frequently hidden by not commonly known names in all kinds of beauty Products, including the expensive brands. Arsenic, for example, is labeled under several different names including Atomic Number 33, Fowler's Solution, Numero Atomique 33, Solution de Fowler, and many others.

Each commonly known ingredient name may be included on a product label with 6 or more alias names which makes reading labels to identify the true identity of included ingredients, without the use of sophisticated computer programs, an almost impossible task.

We asked, a spokesperson for Achieve Beauty, to give us an example of why ingredient research is necessary.

"We consulted with a person allergic to nickel. Her dermatologist gave her the name of 8 not commonly known names for nickel and told her to read the labels and avoid any of them. We analyzed products she was using and found that one of the products contained nickel labeled with a name that her dermatologist didn’t give her, and that ingredient was likely contributing to the breakouts she was experiencing”

A recent study by the Organic Consumers Association found that 40% of all "natural" beauty products (tested in the study) contained dangerous carcinogenic (cancer causing) ingredients. Ingredients like arsenic, chromium, lead, cobalt, nickel, mercury, formaldehyde, and many other harmful ingredients are present naturally in the earth and are legally considered "natural. Natural ingredients are virtually unregulated and can also be hidden from you by using one of dozens of alternate names.

Several major retailers and online sites have labeled some of the products they sell as "Green", or "Safe", but upon investigation we found those products exclude less than 100 of the over 1,400 ingredients banned in other parts of the world. Not much of a solution for this important health safety problem.

Applying harmful ingredients can be taking an unseen, and creeping toll on your long-term physical and mental health. Even trace amounts of dangerous product ingredients can be dangerous

At first, your body's organs (kidneys, liver, etc.) slowly flush these ingredients out of your body. However, many toxins accumulate over time and can build faster than your body can clear them out.

Imagine a bucket with a small crack in the bottom. At first, the water drips out slowly. But as the drops continue, they start to build up because they can't drip out of the bucket as quickly as they enter. Eventually, the bucket overflows, even though the water continues to drip out of the crack.

The more these toxins build up, the more of a toll they take on your health. At first your energy level, mental focus, and short-term memory might just seem a little less sharp. Most of us blame this on age. But then you start getting sick a little more often. You have a few more aches and pains. It takes you longer to recover from illness, injury, or even a night of moderate drinking. At some point, your skin and hair might start to look less full and shiny.

The FDA conducted a survey of heavy metals in cosmetics, and found that arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, mercury, and nickel were present in unsafe amounts in both luxury and budget brands. Even worse, because higher priced products tend to have a longer ingredient list, there's a greater chance for toxic ingredient contamination. And again, without proper ingredient analysis you would never know you're using products that include these harmful ingredients.

On top of this, most people are too busy to make a part time job out of investigating the thousands of tricky ingredient names and the impossible complicated task of understanding how all these ingredients interact with one another.

Go to your bathroom right now and grab all the skincare products your using and go to one of our recommended ingredient analysis services to help you keep healthy and understand what’s actually in the products you are putting on your skin.