Toxic Makeup Products: Companies need to be transparent about using toxic chemicals in their products

When I first was scrolling on TikTok and saw information about some of my staple skincare and makeup brands like NARS, Laniege and Fenty Beauty using toxic chemicals, I wasn’t a believer.

It wasn’t until I did some research that I realized the concerning truth: many of today’s most popular makeup products contain cancer-causing chemicals and per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances — chemicals that contain high amounts of fluorine. These chemicals build up in our body and environment and never break down, receiving the name “forever chemicals” according to chemtrust.org.

Despite current trends of being cruelty-free and vegan, I was surprised to hear that even more products that I use on a day-to-day basis contain PFA’s.  Benefit, Maybelline, L’oreal, Too Faced and even Burt’s Bees — one of the most “natural” brands out there — are on the list according to heragenda.com.

Some of Benefit’s most popular products are their lip tints. I use “Benetint Rose” almost every day but it turns out this product contains butylated hydroxytoluene which is has tumor promotion effects, phenoxyethanol which is linked to severe allergic reactions, methylparaben that can lead to disruption of cell growth and fragrance which often contain carcinogens — another cancer causing chemical. 

Another toxic product is Maybelline’s “Sky High” mascara— a cheap mascara commonly used by teens — according to superdrug.com. This again contains phenoxyethanol and parabens. 

Researchers at the University of Notre Dame found that 56% of foundations and eye products, 48% of lip products and 47% of mascaras contain PFA’s. With makeup and skincare being marketed towards kids all over social media, products being full of harmful chemicals is a serious issue.

This morning I read through my products, and a plethora of them were on the list of toxic makeup. Even my face wash contained one of the chemicals on the list. While some of these products have small dosages of the chemicals it’s still scary that I found this out through TikTok. 

 Companies are doing such a good job hiding the reality of their ingredients from people, considering I had no idea until going on social media. We shouldn’t have to hear about these issues through tik tok.  The fact that many people don’t know about these is scary and we need to be more careful with the products we choose to use on our body until companies begin to be more transparent about the dangers.