Cosmetics are big business. In fact, annual turnover in the industry is currently estimated at about USD$170 billion. As you’d expect, that means that cosmetics have attracted a great deal of suspicion from those wary of such large corporations, and a whole mess of urban legends has sprung up around cosmetics. Most involve some kind of sinister threat lurking in your makeup bag. Here we dispel some of the most common of these myths.

Myth: Cosmetics are not regulated

They most certainly are and every ingredient that goes into them must be deemed safe by the Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations 2008 government body.

Myth: Lipstick contains dangerous amounts of lead which can kill you.

Some lipsticks do contain lead but nowhere near the amounts that could make you ill. To reach a poisonous level you would need to ingest huge amounts of the stuff, which would be impossible unless you did it on purpose.

Myth: Women on average swallow about six pounds of lipstick in their lifetime.

There is no evidence to back this up and it seems to simply be an urban legend which has gained momentum over the years. Yes, women lick their lips while wearing lipstick but nobody has been able to produce sources to support the six pounds figure.

Myth: Waterproof mascara will make your eyelashes fall out.

The opposite could actually be true as waterproof mascaras generally have more nutrients and protective compounds in them than non-waterproof mascaras. As long as you don’t pull your eyelashes out while trying to remove the mascara, there is no reason why you shouldn’t keep hold of them. Just make sure you use a good quality eye makeup remover to help make the process as easy as possible.

Myth: If you don’t throw your makeup out after three months it will be full of bacteria and may give you a disease or infection.

You can use any type of makeup until it doesn’t feel right to you. Mascara is the only product which normally needs to be thrown out after three months but most people use it within that time anyway. Foundations, powders, blusher, eye shadows, lip glosses and lipsticks should be fine for much longer than that.

Myth: Phthalates, chemicals found in many cosmetics, can make males more feminine and cause hormone disorders, liver problems and cancer.

Again, this is just a rumour and there is no evidence to suggest any of the claims are true. What’s more, the amount of Phthalates in cosmetics is normally around 7%, too small an amount to have any effect even if the claims were true.

Myth: Bat Guano is used to make mascara.

Guano means ‘dung’ and years of Chinese whispers have confused this with an ingredient in mascara called Guanine, which is used as a colourant. No bat dung is ever used in the production of mascara!

Well, there you go. You can now rest just a little easier knowing that there’s nothing horrible in your handbag trying to poison you!

Visit Feel Unique for all your cosmetic needs.