People, especially women, invest a lot of money on beauty products. It’s natural that individuals would want to look their best every day. So, they put money on products that can get them clearer, more flawless or wrinkle-free skin. Aside from skin care products, most individuals spend a lot of money on items for hair, nail, and facial care. Furthermore, thousands of dollars are also spent by average women each year on cosmetics.

Several products do help in enhancing physical looks. Nevertheless, consumers should be careful in selecting the products that they’ll use on their skin as there are ingredients in certain beauty products that are unsafe. Such substances can affect internal organs, and the effects do not appear immediately. There are elements that contribute to liver abnormalities, tumor formation, respiratory difficulties, as well as cancer development. Hence, buyers should always be meticulous to avoid getting products that can harm them.

Lead

Lipsticks are considered as must-haves for every woman. But the concern with lipsticks is that these may contain lead. A couple of years ago, different kinds of coal tar were commonly used to color lipsticks. This substance has a high amount of lead. Fortunately, the lipsticks often seen these days are lead-free. Petroleum is now widely used to give tint or shade to lipsticks; and the good thing here is that the FDA is active in checking petroleum products that are used as additives in cosmetics. Still, consumers have to be wary because there are companies that still manufacture lipsticks using lead-based pigments. To avoid getting an item that may have high amounts of lead, consumers could go for more known and reliable brands.

Mercury

Another toxic substance that has found its way in various kinds of moisturizers and creams is mercury. The FDA has discovered that a number of anti-aging creams, skin lightening creams, lotions and soaps from other countries contain toxic levels of mercury. When there is too much mercury in the body, internal organs, specifically the kidney, brain, and heart, can get damaged. Both the reproductive and immune systems also sustain permanent damage due to high levels of mercury in the blood. For those worried about mercury in their beauty products, they should be more vigilant when checking labels. It is also best to buy products made in the US. In case a person is interested in buying something from a foreign or exotic country, he should always check labels for mercury, which is also known as – calomel, mercuric, or mercurous chloride. If a product’s ingredients are written in another language, then people should just go for safer US-made products.

Coal Tar Derivatives

Coal tar derivatives are often used in hair dyes. These substances, also known as FDC or FD color, can help get rid of dandruff or relieve flaky scalp. However, elements that come from coal tar are known to be carcinogenic. In other words, prolonged or long-term use of such substances can trigger the development of certain types of cancers. Other people also experience severe allergic reaction to coal tar derivatives, such as asthma attacks, nosebleeds, coughing or other respiratory problems, and rashes.

Author Bio: Claire Brown is a freelance writer. She regularly contributes articles to Bail Bonds Direct. She writes about injury cases related to defective products or items.