I think Americans are skeptical. Skeptical of marketing claims. Skeptical of politicians. Skeptical of whether or not something is really “organic,” “gluten-free,” or even “healthy.”
But one thing Americans are not skeptical of is a claim something is “unsafe.” And this is one thing Americans should be VERY skeptical of: Think about it. There are billions, if not trillions, of dollars to be made from convincing consumers perfectly safe ingredients are unsafe, cancer-causing, or harmful, and then developing alternatives. (Jessica Alba didn’t go from an actress to having an organic products company with a billion-dollar valuation because mothers are skeptical of fearmongering.)
There are already some political activists and scientists who propagate that certain ingredients cause cancer, and then invest into natural ingredients or startups creating new “safe” alternatives. It’s a big, dirty business, and meanwhile people are subjecting themselves to products without adequate preservatives, products that are “natural” with high allergenic potential, and products that, quite frankly, don’t work but are purchased on the basis of “safety.”
Here are some ingredients that, in my opinion, are perfectly safe:
Alpha Hydroxy Acids
Tell any dermatologist that you read alpha hydroxy acids are toxic on the internet, and she’ll laugh (politely) in your face.
Alpha hydroxy acids are amazing. Whether in the derm’s office or buying products over-the-counter, you’ll find that glycolic acid is the most common of all the alpha hydroxy acids. Glycolic acid peels advance desquamation and thinning of the stratum corneum (the uppermost layer of the skin). By exfoliating the top layer of the skin, glycolic acid peels smooth the skin, quicken the rate of cell turnover (which is reduced by up to 7% every ten years), decrease small wrinkles and increase the fibroblast proliferation of collagen.
Another common AHA is lactic acid, which extracted from milk but usually found in synthetic form in most cosmetics. Lactic acid is another popular AHA, but unlike glycolic acid, it is primarily used in out-of-office treatments. One source of lactic acid is in LacHydrin, a prescription drug FDA approved to treat dry skin.
Alpha hydroxy acids can cause irritation, particularly when used at high concentrations, but they are not toxic. Don’t believe what you read on just anyone’s site online!
Glycerin
Glycerin may be as old as the hills, but it still has potent benefits.
Glycerin is both a natural moisturizing factor and a humectant. Natural moisturizing factors (NMFs) mimic the skin’s structure and function and provide hydrating benefits within the skin. On the other hand, a humectant can bind with several times its weight in water from the environment (Dr. Leslie Baumann, M.D.).
In addition, unlike hydrators like mineral oil or petrolatum, glycerin has notable anti-aging properties as well. Studies show that glycerin strengthens the skin barrier by speeding up skin cell maturation and turnover (International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2003). Glycerin also makes the skin less vulnerable to transepidermal water loss (TEWL) by expanding both skin cells called corneocytes and intercellular lipids within the skin (Treatment of Dry Skin Syndrome: The Art and Science of Moisturizers).
There is nothing toxic about glycerin. In fact, it’s quite the opposite: Glycerin is extremely beneficial for your skin, mimicking skin’s natural moisture, drawing in moisture from the environment, increasing cellular turnover, and strengthening the skin.
Mineral Oil
Mineral oil gets a bad rap because many people believe it is comedogenic (pore-clogging) and is impure. In addition, mineral oil is derived from petrolatum, a non-renewable source. However, it is not technically comedogenic. Mineral oil is an occlusive agent, meaning that it essentially traps water and other ingredients against the skin. However, so long as you use mineral oil with other non-comedogenic ingredients (or alone), you will be fine. According to the cosmetic chemist Rebecca James Gadberry, chairman and co-CEO of YG Laboratories, mineral oil on its own is not pore-clogging. On a rating of zero-to-five, with five being highly pore-clogging, Gadberry says that tests of the cosmetic grade of mineral oil usually grant a one or two, depending upon the methodology of the test.
Cosmetic-grade mineral oil is also purified according to FDA standards. So despite the internet rumors, you are not putting your health at risk from using it. In fact, you are granting yourself a superior source of moisture: A study in the journal Dermatitis found that mineral oil was more effective in preventing water loss from the skin than a solution with 15% linoleic acid, a fatty acid known for its hydrating abilities.
So while I wouldn’t advocate using non-cosmetic-grade mineral oil, cosmetic-grade mineral oil is usually fine, especially in the concentrations it is used in cosmetics and skin care.
Parabens
Parabens are preservatives that are found in about 90% of all skincare and cosmetics products.Antibacterial and antifungal p-hydroxybenzoic acid esters, the six most commonly used forms of paraben are Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, p-Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, n-Butylparaben and Benzylparaben. They are commonly used due to their relatively unique property of being effective preservatives and being correlated with a low incidence of contact dermatitis, according to the American Journal of Contact Dermatitis.
However, controversy has risen over paraben use in skin care and cosmetics, implicating that parabens may cause cancer, influence estrogen levels, accumulate in tissues, and increase UVB-mediated DNA damage.
Despite these findings and consumer alarm, based on current scientific findings, parabens in skin care and cosmetics are safe. Many of these concerns are on the basis of using ridiculous amounts of parabens, probably due to pressure to get findings, obtain grant money, or both. For instance, in the breast cancer cell study, MCF-7 human breast cancer cells are subjected to parabens in one million-fold molar excess, literally thousands of times beyond the amount of parabens a patient is subjected to in a typical skin care product application. If plain old vitamin C was given to a person in these one million-fold molar concentrations, it would be deemed lethally toxic as well.
Parabens are also believed to accumulate in the body, but this also isn’t true. In 2007, a French study started all of this when it suggested that parabens may accumulate in tissues over time. In the study, a realistic amount (0.45 mg) of parabens was applied to the skin’s surface every 12 hours for 36 hours. It was found that repeated applications every 12 hours increased quantities of parabens moving across the skin barrier for the first 24 hours. However, the results also showed that parabens applied to the skin had no cumulative effect 36 hours later, suggesting that parabens do not accumulate in the skin at all after one-and-a-half days.
Parabens are great — they prevent a wide array of bacteria and fungi from growing, they have very low allergenic potential, and they keep products stable for about two years at low doses. They’re amazing, and I wish that there wasn’t so much pressure on scientists to publish or so much pressure on industry to come up with “new, hot” alternatives that both have turned to fearmongering on the public.
Retinyl Palmitate
in 2010, the Environmental Working Group reviewed results from the National Toxicology Program (NTP), and proposed retinyl palmitate in sunscreens may accelerate the risk of skin cancer. At the time, the Environmental Working Group demonstrated rats with tumors treated with retinyl palmitate-based sunscreen products developed skin cancer 11-21% faster than those not treated with retinyl palmitate.
Despite this, the retinyl palmitate-skin cancer link was recently disproven, in an August 2011 review Safety of retinyl palmitate in sunscreens: A critical study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. In the report, Dr. Steven Q. Wang, M.D., director of dermatologic surgery at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, explains retinyl palmitate is safe and there is no evidence to prove retinyl palmitate increases the risk of skin cancer in humans.
“It is important to note that the mice in the NTP study are highly susceptible to the effects of UV radiation and can develop skin cancer or other skin abnormalities within weeks of UV exposure, even in the absence of retinyl palmitate,” said Dr. Wang. “That is why extreme caution is needed when extrapolating these animal study results to humans.”
“Despite the concerns raised by these non-human studies, retinyl palmitate operates within the skin as only one component of a complex antioxidant network,” said Dr. Wang . “For example, when a sunscreen with retinyl palmitate is applied to the skin, a number of antioxidants work together to alleviate the risk of free radical formation seen in these in vitro experiments. If studied on its own – outside of this environment – its antioxidant properties can rapidly be exhausted, allowing the production of oxygen radicals. In these non-human studies, retinyl palmitate was the only compound studied – making the biological relevance of these findings to humans unclear.”
So retinyl palmitate is safe. Though I still prefer retinol to retinyl palmitate, both have been deemed to be safe for regular use by non-pregnant, non-nursing women.
Bottom Line
Despite what you may read elsewhere online, AHAs, glycerin, cosmetic-grade mineral oil, parabens, and retinyl palmitate are all perfectly safe for your skin. If someone says otherwise, it’s probably because she is trying to get you to buy a product or pay for the development of a new, safe alternative. Be wise, and don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. If you want safe, effective skin care, stay informed, and don’t believe everything you read!