In recent years, cosmetic chemicals have become a very hot topic of discussion on social platforms. Among so much information, have you grasped all the knowledge in this article?
Cosmetics are products designed to clean, protect and change the appearance of the external parts of our body. Ingredients can be natural or artificial, but any potential impact on our health depends largely on the chemical compounds from which they are made.
There are 7 main types of cosmetics most commonly used today including:
– Personal care – dental care
- Skin Care
- Sunscreen
- Hair care
- Cosmetics makeup
– Body care and perfume.
In many countries around the world, cosmetics and chemicals contained in cosmetics are strictly controlled. However, there are also other countries that still circulate products containing many toxic chemicals. This is still a widely discussed issue on beauty forums.
What chemicals are in the cosmetics we use every day? There are thousands of different cosmetic products on the market, all with different combinations of ingredients. A typical product will contain 15–50 ingredients. Every day, the average woman uses 9 to 15 beauty care products. Researchers have estimated that, including perfume, women expose about 515 chemicals to the skin's surface every day through cosmetic use. But what exactly are we putting on our skin? What do the long names in the ingredient list mean and what do they do?
Although each product's formulation varies slightly, most cosmetics contain a combination of at least some of the following core ingredients: water, emulsifiers, preservatives, thickeners, thickeners softener, color, flavoring and pH stabilizer.
Products that come in bottles, most likely the first ingredient on the list will be water. That's right, water is the basis of almost every cosmetic product, including creams, primers, makeup, deodorants, shampoos, and conditioners. Water plays an important part in this process, often acting as a solvent to dissolve other ingredients and create a consistency.
The water used in cosmetic formulations is not regular tap water. It must be ‘ultra pure’ – meaning free of bacteria, toxins and other contaminants. For this reason, cosmetic labels may call it distilled water, purified water, or just water.
The term emulsifier refers to any ingredient that helps keep dissimilar substances (such as oil and water) from separating. Many cosmetic products are based on emulsions – small drops of oil dispersed in water or small drops of water dispersed in oil.
Since oil and water don't mix no matter how much you shake, mix or stir, emulsifiers are added to change the surface tension between water and oil, creating a uniform and well-mixed product with an even texture. even. Some commonly used emulsifiers in cosmetics include polysorbates, laureth-4, and potassium cetyl sulfate.
Preservatives are important ingredients. They are added to cosmetics to prolong shelf life and prevent the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, which can spoil the product and may be harmful to the user. Since most microorganisms live in water, the preservative used needs to be water soluble. Preservatives used in cosmetics can be natural or synthetic (artificial), acting differently depending on the product's formulation. Some will claim as low as 0.01%, while others will claim as high as 5%.
Some common preservatives include parabens, benzyl alcohol, salicylic acid, formaldehyde, and tetrasodium EDTA (ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid). Consumers purchasing ‘preservative-free’ products should be aware of the shorter shelf life and be aware of product deterioration, feel or smell that may indicate the product has expired.
Thickeners help give the product an attractive consistency. They can come from four different chemical families:
– Lipid thickeners are usually solid at room temperature but can be liquefied and added to cosmetic emulsions. They work by imparting their natural thickness into the formula. Examples include cetyl alcohol, stearic acid, and carnauba wax.
– Natural thickeners come from nature. They are polymers that absorb water, causing them to swell and increase the viscosity of the product. Examples include hydroxyethyl cellulose, guar gum, xanthan gum, and gelatin. Cosmetics with a very thick consistency can be diluted with a solvent such as water or alcohol.
– Mineral thickeners are also of natural origin. And just like the naturally derived thickeners mentioned above, they absorb water and oil to increase viscosity, but give different results to the final emulsion than thickeners. Common mineral thickeners include magnesium aluminum silicate, silica and bentonite.
– The last group is synthetic thickeners. They are commonly used in lotions and cream products. The most common synthetic thickener is carbomer, an acrylic acid polymer that swells in water and can be used to create clear gels. Other examples include cetyl palmitate and ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate.
Humectant, softens skin by preventing water loss. They are used in many lipsticks, lotions and cosmetics. Some different natural and synthetic chemicals that act as emollients include beeswax, olive oil, coconut oil and lanolin, as well as petrolatum (mineral oil), glycerine, zinc oxide, butyl stearate and diglycol laurate.
Ruby lips, smoky eyes and rosy cheeks; The purpose of many cosmetics is to highlight or change a person's natural color. From this comes a series of substances used to create the attractive rainbow of colors you find in makeup shelves. Mineral composition may include iron oxide, mica flakes, manganese, chromium oxide and coal tar. Natural colors can come from plants, such as beet pulp, or from animals, such as cochineal insects. The latter is commonly used in red lipstick and is referred to in your ingredients list as carmine, periwinkle extract or natural red color 4.
Colorants can be divided into two main categories:
– Organics, which are carbon-based molecules (i.e. organics in the context of chemistry, should not be confused with the use of the word to promote 'natural' or 'non-synthetic' or 'chemical - free product).
– Inorganic substances are usually metal oxides (metal + oxygen and often some other elements). Inorganic should not be confused with ‘synthetic’ or ‘unnatural’ as most inorganic metal oxide pigments occur naturally as mineral compounds.
The two most common organic pigments are paste and toner. Pasting pigments are made by combining dye with an insoluble substance such as alumina hydrate. This causes the dye to become insoluble in water, making it suitable for cosmetics with water-resistant or waterproof properties.
Toner powder is an organic pigment that is not combined with any other substance.
Inorganic metal oxide pigments are typically duller than organic pigments, but are more resistant to heat and light, providing longer-lasting color.
No matter how effective a cosmetic is, no one will want to use it if it smells unpleasant. Consumer research shows that smell is one of the important factors leading to consumers' decisions to buy and use products. Chemicals, both natural and synthetic, are added to cosmetics to provide attractive fragrances. Even 'unscented' products may contain fragrances to mask the smell of other chemicals.
The term ‘flavoring’ is often a generic term used by manufacturers. A single fragrance ingredient on a product label may represent dozens or even hundreds of unlisted chemical compounds that are used to create the final distinct fragrance. Manufacturers do not have to list these individual ingredients because fragrance is considered a trade secret.
Nguồn: Internet
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