From cancer, kidney damage to rashes and depression, all to ‘look’ better.
By Rajiv Theodore
NEW DELHI: Here is one more piece of news to bolster the fact that beauty is only skin deep. Blame it on incessant TV ads vouchsafed by stars in Bollywood appealing to all to look fair, handsome and the constant desire to sparkle. But now this medium used to shine has been proved lethal.
Cancer, kidney damage, skin rashes and scars, besides anxiety and depression are some of the side-effects for those using fairness creams and lipsticks. This shocking piece of news was revealed in a maiden study of its kind in India by Delhi based environmental organization Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). It has found alarming levels of mercury, chromium and nickel in fairness creams and lipsticks that they tested.
“Presence of mercury in cosmetics is completely illegal and unlawful,” said CSE director general Sunita Narain.
Here are some of the culprits — Aroma Magic Fair Lotion, a product of Blossom Kochhar Beauty Products Pvt. Ltd, had the highest mercury level at 1.97 ppm, followed by Olay Natural White (1.79 ppm), a product of Procter and Gamble, India, and Ponds White Beauty (1.36 ppm) of Hindustan Unilever Ltd. Chromium was found in 15 out of 30 lipsticks tested in the range of 0.45 ppm to 17.83 ppm. Hearts & Tarts (080V) shade of ColorBar had the highest concentration. Nickel was found in 13 out of 30 products tested in the range of 0.57 to 9.18 ppm, with Lancome- Labsolu Nu-204 of L’Oreal India Pvt. Ltd. containing the highest concentration.
“Mercury is a neurotoxin. Inorganic mercury that is present in fairness creams can damage kidneys and may cause rashes, skin discoloration and scarring. It can also cause anxiety, depression, psychosis and peripheral neuropathy,” the study said. CSE did not find any heavy metals in anti-aging creams and lip balms. It also didn’t detect Lead and Cadmium in Lipsticks.
To gauge the safety of cosmetic products it tested, CSE compared the levels of heavy metals found with their Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) limits. ADI is the maximum amount of a toxin that a person can be exposed to over a lifetime without any appreciable health risk. Since India has not set limits for ADI of mercury, CSE compared the amount of mercury in fairness creams with the ADI set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).
The results show whitening creams may contribute up to 71 per cent of the ADI for mercury, depending upon the product and the amount of the fairness cream used. This is a very high level of exposure to mercury from just one product. People are regularly exposed to the heavy metal from sources such as food, water and air. With some whitening cream accounting for over 50 per cent of the ADI for mercury, chances are high that a person using these products may exceed the ADI limit for mercury. Health risks associated with mercury would increase proportionally. Mercury is a neurotoxin. Inorganic mercury hat is present in fairness creams can damage kidneys and may cause rashes, skin discoloration and scarring. It can also cause anxiety, depression, psychosis and peripheral neuropathy.
In case of chromium, the amounts found by CSE in lipsticks was very high compared to the ADI. For a heavy user, 13 out of 30 lipsticks tested by CSE would cross the ADI. Lipstick with highest level of chromium would expose a heavy user to over 15 times the safety limit. Hexavalent chromium (CrVI), one of the forms in which chromium is present, is known to cause cancer in humans.
CSE has called for bridging the gap in terms of rules and regulations. In India, limits are set only for a few heavy metals and that too, in colorants – an ingredient used in cosmetics.
“Manufacturers often get away on the pretext that toxic metals are present in trace levels. It is important that regulators set limits for final products and enforce them,” Chandra Bhushan, head of PML, CSE, said.
CSE had approached all companies with the test results of their products. Seven out of 14 companies responded. However, most took refuge in the concept of ‘trace’ presence. Their defense is that the heavy metal found is small in quantity and it is unavoidable because it is part of the ingredients. They also claimed that their product is safe for long-term use.
“Additionally, the fact that our lab did not find mercury in 56 per cent of the products tested suggests that the industry has the capacity and wherewithal to clean up their act. Many companies are following the law – what is stopping the others from doing so?” Narain asked.
In India, limits are set only for few heavy metal and that too, in colorants – an ingredient used in cosmetics. Colourants make up 10per cent of the weight of a lipstick, and are one of the sources of heavy metals. There are no limits for finished products – which makes it difficult to monitor. Over and above, none of these products are tested by regulators.
But a look at the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of India, 1940 shows that cosmetics are one of the most unregulated products under the law. The enforcement itself is very tardy. For example the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) which is responsible for the safe usage of cosmetics sold in the country is done on the basis of documents provided by the manufacturer or the company importing the product. Cosmetics are imported by registering a brand for $250 and then details of the product, testing protocols and documents are then given for clearance stating that the cosmetics do not contain toxic products. The manufacturer also needs to provide similar documents for seeking license from the state drugs authority. But in all this procedures the DGCI never evaluates the safety of the products as claimed by the companies.
California researchers tested lipsticks of 32 brands available in the US market and found high levels of heavy metals such as titanium, manganese, aluminum, cadmium and chromium. Lead was found in 75 per cent of the lipsticks tested. These heavy metals are known health hazards. While lead is a neurotoxin, long-term exposure to the others can harm body organs like the liver and kidneys and cause cancer. The California researchers found that women who use lipsticks could be ingesting a significant amount of aluminum, cadmium, chromium and manganese. In case of average use, the estimated intakes of the metals were more than 20 per cent of their accepted daily intake (ADI) limits.
According to RNCOS, a business consultancy service in the US, the Indian cosmetic industry is one of the fastest growing, posting sales of Rs. 26,410 crore and is expected to expand at about 17 per cent a year by 2015.
Last year, California researchers tested lipsticks of 32 brands available in the US market and found high levels of heavy metals such as titanium, manganese, aluminum, cadmium and chromium. Lead was found in 75 per cent of the lipsticks tested. These heavy metals are known health hazards. While lead is a neurotoxin, long-term exposure to the others can harm body organs like the liver and kidneys and cause cancer.
In 2007, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a US-based coalition against unhealthy ingredients used in cosmetics, tested lipsticks of 33 popular brands and found 61 per cent of them containing lead in the range of 0.03 to 0.65 parts per million (ppm). Maybelline Color Sensation by L’Oreal USA had 10 times more lead than earlier. The findings were published in the July-August 2009 issue of the Journal of Cosmetic Science.
The Centre for Environmental Justice in Sri Lanka has found high levels of mercury in 25 of the 46 skin whitening products found in the island nation. Pai Mei, a whitening spot cream imported from China, contained a whopping 30,167 ppm of mercury.
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