With breast and ovarian cancer rates rising, many have been asking why, and have been wondering: can makeup give you cancer? Brace yourself for a shock: in most countries, the beauty, cosmetics and makeup industries are pretty much unregulated. Indeed, there are pretty few rules regarding what companies can and can’t put in the potions that go onto—and into—your skin, even when those ingredients are known carcinogens.
Sadly, we can’t even rely on labels that make healthy claims: in the UK, for example, companies get away with using the words ‘Organic’ or ‘Natural’ even if only as little as 70% of the ingredients are organic–and whatever else that remains could be comprised of harmful chemicals. If you don’t think that matters, imagine a meal labelled ‘healthy’ that’s made up of 70% organic greens, and then infused with 30% butter—hardly a light meal anymore!
Moreover, many brands generally thought of as being ‘natural’, such as LUSH, Kiehl’s and Origins brand themselves as being ‘natural’, but actually contain many ingredients that could be harmful to your health.
