Avoid nano-based beauty products
Tuesday, 21 August 2007
Just the other day I was looking at a sunblock with interest because the name contains the word nano. I was actually quite keen to get it but thank goodness I didn’t, especially now that I’ve read why we should avoid nano-sunscreens from Friends of the Earth.
Some manufacturers are adding nanoparticles-incredibly small particles of otherwise familiar sunscreen ingredients like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide-to products without letting customers know that they’re buying nano ingredients.
Manufactured nanoparticles present novel health and environmental risks that cannot be predicted from conventional materials. First, nanoparticles have unprecedented access to the human body. Unlike larger particles, once in the blood stream, nanoparticles have the ability to enter vital organs including the brain, heart, and liver, where they may disrupt normal cell activity. When ingested, some nanomaterials may pass through the gut wall and circulate through our blood.
Nanotechnology, as you may know, is a new science involving the manipulation of materials at the scale of atoms and molecules. Increasingly, it is being included in our beauty and personal care products to either promote better absorption or a less oily mixture when they’re broken down into nanoparticles. And what is scary is that some of these companies do not reveal that they’re using such nano ingredients at all.
So for the time being, I would say, avoid products that are being marketed as nano-engineered. While the investigations are not conclusive at this stage that nanoparticles pose health hazards, we do not want to expose ourselves to greater risks by smearing potentially harmful and untested ingredients (already there are so many) all over our bodies especially if these ingredients have the ability to go IN our bodies!
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Posted in Ingredients101 | 9 Comments »
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August 22nd, 2007 at 10:11 am
:O I am so glad I read this!! Thanks for the heads up.
Paris: Glad you find this of interest!
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:53 am
thanks for the info
Tracy: You’re welcomed!
August 22nd, 2007 at 2:04 pm
I never even heard of the existence of nanoparticles until I read this info. I have no idea such a small tiny weeny nano particles can do so much harm and present in our everyday cosmetic.
Thanks for the info!
Lily: At the moment, the studies are not conclusive about the harm, but it’s definitely a hazard considering how such particles can easily penetrate into our organs and blood stream.
September 1st, 2007 at 9:12 am
[...] warned about using nano-based beauty products. I felt this was timely warning considering that there are various new brands available that tout [...]
September 2nd, 2007 at 12:09 pm
uh..thanks for the info. I bought a bottle of nano white cleansing milk. I guess, it’s time to leave it aside.
prettybeautiful: Well, it’s not definitive that it’s harmful at this stage…but there’s a potential. So better play it safe…
October 8th, 2007 at 10:48 pm
[...] was initially concerned over the nano-zinc oxide because I’ve written about avoiding nano-based sunscreen before. In fact, at EWG Skin Deep website, there is a highlight about this particular [...]
February 21st, 2008 at 8:54 pm
[...] written before about avoiding nano-based beauty products because nanotechnology involves manipulating properties of tiny particles, measuring one-billionth [...]
February 22nd, 2008 at 5:05 pm
You have the most interesting and useful information on your blog! Do you have an education in skincare? Keep up the good work!
emmy: Thanks for the comment! Ha…no…I just have a curious mind about these things and a passion to find out too.
June 13th, 2008 at 1:30 am
Thanks for the important information. I am currently using the cleanser, it’s in powder form and I believe the manufacturer is using nano technology. Do you think it’s safe? The cleanser works very well on my acne prone skin. What I do is that I mix the little amount of powder with water and rub it until it creates foam and wash onto my face. I am guessing it should be safe, since I make foam before I apply onto my face.
Judy: It’s a bit hard to say for sure now as the study on the safety of products using nano technology isn’t conclusive. It also depends on your safety threshold…