Each time you apply sunscreen to your face, you may inhale somewhere between 10 to 30 milligrams of ethanol , the type of alcohol used in alcoholic drinks. While the ethanol in sunscreen may not give you a buzz, it could make you think about what other chemicals you might be exposed to from personal care products.
Author
- Asit Kumar Mishra
Research Fellow in School of Public of Health, University College Cork
Products that are applied to the face, like sunscreen, can increase the inhalation of some chemicals by ten times or more than you would inhale from your home air in the entire day .
The levels of ethanol in cosmetics and skincare products may be reasonably safe - although it can still dry out the skin, causing pain, redness and swelling, and irritate the eyes , causing tears, burning and stinging - but personal care products such as shampoos, skin creams, deodorants, cosmetics and perfumes contain fragrances and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can be inhaled, absorbed through skin or ingested and some are more toxic than others.
Unfortunately, manufacturers of personal care products do not have to disclose every fragrance compound used. This is concerning when you consider the potential effects of toxic compounds that have been detected in the air from personal care products. For example, hair-smoothing products have released formaldehyde, a toxic chemical that can cause a range of symptoms from dermatitis to low sperm count. Some perfumes and deodorants have generated monoterpenes, chemicals which can prove toxic for some users.
Some of the VOCs found in personal care products may trigger skin irritation, headaches - and difficulty breathing, which can develop into an asthma attack in some users. The highest or peak concentration of these VOCs are likely to occur within ten minutes of application. But these concentrations may take up to two hours to decrease to background levels , depending on your home's ventilation.
Natural doesn't mean risk free
But even if the levels of VOCs in personal care products are kept within safe limits , they can still cause discomfort and a variety of health issues, including irritation of the eyes and airways, migraines and asthmatic reactions, in those who're fragrance sensitive . In the UK, 27% of the population self reports as fragrance sensitive.
It makes sense then that some people attempt to avoid potentially toxic synthetic chemicals in cosmetics by opting for "natural" or "clean" personal care products. But, natural does not mean safer .
For instance, essential oils are often used in "natural" personal care products as fragrance. Essential oils, though, are a source of terpenes, some of which can be toxic if absorbed, inhaled or swallowed .
Indoor concentration of terpenes are often at levels where you can smell them but not high enough to cause eye or respiratory tract irritation . However, the terpenes from essential oils can react with other chemicals, such as ozone from outdoor air, producing byproducts like formaldehyde, a known carcinogen and allergens .
Beauty salon safety
Beauty salons can be particularly risky environments for exposure to VOCs. Studies have found contaminants such as formaldehyde, ammonia and toluene , a potentially harmful ingredient used in many personal care products, at high levels in salons, putting staff who work there at the highest risk.
Formaldehyde levels in some salons have reached above safety limits . Methyl methacrylate , which can cause skin irritation, allergic reactions and potential respiratory issues has been detected in the air of nail salons .
These contaminants are not necessarily limited to the places in a salon where a certain product is being used . Beauty salons with poor ventilation are likely to expose workers and customers to much higher levels of contaminants . Some of the components of personal care products are known, harmful contaminants and carcinogens.
Regulations specifically related to ventilation in environments where large volumes of these products are used do reduce exposures. For instance, studies show that after ventilation regulations came into effect in Boston, US in 2011, the air quality inside nail salons improved .
When visiting your nail salon or hair stylist, check with them about their ventilation system and other steps they are taking to reduce exposure to VOCs.
To limit exposure to potential VOCs at home when using personal care products, try to open windows and use extractor fans in wet rooms. Be especially careful when applying products to the face or when using a high temperature application - high temperatures can increase emissions .
Asit Kumar Mishra is a DOROTHY co-fund Fellow and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow and receives funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101034345.
