Cosmetic Ingredients: B is For...

The second post in this series is, of course, B, if you missed A is for... you will find the link in the 'Series' tab above.

Benzophenone

This ingredient has been known to cause skin irritations and in some cases blistering. Typically found in nail varnish, perfumes, lotions and even sun creams (including SPF cosmetics) you would think it would be a completely safe one wouldn't you? Although this carries some risk of irritation it is a relatively safe ingredient so please don't stop using your sun creams and protection.

Benzophenone comes in powder form and is supposed to protect you from nasty UV rays by absorbing and deflecting harmful rays. My recommendation is to always try a skin test first with any product, even if it's something you've used successfully in the past your body can react at any time

Benzoyl Peroxide

Benzoyl Peroxide sounds scary but it's really not, It's mainly used as a topical antibacterial agent in products such as blemishes and acne creams and hair shampoos and treatments that are used to diminish problems caused by bacteria. It's a good ingredient because it can penetrate the skin and hair follicles easily treating the problem that the user may have, it's also a low-risk irritant as long as you use a suitable percentage - starting on a low dose is the best method of using products containing this ingredient.

Bronopol

Bronopol is a preservative that's used in cosmetics and beauty products, it will show as 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3 diol on your product ingredient lists. This ingredient is a formaldehyde-releasing preservative and if it's ever combined with an amine it may release nitrosamines. It can be found in wipes including Johnson's brand, users have found it can cause contact dermatitis, inflamed and peeling skin as well as irritation. Have you ever used a product and found it makes you sting or feels drier than normal? check for this ingredient.

Butyl Paraben

Parabens are bad! There's been so much press on these little blighter's that it's worth knowing what's what. So these are typically used as preservatives in the cosmetics and pharma world, companies choose it over the safer counterparts purely because it's cheaper for them.

The main worry is that they are carcinogenic and parabens have been found inside breast cancer tumours. Estrogens are the main worry when it comes to cancers and it's those pesky hormones can lead to those cell changes happening, which ultimately lead to the growth of cancer. Parabens including the Butyl paraben mimics estrogen in the body which leads to precocious puberty and cancer - this is bad.

Typically found in toothpaste, shampoo's, lotions, spray tanning products, moisturisers and well basically most products that go in or on the body parabens also cause allergies, contact dermatitis and skin irritation.