I don't remember exactly when I ascended from just mascara and eyeliner to full-on face makeup. I woke up one day and I was horrified to see my face ravaged by zits and uneven skin tone and so with decisive action, I dove head first into the world of face powders.
As I stood in front of my bathroom mirror, a big brush dipped in powder in my hand, I took a deep breath and held it. Then I started dusting the powder all over my face. I stopped holding my breath at a very critical moment and before I realized what was happening, I was inhaling a load of translucent powder and sneezing like a madwoman. Then I thought: "Well...this can't be good for me." I was right. Like many other people, I was oblivious of Talc, a carcinogenic ingredient commonly used in cosmetics that leads to lung problems and may be a cause in lung and ovarian cancer. I was inhaling poison.
What is talc?
Talc is a mineral that is processed from talc rocks. The processing does not remove the tiny fibers in talc which are very similar to asbestos, a recognized deadly carcinogen.
An excerpt from Wikipedia says:
"Several studies have established preliminary links between talc and pulmonary issues,[6] lung cancer,[7][8] skin cancer and ovarian cancer.[9] This is a major concern considering talc's widespread commercial and household use. In 1993, a US National Toxicology Program report found that cosmetic grade talc caused tumours in rats (animal testing) forced to inhale talc for 6 hours a day, five days a week over at least 113 weeks, even though it contained no asbestos-like fibres.[7] Scientists have been aware of the toxicity of talc since the late 1960s, and in 1971 researchers found particles of talc embedded in 75% of the ovarian tumors studied.[10]"
Although the article goes on to say that the FDA considers talc that does not contain potentially carcinogenic abestiform amphibole fibers to be generally safe, cosmetic grade talc however, remains non-regulated by the federal government to this day.
Why does the cosmetics industry still use talc in their products when they know that it is harmful? Duh, it's cheap and plentiful.
What should you do about it then? The solution is very simple.
READ the ingredients list the next time you buy face powders, powder blush, powder bronzers, body shimmer powders, etc. Although a product may claim to be "pure" or "natural" or "mineral-based", it may still contain iffy ingredients such as talc.
The following link leads to the Cancer Prevention Coalition site and contains further information on the toxicity of talc http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/cosmetics/talc.htm
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Anonymous Says:
i tried physician's formula...cuz it's claimed to be so natural....but i can't stand the smell...smells like pooop...:P
Posted on February 28, 2010 at 8:04 AM
Sisi Says:
realli? the powder?! I gotta smell it again :P
Posted on February 28, 2010 at 7:52 PM
Anonymous Says:
lol, yes, i have the powdered bronzer
for some reason, i can't leave comments nonanonymously...
Posted on March 2, 2010 at 7:52 AM
Sisi Says:
if u look below the comment box there's the "comment as" selection bar. Try clicking on "Name/URL" and a new box should pop up for u to leave ur name and blog address on there. If u haf a google acct u can also sign in on google and leave comment that way. If the box is not appearing wen u click other options perhaps iz a browser problem? I hope this helps...altho i'm not very computer savvy...haha
Posted on March 2, 2010 at 10:04 AM