Harmful cosmetic and skin care ingredients

We are exposed to a great number of harmful chemicals over our life time. They're almost in every product we use on our body. The growing list of synthetic ingredients manufacturers add to their products are turning the most innocent-looking shampoos and moisturizers into cocktails of toxins that could cause cancer over years of sustained use. These ingredients are inexpensive, stable and have a long shelf life. The products may appear safe in the short run but as I said the results from long-term use could be deadly. There is no question that people are being damaged and especially by their cosmetics. Since cosmetics are not considered to be as serious as drugs or food,  many things are put into them that are carcinogenic.

Chemicals are transmitted into the bloodstream in a number of ways : Powders have the least absorption. Oily solutions or those designed to increase moisture allow more of the chemical to be absorbed.

The average woman uses about 11 personal care products per day,the average man 6, and the teenage girls around 17.

Let's see : 

Shampoo - average nr of chemicals   : 15 

Hair spray : 11

Body lotion : 32

Deodorant : 15

Foundation : 24

nail varnish : 31

eyeshadow : 26

lipstick       : 33

blusher      :16

 Perfume    :250

 And I haven't mentioned : conditioner, face moisturizer, concealer, nail polish, shaving creams etc. You put many of these on your body daily.

Some of these harmful chemicals are :

-SLS ( sodium lauryl sulphate )
-SLES ( sodium laureth sulphate)
-Ceteareths
-DEA /TEA 
-Petrolatum
-BHA / BHT
-Formaldehyde
-Parabens
-Frangrances (synthetic)
-PEGs
-Coal Tar dyes 
-Phthalates 

 Here is a detailed list of widely known dangerous ingredients in body and food products and their effects http://www.purezing.com/living/toxins/living_toxins_dangerousingredients.html

Now maybe you're wondering : How am I going to find a safe product to use when there are millions of them out there.
Fortunately for us there is the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Database.
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/
You can find so much information here . You can search for a certain product that you're interested. But be careful that the data for the ingredients must be at least fair. Or you can search for safe products directly.

And there is also another site that I've found lately : http://www.goodguide.com