Look at the full ingredient list and choose your cosmetics wisely

The danger of judging based on image alone

Stylish designs and "looks good" slogans may be a good thing when choosing clothes.
However, choosing cosmetics to apply to your skin every day based on the product's image alone is not a wise choice.

The container is stylish. Famous influencers use it. It contains popular ingredients. They all look appealing. But they don't guarantee the safety of the cosmetic.

Only safe cosmetics are sold in Japan. Is that true?
Sensitive skin and skin problems... Could it be your skin's fault?

The clues are hidden in the full ingredient list of cosmetics.

Japan's Cosmetics Safety Standards

If you think that you don't have to worry because Japan's safety standards for cosmetics are strict, there is a fact you should know.

This is the number of ingredients that are regulated in their composition.

In Japan, 30 types of ingredients are prohibited from use, and there are restrictions on the use of approximately 100 types of ingredients and chemicals. This was established in 2001, but has not been updated since then.
In Japan, apart from these 130 ingredients , the safety and dosage of all other ingredients is left to the discretion of the manufacturer.
There is no need for manufacturers to submit safety data and other information to the government.

Meanwhile, the EU has regulated over 1,600 potentially harmful ingredients across the EU.
In addition, there are more than 1,400 ingredients in China and more than 1,000 ingredients in South Korea, and each country has its own restrictions on what ingredients can be used.

By comparison, there are only 11 varieties in the United States.
Most ingredients can be mixed at the manufacturer's discretion.

For example, parabens are preservatives that are often used in cosmetics.
However, recent studies suggest that parabens can be absorbed through the skin and may weaken estrogen production in the body, causing hormonal disruptions .

The best way to choose safe cosmetics wisely, rather than just based on their image, is to read the full ingredient list, because it basically lists all the ingredients that are included.
General cosmetics are required to list all ingredients, so even ingredients that are highly toxic or irritating are listed there.

How to read the full ingredient list

Ingredients on a full ingredient list are listed in order of the amount used. This is why most cosmetic products list "water" first.

However, ingredients present in amounts of 1% or less may be listed in any order.
The order in which ingredients that are present at less than 1% are listed is decided by the manufacturer.

Other than that, there are the following rules:

• Fragrance may be listed as "fragrance" if multiple ingredients are combined.
• Colorants and pigments may be listed in any order at the end of the complete ingredient list.
• Residual ingredients (carry-over ingredients) from the manufacture of ingredients do not need to be listed.
• Quasi-drugs do not need to list all ingredients

What to check in the ingredient list

The full ingredient list just lists the names of the ingredients. Therefore, in order to know whether a product contains highly toxic or irritating ingredients, it is necessary to know what ingredients may be toxic, irritating to the skin, or cause allergies .

There are many ingredients to be careful of. For example, the US FDA has recognized the following ingredients as allergens:
These ingredients are also sometimes found in Japanese cosmetics.

• Formaldehyde ( may remain in the preservatives DMDM ​​hydantoin and imidazolidinyl urea)
• Methylisothiazolinone (can cause itchy, red rash)
• P-phenylenediamine (often used in hair dyes and other hair care products)
• Triclosan : (Preservative. Banned by the FDA in soaps and body washes in 2016)
• Parabens (as mentioned above)
• Fragrances (a 2017 Australian study of 1,098 participants found that 33% experienced a migraine or asthma attack after exposure to fragranced products)

At first glance, the names are all so long and complicated that it can be daunting.
However, if you make it a habit to look at the full ingredient list, you will notice that there are many common ingredients.

However, there is one thing that is unclear even when looking at the full ingredient list: the amount of each ingredient.

Even if an ingredient is known to be highly irritating to the skin, some people may not have any problems if it is present in small amounts.
Also, not everyone will develop an allergic reaction to a particular allergen.

However, we recommend that people with sensitive skin, those who suffer from atopic dermatitis , small children, and those with allergies avoid any ingredients that concern them, regardless of the amount contained.
The reason is that no one knows the effects of applying it every day.

If you apply it for a short period of time, such as a few days, there's no problem. However, in most cases, skin care is something you do every day. And most people apply it twice a day.

That means you're applying that ingredient to your skin 60 times a month, and there's a bigger chance than you'd think that it could have an adverse effect on your skin.