Polyacrylamide is a cosmetic ingredient that poses a risk of carcinogenesis

The hidden risks of polyacrylamide

Polyacrylamide is used as a stabilizer or thickener in lotions, milky lotions, creams, etc. It is a component in which a substance called acrylamide is repeatedly bonded together.

However, there are concerns that acrylamide may be carcinogenic, and it has also been linked to breast tumors.

Due to various concerns, the EU has set strict limits on the amount of acrylamide residues that can be present in cosmetics.
However, in Japan there are no restrictions.

What is polyacrylamide?

Polyacrylamide, which is made from the scary acrylamide, is actually commonly used in cosmetics.

It is used in cosmetics to stabilize them, to bind ingredients together, to improve foaming, etc. It also has anti-static properties, so it is sometimes used in hair care products.

However, polyacrylamide does contain small amounts of acrylamide.

Yet its use in cosmetics as a thickener and lubricant doubled between 1989 and 2002, and has continued to increase since then.

In addition to cosmetics, polyacrylamide is also used in synthetic dyes and contact lenses.

Health risks from polyacrylamide

As mentioned at the beginning, acrylamide is suspected to be carcinogenic. Polyacrylamide is made up of molecules in which acrylamide is repeatedly bonded together.
Even small amounts may remain in the final product, and there are concerns about the health effects of these trace amounts of acrylamide.

More harmful than cigarettes?

Acrylamide is a carcinogen that is also found in tobacco.
However, it is said that the daily amount of acrylamide that you come into contact with through the use of cosmetics may exceed the amount you would get from smoking one pack of cigarettes a day.

Smoking one pack of cigarettes exposes you to 0.67μg per kg of body weight, compared to 0.95μg per kg from using cosmetics.

Acrylamide is also present in foods and burnt foods, but studies have shown that the amount of acrylamide remaining in cosmetics exceeds the levels found in those foods.

Acrylamide absorbed through the skin

It has also been suggested that acrylamide in cosmetics is absorbed through the skin at a rapid rate.

The daily exposure limit for acrylamide is 0.83-1.7 μg/kg of body weight.
However, as mentioned above, the amount can reach 0.95 μg when used in cosmetics.

What if you use multiple cosmetics containing polyacrylamide?
This could result in exceeding safe limits.

Linked to cancer

The U.S. National Toxicology Program has designated acrylamide as a probable carcinogen. Animal studies have shown it to be linked to cancer of the thyroid, testis, breast, uterus, pituitary gland, and oral cavity.

Human studies have linked workplace exposure to acrylamide to pancreatic cancer in men.

Risk of neurotoxicity

The US National Toxicology Program has noted that prenatal exposure to acrylamide may affect children's behavior, suggesting acrylamide's neurotoxicity.

There are also studies showing risks such as reduced fetal weight.

Ingredients that may contain acrylamide

The following ingredients may contain residual acrylamide: