These Beauty Products Are Very Dangerous for Women of Color.
As if it’s nothing wrong with cosmetics companies rarely offering enough shades for women of color , a new survey found women of color also face the greatest risk of unsafe chemical exposure from personal care products.
The article is titled “The Environmental Injustice of Beauty” and points out that we usually look for clusters of chemical exposure based on geographic location: for example, who lives near a polluting factory or on a busy road. But often people of color are in these more hazardous areas and are the target market for beauty products with potentially hazardous ingredients. These are the worst offenders:
Face creams containing mercury
Skin lightening creams, sometimes referred to as “corrective blemishes” or “blemishes,” may contain mercury. The FDA regulates the mercury content of products sold here, but face creams made elsewhere (imported from overseas or sold illegally here) can contain shockingly high amounts of mercury.
For example, one study tracked high exposure to mercury in a California woman who consumed a face cream she bought in Mexico . And in a New York City Mercury Exposure Study, Dominicans who used face brightening creams had the highest levels of mercury in their urine. In this study, the researchers found that 12 imported products were being illegally sold in local stores, despite their high mercury content.
Yes, mercury poisoning has been linked to cosmetic products that contain mercury . Mercury can damage the kidneys and nervous system. And if you’re pregnant, the mercury in your body can interfere with your baby’s development (especially brain development).
These mercury-containing creams are generally marketed specifically for black women with advertising that promotes the idea of the fact that the lighter skin means that you’ll be nice and professional. So not only are they putting women of color at risk precisely because of their skin color , they are also doing it in the service of an idea that is clearly colouristic and racist.
Hair relaxers with endocrine disruptors
Relaxation products, straighteners, and other hair products often contain ingredients that mimic or contain estrogen. For example, the placenta of animals supposedly nourishes the skin and hair , but also contains estrogen and other hormones. And parabens, used as preservatives, can mimic estrogen in the body.
We do not have clear evidence of a link between these ingredients and health outcomes; for example, the FDA tentatively considers parabens in cosmetics to be safe , but is monitoring new research. However, there is circumstantial evidence – not evidence, but hints – that breast cancer is linked to the use of hair products by African American women , in particular those containing estrogen.
Black women are much more likely than whites to use straighteners and generally use more hair products. And at least part of this discrepancy lies in adherence to dress codes or stereotypes that straight, sleek hair is more beautiful or professional.
Showers and other feminine hygiene products
Yes, it disproportionately affects black women due to stereotypes and marketing that portrayed them as dirty and smelly . Even today, black women are more likely than whites to use douching, wipes, and talcum powder in or near their vagina.
These foods can potentially cause cancer and health problems. Evidence linking talcum powder to ovarian cancer is mixed . The authors of the article on environmental injustice note that women who douche have higher levels of phthalates in their bodies, but phthalates are definitely not associated with cancer or other health problems .
Even apart from chemistry, douching is not beneficial . It spoils the natural bacteria living in the vagina and can cause irritation or infection.
Easier said than done, simply discard these products if you use them. First, potentially problematic chemicals are not always labeled in such a way that it is easy to determine what is safe and what is not. In general, the risk can be reduced to the quantity and quantity of goods that women of color use.
But more broadly, these products are popular with women of color because of racist beliefs about what is considered beautiful, professional, or acceptable. And so, for example, skin lightening creams will not go away until the preference for fair skin is gone.