5 Beauty Ingredients You NEED To Avoid While Buying Make-up Products

1. Lead in Lipsticks

It's heartbreaking to know that the cheery pick-me-up lipstick lying in your bag could have a harmful ingredient present in it- Lead (yep, you read that right!).

The toxicity of lead is known to all and yet it makes its way in the production of your fave beauty product. The harmful ingredient inevitably enters your system in super small quantities as you wear the lip colour.

Exposure to lead is linked to several health risks like reduced fertility rate, miscarriage and many other diseases and allergic reactions.

2. Silicone in hair products

Silicone coats and fills all the gaps in an uneven hair strand making it appear glossier and healthier. Which means it is often added in conditioners, hair polishers and frizz taming products to make your tresses look soft and sleek.

While it may look like a good thing to get silky smooth hair in a jiffy, silicone is in no way a safe ingredient for your mane. The chemical can add a bit of weight to already brittle hair leaving your locks susceptible to hair breakage.

3. Thimerisol in Mascara

Thimerisol is a mercury-based element used as a preservative and antiseptic. Known to damage brain function, this chemical was banned from use in vaccines, but can be found in cosmetics.

Err...harmful enough to be removed from vaccines but not cosmetics?! We love mascaras but is it worth getting your brain wrecked?

4. Paraben

Paraben is used as a preservative to prevent the growth of bacteria, mold and yeast in cosmetic products. It increases the shelf life of your fave beauty products. While this solves one problem, it gives rise to many major issues. Once absorbed through the skin, this chemical enters the bloodstream and can trigger skin irritation. Also, it has been said to increase the risk of getting breast cancer and reproductive disorder.

5. Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)

This ingredient is found in more than 90 percent of personal care products. SLS's are known to cause skin, lung, and eye irritation. A major concern about SLS is that it could combine with other chemicals to form nitrosamines, a carcinogen. The usage of products having SLS can lead to a lot of other health issues like, kidney and respiratory damage.