Welcome to the Watapana Wellnesa Daily-Use-Products Toxicity Guide, where we provide you with essential information to help you make informed decisions about the products you use every day.

Our goal is to empower you with knowledge on potential risks and hazards associated with common skin/ hair care products, ensuring a safe and healthy environment for you and your loved ones.

Let's navigate the world of daily product toxicity together, for a safer tomorrow!

Mind you, 'our skin is our biggest organ, and we are rubbing God knows what into it!'.

PHTHALATES

Phthalates are colorless, odorless, oily liquids also referred to as “plasticizers” based on their most common uses. They do not evaporate easily and do not permanently bind to plastic surfaces to which they are applied. Phthalates also function as solvents and stabilizers in perfumes and other fragrance preparations.

Health risks for phthalates are startling and include cancer, human reproductive and developmental toxicity, endocrine disruption, birth defects & respiratory problems, genital malformations and undescended testes in baby boys, and lower sperm counts in men.

How do phthalates affect the human body?

For example, those who were exposed to more phthalates are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Higher phthalate levels are also connected to obesity, perhaps because the chemicals affect the hormones that regulate fat tissue. Since phthalates can affect hormones, this in turn can affect fertility and development.

The negative impact of fragrance chemicals on human health includes cutaneous, respiratory, and systemic effects (e.g., headaches, asthma attacks, breathing difficulties, cardiovascular and neurological problems) and distress in workplaces.

This is because we are continuously exposed to these chemicals.

There are many ways we can be exposed to phthalates in our daily lives. While people might think they're only at risk if they inhale or ingest these chemicals, research shows skin absorption can have a major affect on phthalate levels in the body.

Mind you, 'our skin is our biggest organ, and we are rubbing God knows what into it!'.

Phthalates make up a huge class of chemicals, each with a slightly different chemical structure. Over the past few decades, multiple studies have suggested a link between exposure and a wide range of health and developmental problems.

Phthalates are endocrine disruptors, and exposure to phthalates has been linked to breast cancer, developmental issues, decreased fertility, obesity and asthma. 

Sodium Benzoate

Sodium benzoate has been associated with various health issues, including DNA damage, hormonal disruption, and decreased fertility.

This preservative is commonly found in fruit juices, fermented foods, sauces, and some pancake syrups. Additionally, sodium benzoate is often combined with citric acid in cleaners and personal care products, although its formulation in these products differs from its use in food.

In cleaning and personal care items, citric acid acts as a pH adjuster and is converted into a salt, which helps reduce the formation of benzene.

Sodium benzoate may also pose a cancer risk, particularly when used alongside ascorbic acid, citric acid, or vitamin C as a preservative, especially in larger quantities and when stabilized. Under high temperatures or sunlight exposure, these conditions can lead to the production of benzene, a substance linked to blood cancers.

A similar chemical reaction occurs when ascorbic acid, citric acid, or vitamin C is paired with another preservative, potassium benzoate.

There are over 20,000 products listed in the ‘EWG’s Food Scores’ database that contain both sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid, citric acid, or vitamin C. This database evaluates products based on their ingredients, nutritional content, and processing concerns. Foods such as sodas, cakes, sauces, and salad dressings are among those most likely to include both sodium benzoate and ascorbic or citric acid, or vitamin C.

BENZINE

A number of everyday hair and body products – including deodorant sprays, dry shampoos and sunscreens – have been found to contain elevated levels of benzene, a cancer-causing chemical. Benzene is a common chemical used in manufacturing and also found in cigarette smoke, gasoline, detergents and paint.

Benzene is a widely used industrial chemical and is a major part of gasoline. Some other uses of Benzene include making plastics, synthetic fibres, rubber lubricants, dyes, resins, detergents, drugs and more.

Benzene has a sweet, aromatic, gasoline-like odor.

After inhalation or absorption, benzene targets organs viz. liver, kidney, lung, heart and brain etc. It is metabolized mainly in the liver by cytochrome P450 multifunctional oxygenase system.

Brief exposure (5–10 minutes) to very high levels of benzene in air (10,000–20,000 ppm) can result in death. Lower levels (700–3,000 ppm) can cause drowsiness, dizziness, rapid heart rate, headaches, tremors, confusion, and unconsciousness.

Long-term inhalation exposure to lower levels of benzene is known to affect bone marrow as well as cause harm to the nervous system and can cause blood disorders in humans. Benzene causes anemia, excessive bleeding and damage to the immune system. Women who breathe high levels of benzene may have irregular menstrual periods and a decrease in the size of the ovaries.

Benzene is a cause of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome and a probable cause of other hematological malignancies, such as non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

What does benzene do to the brain?

Neurological effects have been commonly reported in humans following high-level exposure to benzene. Fatal inhalation exposure has been associated with vascular congestion in the brain. Chronic inhalation exposure has been associated with distal neuropathy, difficulty in sleeping, and memory loss.

PARABENS

Parabens are a family of related chemicals that are commonly used as preservatives in cosmetic products. Preservatives may be used in cosmetics to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and mold, in order to "protect" both the products and consumers.

However:

Parabens can clog pores and promote the growth of acne-causing bacteria, leading to acne breakouts. People with sensitive skin are prone to skin irritation and any inflammation of the skin. Parabens can trigger these issues.

Cosmetics typically contain mixtures of different types of parabens. The most commonly used six types are methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, isopropyl-, butyl- and isobutylparaben. The so-called shorter-chain parabens, methyl- and ethyl-, are commonly used in combination, whereas butylparaben is often used alone.

Many studies that have concluded that parabens have an ability to mimic estrogen which can cause problems in the body's cells and parabens have even been found in breast cancer tumors.

Sulfates have been linked in studies to leave residue in the heart, lungs and even the brain.

The biggest concern with parabens is that some studies show that they disrupt hormones in your body. Once in your body, parabens can act like the hormone estrogen in both males and females. This could have a disastrous effect on things like: Fertility (sperm count and length of menstrual cycle).

Cosmetics typically contain mixtures of different types of parabens. The most commonly used six types are methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, isopropyl-, butyl- and isobutylparaben. The so-called shorter-chain parabens, methyl- and ethyl-, are commonly used in combination, whereas butylparaben is often used alone.

FORMALDEHYDE

Inhalation of formaldehyde can cause airway irritation, bronchospasm, and pulmonary edema. Absorption of large amounts of formaldehyde via any route can cause severe systemic toxicity, leading to metabolic acidosis, tissue and organ damage, and coma.

Concentrations of 100 ppm are immedi- ately dangerous to life and health (IDLH). Note: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) considers 20 ppm of formaldehyde to be IDLH. Workers can inhale formaldehyde as a gas or vapor or absorb it through the skin as a liquid.

There is no antidote for formaldehyde.

TRICLOSAN

Triclosan (TCS) is a widely used chemical whose effects on human health remains elusive. TCS may play a role in a variety of health issues, including endocrine dysfunction, irregular embryonic development, and immune suppression.

The antibacterial compound Triclosan has been linked to numerous human health problems. Exposures come mainly by absorption through the skin or through the lining of the mouth. These exposures have resulted in contact dermatitis, or skin irritation, and an increase in allergic reactions, especially in children.

Triclosan could induce anxiety like behaviors in mice. Locomotor activity and motor coordination disturbed by Triclosan administration.

One study described the role that triclosan may have in developing allergies and sensitivities to certain foods. Certain products containing the ingredient cause skin irritation. Triclosan is an endocrine-disrupting chemical. That means it can harm your endocrine system, leading to issues with proper hormone function.

Triclosan accelerated development of fatty liver, fibrosis, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD; see sidebar). In humans, NAFLD is an increasingly common condition that can lead to liver cirrhosis and cancer.

That's why the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently made the decision to ban it in soaps and hand washes — the European Union passed a similar ban last January. Both Australia and Japan have set limits on triclosan in hand washes far below the levels permitted in Canada.

SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE

Sodium laureth sulfate (sometimes referred to as SLES) is used in cosmetics as a detergent and also to make products bubble and foam. It is common in shampoos, shower gels and facial cleansers. It is also found in household cleaning products, like dish soap.

Sodium lauryl sulfate, however, is a skin, eye and respiratory tract irritant and toxic to biological organisms. It is known to cause dermal complications, as well as, damaging hair follicles, actively causing hair loss.Sodium laureth sulfate has been implicated in several health concerns including skin and eye irritation, but the main problem with this chemical is the fact that it's frequently contaminated by 1,4 dioxane, a known carcinogen that is a common by-product of the manufacturing process.

Carcinogens are directly linked to causing cancer.

ALUMINUM

Aluminium oxides rank amongst the less toxic substances and only exhibit toxic effects in high concentrations. Inhalation of aluminium oxide dust jowever, should be avoided at all times, but there is no evidence of significant harm to the lungs associated with the inhalation of aluminium oxide dust.

Aluminum can affect you when breathed in. Contact can irritate the skin and eyes. Exposure to Aluminum can cause “metal fume fever.”

This is a flu-like illness with symptoms of metallic taste in the mouth, headache, fever and chills, aches, chest tightness and cough.

Recent studies on environmental poisoning have shown that aluminum can be a major threat to humans, animals, and plants. Overdose of aluminum provides oxidative stress in the brain, liver, and kidney. It is possible to enhance free radicals and change antioxidant capacity of the enzymes.

Is aluminium carcinogenic?

Aluminum is a metal long suspected of having carcinogenic effects that have not, to date, been conclusively demonstrated.

What are the problems with aluminium?

Large parts of both the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are affected.

In the aquatic environment, aluminium acts as a toxic agent on gill-breathing animals such as fish and invertebrates, by causing loss of plasma- and haemolymph ions leading to osmoregulatory failure.