cosmetics. Female animals that ate large amounts of ethylene glycol had babies with birth defects,
while male animals had reduced sperm counts (Anderson et al. 1987). Ethylene glycol and propylene
glycol affect the body’s chemistry by increasing the amount of acid, resulting in metabolic problems.
However, these effects were seen when animals were fed very high concentrations of these
chemicals. It is very unlikely that you will gulp PEG-containing toothpaste by the tube. However,
your two-year-old toddler might happily do that, given the chance.
Then there is another potential danger. Impurities found in various PEG compounds include
ethylene oxide, 1,4-Dioxane, polycyclic aromatic compounds, and heavy metals such as lead, iron,
cobalt, nickel, cadmium, and arsenic. The toxicity of PEG compounds increases when products are
applied to damaged skin. These contaminants could be easily and economically removed by vacuum
stripping during manufacture. Still, there is no guarantee that the PEG in your baby wash has been
treated to remove any possible toxins. In spite of these concerns, PEG compounds remain commonly
used in “natural” cosmetics and personal care products, often disguised by giving plant names to
them.
Simply because propylene glycol has many different applications does not make all PEG-
containing beauty products equally toxic. Industrial-strength solutions are very concentrated and
require caution in handling them. The cosmetic industry uses only very small amounts of propylene
and polyethylene glycols. Chances are you’ve been using products containing various PEGs and PGs
for years, and there’s little use in being paranoid about it. But if you would like to reduce your current
personal toxic load, it may make sense to avoid using products containing glycols, especially now
when many alternatives are available.
The Big Preservative Debate
All personal care products have a shelf life. You can usually find out how long the product will
remain fresh by locating a “best before” date stamped on the sealed end of a tube or directly on the
bottle’s label. Have you ever noticed a sketch of an opened jar on a box of a beauty product?
Sometimes there is a symbol of a jar along with a number preceding the letterM: 6Mmeans six months
while 12Mmeans twelve months. If these numbers accompany a jar with a closed lid, it means that a
product will remain fresh for six months from the manufacture date (as long as it remains closed and
sealed), while a jar with an open lid indicates that once opened, with normal use the product will
remain fresh for six, twelve, or more months.
Preservatives contained in beauty products ward off bacteria, fungi, microbes, and oxidation. Such
preservatives halt enzyme activity in the formulation, stop the oxidation process, or kill bacteria and
any living creatures that wandered inside the bottle. The more preservatives that are loaded into the
product, the longer it can remain “pure” and uncontaminated. This way, beauty products can be
manufactured in mass quantities and be warehoused for a longer period.
Of all cosmetic ingredients, preservatives are the most frequently targeted by open-minded
research doctors, consumer groups, and nongovernmental organizations. Preservatives keep products
clean and fresh, which is a good thing because we often store our beauty products in bathrooms,
which tend to be warm and moist. Also, family members may share cosmetic products, which often
come in wide-neck jars—think body balm used as an aftershave lotion and hand salves doubling as