tailieunhanh - Cosmetics and Your Health

Women’s health is a priority population for AHRQ, meaning women have unique health care needs or issues that require special focus. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) supports research on all aspects of health care provided to women, including: enhancing the response of the health system to women’s needs; understanding differences between the health care needs of women and men; understanding and eliminating disparities in health care; and providing evidence to inform women in their health care decisions. This fact sheet focuses on findings in the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports, two of many AHRQ publications that address women’s health. Since 2003, AHRQ has annually reported on progress and opportunities for improving health care. | I Frequently Asked Questions oíBBA1T 4 http 1-800-994-9662 TDD 1-888-220-5446 Cosmetics and Your Health Q What are cosmetics How are they different from over-the-counter OTC drugs A Cosmetics are products people use to cleanse or change the look of the face or body. Cosmetic products include Skin creams Lotions Perfumes Lipsticks Fingernail polishes Eye and face make-up products Permanent waves hair dyes Toothpastes Deodorants Unlike drugs which are used to treat or prevent disease in the body cosmetics do not change or affect the body s structure or functions. Q What s in cosmetics A Fragrances and preservatives are the main ingredients in cosmetics. Fragrances are the most common cause of skin problems. More than 5 000 different kinds are used in products. Products marked fragrance-free or without perfume means that no fragrances have been added to make the product smell good. page I Preservatives in cosmetics are the second most common cause of skin problems. They prevent bacteria and fungus from growing in the product and protect products from damage caused by air or light. But preservatives can also cause the skin to become irritated and infected. Some examples of preservatives are Paraben Imidazolidinyl urea Quaternium-15 DMDM hydantoin Phenoxyethanol Formaldehyde The ingredients below cannot be used or their use is limited in cosmetics. They may cause cancer or other serious health problems. Bithionol Mercur y compounds Vinyl chloride Halogenated salicyanilides Zirconium complexes in aerosol sprays Chloroform Methylene chloride Chlorof luorocarbon propellants Hexachlorophene Q What is the role of the Food and Drug Administration FDA in the cosmetic industry A A cosmetic maker can sell products without FDA approval. FDA does not review or approve cosmetics or their ingredients before they are sold to the public. But FDA urges cosmetic makers to do whatever tests are needed to . Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women s