These days, most girls wear some sort of cosmetic, whether it’s a little bit of eye shadow, or a whole set of face makeup. Most makeup brands include many harmful ingredients in their products, and they aren’t always listed on the box. The possible effects of these ingredients can cause long-lasting problems on your skin.

Most chemicals aren’t able to do anything serious because the makeup’s molecules are too big to even pass into the skin. But when you put these cosmetics on every day, you are forcing your body to fight off these adverse substances all of the time. Other chemicals are so strong that eventually, they will gain the power to cause a variety of threats to your health.

There is something that many cosmetic brands use that’s called coal tar. Coal tar is commonly used in preparation of makeup products and hair dyes. Using this can dangerously harm you and can cause a disease called folliculitis, an inflammation of one or more hair follicles that can occur anywhere on the skin. Also, it can cause photo toxicity, a chemically induced skin irritation. Exposure to coal tar (over a long period of time) can cause liver, skin, and lung cancers. Obviously, cosmetic brands that include coal tar in their products can seriously hurt you, especially if you use it continuously.

Another very common ingredient used in many cosmetics and even foods, are parabens. According to the David Suzuki Foundation, “Parabens are the most widely used preservative in cosmetics. They are also used as fragrance ingredients, but consumers won’t find that listed on the label. An estimated 75 to 90 per cent of cosmetics contain parabens.”

The European Commission on Endocrine Disruption said that parabens can interfere with hormone function. They have the ability to mimic estrogen, and they have been found in human breast cancer tissues, which suggests a possible connection between cancer and parabens.

Reading the ingredients label on makeup can take about a minute, yet it is so important. If you’re ever unsure about whether or not the label is right, or maybe you want to double check, then do your research. This may take time, but it’s all for the best.