Estee Lauder gets it wrong?

Filed in archive News on December 27, 2006

Origins, one of the brands under the Estee Lauder companies, has announced a new cosmetics line, which will as they said, undoubtedly help skin be as healthy as possible.

I do always take any cosmetic company claims with a dose of skepticism, because I've learned the hard way (buying every new and 'improved' product, only to be disappointed with its effectiveness) that cosmetic companies do lie through their teeth.

But, the Origins ordeal might be much worse than simple misleading advertising, according to the press release Samuel S. Epstein, M.D., the chairman of Cancer Prevention Coalition issued. He specifies that the Origins new line will be made of some very dangerous ingredients:

" However, review of these products reveals the following dangerous ingredients.
·Limonene, a well-known carcinogen, rated as such in 1990 by the National Toxicology Program.
·A large group of surfactants or emulsifiers, such as PEG-100 and ceteareth 20, known as ethoxylates. Unless readily purified, and appropriately labeled to such effect, these ingredients are contaminated with high concentrations of the potent carcinogen ethylene oxide, and also dioxane.
·Parabens, which even at very low concentrations, produce toxic hormonal effects, known as endocrine disruptive, especially in male embryos and infants.
·Bisabolol, technically known as a "penetration enhancer," increases the deep penetration of cosmetic ingredients through the skin.
·Butylene glycol, related to the anti-freeze ethylene glycol, is a skin irritant."

This sounds scary, even more because of the fact that Origins and Estee Lauder did not deny any of those statements.