A question that has been arising over the last few years is whether or not lip gloss is safe for people to use and whether or not it can be the cause of getting skin cancer. Women from all across the world have been using lip glosses for quite some time because of its great functionality; it offers moisturizer for your lips, a little bit of shine, and it also gives you some sheer color. Due to the fact that it does all of that, many women across the nation have chosen this as their number one cosmetic that they use.
Why Are There Concerns with Lip Gloss?
If lip gloss is so fabulous, why is it that people think that it can be the cause of skin cancer? Many people think that some of the ingredients could be the cause; however that is not the real cause behind the speculation of possibly getting cancer. Now, you will definitely want to take a look at the ingredients found in lip gloss such as parabens and lead.
Parabens are a class of chemicals that are found in many cosmetics, but are becoming increasingly controversial because they have been found in extremely low concentrations in breast cancer tumors. They have also displayed the ability to slightly mimic estrogen, which is a hormone known to play a role in the development of breast cancer. Lead, which is a soft, malleable poor metal, is also found in some cosmetics and depending on how much exposure you get to it, it can be harmful to your nervous system and to the brain. Now that you know which two ingredients you should definitely stay away from, you will want to purchase lip glosses that are lead-free and paraben-free.
Avoiding Lip Glosses that May Increase Cancer
Although those two ingredients mentioned above throw up a red light, the concerns from lip gloss typically comes from something else, since many cosmetic companies are not producing cosmetics with those ingredients. If you think about the gloss on your lips, it is bright and glossy, just like baby oil, and it attracts the suns UV rays. The problem with lip gloss is the fact that the vast majority of them have no sun protection built into them.
There are many dermatologists that compare applying lip gloss to basically applying baby oil to your body before sun bathing. It simply does not offer sun protection and can really do your skim some harm if not monitored properly. Using baby oil merely concentrates the rays of the sun so you’re much more likely to suffer from burned skin.
With that being said, you may want to opt for lip glosses that offer SPF for sun protection. Many women do not like the taste of the sunscreen, but you will find that these days there are companies that are getting very creative with the flavored lip glosses that still contain SPF. Remember that your lips are skin and they also need to be protected just like the rest of your body and without sufficient protection from the UV rays of the sun, your lips are at a greater risk in producing skin cancer.
If you do not find a lip gloss that has an SPF of at least 30, you can opt for a lip balm that you can apply before putting on the lip gloss. Many companies have lip balms with an SPF 30–50 that you can purchase and keep with you, so that you can moisturize throughout the day.
