Beauty Products May Cause Cancer
by Anthony Arnold
September 2020
According to new recently published studies, women’s health could be suffering disproportionately from our society’s beauty standards. A study published in Carcinogenesis, an Oxford University journal, has highlighted a possible connection between lye based hair relaxers and breast cancer.
Lye hair products are used primarily by Black women to straighten hair, and are preferred by some to non-lye options due to their strength and speed at which they work. In the workplace, where straighter hairstyles are still the preference, using these products can feel like an unofficial job requirement.
But if the report is correct, then there could be up to a 30% increase in the odds of developing breast cancer associated with them.
A second study, published in Environmental Science and Technology Letters, found the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a dangerous class of chemicals, in beauty products such as foundations, mascaras, and lip products. PFAS increases the durability of makeup, helping it to last longer. They’re also used in products such as nonstick cookware, stain resistant coatings, and toxic cleaning products.
According to the CDC, research suggests that high levels of certain PFAS may lead to side effects such as increased cholesterol, increased risk of kidney cancer, and increased risk of high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia in pregnant women.
Over the last year and a half, many workplaces have shifted to a work from home approach, due to pandemic restrictions. For women in particular, this meant freedom from the expectations to look a certain way at work -- all of the time. While zoom calls come with some pressure in terms of appearance, they’re lower than the day-to-day pressures that come with office work.
But as society moves closer to putting the pandemic behind us, many workplaces are returning to normal, and with that change the old expectations could return.
Heather Arnold, who is also my wife, had some interesting things to say about how she views the health risks associated with makeup use, and if it would change her behavior.
“No, not really. I mean you take a risk walking across the street every day, or getting in the car. I’m not a big makeup wearer. I only wear it on special occasions, and not daily.”
However, our daughter Olivia, who is a 15-year-old high schooler, has a different take on the question.
“Absolutely. I feel like if they’re going to show an ad for makeup, like how they show ads for medication, they [should] have the risks afterwards. They should do the same with makeup, [because] with all the ads I’ve seen I’ve never heard of any of the risks.”
Their different feelings are, in part, attributable to the different roles that makeup has played in their lives. I asked Heather how long she’s been wearing makeup, what made her start, and if her peer group at the time was doing the same.
“Maybe 12. I was pretty young. That’s when makeup was a huge thing. Eyeliner and mascara. I have no idea what made me start. Everybody was doing it. At least every girl I knew.”
But for our daughter, who’s now a few years older than Heather was when she started, the experience hasn’t been the same. She doesn’t wear makeup right now and says she doesn’t feel the same social pressure from her peers that my wife did.
However, when I asked if she would wear makeup to impress a boss or potential romantic partner as she got older, the answer was slightly different.
“I feel like I would, because a lot of the ads I see, they don’t really show kids. They show these beautiful women, putting on these products, like ‘This will help your skin. Or this will make your hair shiny.’ And I feel like if I was older there would be a lot of pressure.”
‘Is makeup or straight hair worth your health?’
This may be the question that women have to start to ask themselves as we return to work, with the expectation of getting back to normal. According to the aforementioned reports of the risks of hair products and makeup, women may have to start to consider if the unspoken expectations of how to present themselves at work is more important than their health; or even their lives.