I was surprised to find out that nail polish, eyelash glue, and hair products contained formaldehyde. I guess I shouldn’t really be surprised since the cosmetic industry isn’t regulated. The good news is that there are companies that create wonderful cosmetics with some ethics and safe ingredients.
Formaldehyde is a volatile organic compound (VOC). This colorless poisonous gas created by the oxidation of methanol releases gas at room temperature and especially with heat.
It is a known ingredient in many household products and building materials, yet I never thought would be in cosmetics. It has been named a disease causing carcinogen that effects the body over long term exposure. To learn more about formaldehyde go to National Cancer Institute.
Formaldehyde may have been removed from some major nail polish companies, yet it is challenging to know for sure since the ingredients are so tiny on nail polish bottles. Other ingredients to avoid are toluene, a human reproductive and developmental toxin*, DBP (dibutyl phthalate) linked to cancer**, and camphor linked to neurotoxicity***. Before assuming that the nail polish that you desire is free of toxins, I would look up the ingredients online. A few companies that make nail polish with ingredients for completely safe use are No Miss and Honey Bee Gardens. The two other companies that do have camphor but are formaldehyde, DBP, and toluene free are American Apparel and Zoya. (Some natural nail polishes surprisingly had aluminum powder and are no longer listed even though they did not contain formaldehyde, DBP and toluene.)
Formaldehyde had been linked to the newly popular Brazilian Keratin Treatment.
Although not everyone has used this treatment or is inclined to do so, formaldehyde remains hidden in other chemicals that release formaldehyde especially with heat such as diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea,quarterinium-15,DMDM hydantoin,2-bromo,and 2-nitropropane 1. These ingredients are in common shampoos, conditioners, and hair styling products. For a list of natural hair products go to “Green” Up Your Beauty Routine.
Lastly discovering that I was applying formaldehyde to my eyes every time I put lashes on for a show or by an artist on set was disturbing.
Unlike other beauty products there aren’t that many eyelash glue adhesives on the market in general not to mention formaldehyde free eyelash glue adhesives. I have not tried the brands for lash extensions that I have researched, but I will share my results.
Xtreme Lashes and Lash Beauty Formaldehyde Free Eyelash Pro-Glue Plus are formaldehyde free eyelash glues for lash extensions. (Xtreme Lashes is not formaldehyde free! Please read comments below)
Duo Surgical Adhesiveis also a lash adhesive for false lashes that is formaldehyde, paraben, and sulfate free. (Duo Surgical Adhesive is not formaldehyde free! Read the comments below for more details. I will continue to search for something safe to use for false eyelashes, although it seems it may not exist. If someone has any other information on a formaldehyde free lash glue it would be greatly appreciated. I do not use false lashes daily, yet must wear them for stage performances and on set for industry jobs.)
Most women use cosmetics daily. The long term effects of chemical ingredients aren’t worth beautifying ourselves for. I sometimes wonder how long it will take for cosmetic industries to become strictly regulated and for toxic chemicals to be banned from products in the US. Until then we as consumers can make the best choices for our health.
I don’t believe that eliminating beauty cosmetics completely is the best way as some minimalists have done. I actually enjoy using cosmetics and creating my own like my DIY foundation and powder which I’m reminded of everyday that I use it with joy. By educating ourselves and actually going through the products in our cabinets is the beginning of safe beauty.
Go to The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics to research what is in your cosmetics and begin making new choices.
Are there any natural cosmetic brands that you can’t get enough of? Please share!
Resources:
(Image by D Sharon Pruitt)
rich says
So how surprised will you be to learn that the California Air Resources Board released a study on December 15, 2009 reporting that 98% of the CA homes tested had formaldehyde concentration in room air at greater than the level their consider safe from causing cancer? The typical home tested had four times the concentration of formaldehyde they consider acceptable from a cancer risk point of view. This report got zero media coverage. What is worse is that homes built in the last several years typically have more formaldehyde than the typical FEMA trailer. For the past two years as a community service project I have been testing homes where occupants had unexplained health issues. All homes had significantly elevated formaldehyde (at or above the concentration of the typical FEMA trailer) and ALL families have reported dramatic improvement in their health after successfully reducing the formaldehyde concentration. Many families are even reporting that their children are no longer on asthma meds.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Rich,
Thanks for the wealth of information! It has been said before that our homes contain more toxins than anywhere else. Educating ourselves is truly the beginning of making wise choices for ourselves and our families.
Dawn Michelle
sally kahlfeldt says
Very interesting. I just read an articule about the Brazilian Blowout. Amazing what lengths women will go to for beauty. Thanks for the interesting article.
Danielle says
Thanks for bringing up these issues. I was excited when I saw the link to the Duo Surgical Glue, but sadly enough, formaldehyde is actually in the ingredients list.
The ingredients are: Aqua (Water, Eau), Rubber Latex, Cellulose Gum, Sodium Dodecylbenzenesulfonate, Ammonium Hydroxide, Parfum (Fragrance), Coumarin, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool, Formaldehyde. May Contain: CI 77499 (Iron Oxides).
I recently purchased Shu Umera eyelash glue as I have heard that it’s safer… however I’m not 100% sure that it is formaldehyde free. The ingredients are: Rubber latex, aqua/water, acrylates copolymer, butylene glycol, phenoxyethanol. Not sure if any of those could contain formaldehyde. Does anyone know? Some people are saying that it contains no formaldehyde, while some are saying it contains a small amount. They didn’t bother putting it on their ingredients list, so maybe they’re being dishonest. However people that are sensitive to formaldehyde seem to tolerate it better than brands such as Duo or Ardell.
I also have Ardell LashTite glue which is for individual lashes. It seems safer than their strip lash glue. The ingredients are: Methoxyisopropyl Acetate, Alcohol Denat., Nitrocellulose, Diethyl Phthalate, Green 6 (CI 61565), Violet 2 (CI 60725), Red 17 (CI 26100), Yellow 11 (CI 45430). It doesn’t seem to be that great for you, as DIETHYL PHTHALATE seems to be a toxic ingredient, according to Cosmetics Database.
An alternative is a new product from Ardell called Ardell Brush-On Lash Adhesive. The ingredients are: Water, Acrylates Copolymer, Alcohol Denat, Dextrin, Tocopherol (Vitamin E). This sounds like the safest option that I’ve found so far.
Finding cosmetics that are safe is truly a journey…
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Danielle,
Thanks so very much for catching my error which I corrected in the article! What is surprising to me is that I looked at Duo Surgical Adhesive at Nigel’s Beauty Supply yesterday and there was a different listing of ingredients on the package. The ingredients read: Water, Cellulose Gum, Sodium Dodecylbenzenesulfonate, Rubber Latex, Fragrance (Parfum), Formalin Solution, Ammonium Hydroxide.
So I looked up “formalin solution” and this is what I found out: Formalin is an aqueous solution of the chemical compound formaldehyde. It typically contains about 40% formaldehyde by volume, and a small amount of stabilizer, usually 10% to 12% methanol. I don’t know how I missed this!
Peace and Sunshine,
Dawn MIchelle
April says
I was having all sorts of adverse reaction to eyelash extensions. One stylist told me it was the gel pad, another other said someone most of got glue in my eyes, another one told me there was ‘special’ formula for sensitive eyes’, another one told me the glue was suppose to touch my skin…so on and so on. Sometimes I would have a reaction and sometimes none at all. But when I had a reaction it was typically pretty bad. My eyes became bloodshot (and when I talk about bloodshot I meant completely RED…everyone was concerned). My eyes would be VERY watery, I would sneeze constantly. I had trouble taking deep breath. This is all with my stylist using Exteme Lash Flex Fusions Ahesive (apparently the formaldehyde is undetectable by lab test, but not by my eyes). This went on for over a year and NO ONE told me about formalydehyde. I could go most without a reaciton, but looking back on the months I didn’t have reaction I did go throught I period where I thought I had bronchitis for over eight weeks….I couldn’t breath well, my nose was running all the time. I just did not associate it with the Extreme Eyelash adhesive. I am now worried I subjected myself to high cancer risk! Anyways, just wanted to share my story.
April says
Oops! Correction…the glues was NOT suppose to touch skin.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi April,
Thank you for sharing your story. I’m sorry that you went through such a horrible experience with lash extensions. We trust our professional stylists to do the best job possible. Many professional stylists are not always aware that certain ingredients in many beauty products are extremely toxic to the body. They are more interested in how the new cutting edge products work, and which give the best results for whatever look they are trying to achieve. The more we educate ourselves the better we can make conscious decisions on what we use for our beauty. Healthy beauty lasts so much longer than temporary effects.
Peace and Sunshine,
Dawn Michelle
eyelash technician says
Xtremelash is not formaldehyde free. No eyelash glue is. I am an eyelash technician and I now make sure all clients know the risks of formadehyde while I continue researching to decide if I want to be exposed to the chemical on a regular basis while applying extensions.
Formadehyde releases gases for years and my worry is these extensions are filled every few weeks, refreshing the chemical. I personally have chosen to no longer use the glue around my eyes and may decide to stop this service all together. The formadehyde in glue is what causes the glue to ‘quick dry’. Unless they are using kindergarten craft glue, the glue is quick drying.
Stating any level is a safe level of formadehyde is a responsibility I’m not willing to bare when involving the eyes.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi eyelash technician,
Thank you so much for this information! This has been a frustrating search to find something safe to use for eyelashes especially since they are part of the look expected when I am on set or performing on stage. If you have any more insight please feel free to share.
Thanks again,
Dawn Michelle
Kisha says
Great article. I wear individuals everyday but now hearing about this I am concerned about the formaldehyde. I use the ardell glue for individual lashes in dark and have to redo them maybe every 2-3 weeks. Now I need to look for an alternative glue. Have you found any since this article? Have you tried urban decays eyelash glue before?
Thanks!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Kisha,
I looked at the article and also read another article which says that acrylates copolymer is not considered a toxic substance yet it is plastic which isn’t necessarily so good. In terms of eyelash glue it looks like the best formulation yet. Only two ingredients: acrylates copolymer & water. Ya Urban Decay!!!
I appreciate you offering this info for those who love wearing lashes daily. This is the best solution so far. I used to love love love Urban Decay products when I worked in cosmetics, but now that I know more about ingredients I don’t have them on my list anymore. I haven’t tried the glue but will definitely keep it in mind. If you do try it please let us know what you think and I will do the same.
Best wishes Kisha!
Kisha says
I meant to add I use ardell lash tite adhesive eyelash glue. I need to check the ingredients.
Jeanie says
Hi there, briefly reading some of the responses tonight I would just like to add a few things to the topic!
I have been a falsie junkie for the past year and it was only until recently I became allergic to ‘normal’ type glue which are the cheaper ones made from China. I never really thought to look at the ingredients until I started getting adverse reactions and kept re-diagnosing myself as to what ingredient I could have reacted to!
At first I thought it was rubber latex, which is common in most types of eyelash glue so bought Ardell but I remember swelling up to the latex free one… And I’ve recently tried the Urban Decay glue you mentioned above which comes with a pair of lashes by the way.. And still I reacted to it. It wasn’t as bad as a normal glue but I still came back puffy at the end of the night, and I think I only wore it for four hours or so.
I seem to be able to wear false lashes for about four lashes before they begin to swell but I haven’t found anything as of yet that compliments my allergies. I’ve actually resorted to having eyelash extensions done and those don’t seem to bother me. So although at first I thought it was the latex, then formaldehyde, I’m not sure what it is now.
I am debating on trying Shu Umera because people said that it was lighter than the DUO one (which I had also tried) but it can be costly and timely to research into more eyelash glue brands when you’ve been around the market!
If anyone has any ideas what I’m allergic to, that would be brilliant but as for now, I am just going around the market trying to find something I can actually wear and not worry about!
I would suggest getting the Urban Decay glue because it only has two ingredients in it, which should categorise it as being the safest for the people who have no allergies 🙂
Thanks for reading girlies!
Jeanie x
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Jeanie,
I just experienced a major reaction to my natural makeup the other day which was really terrible. My face was itching so bad even after washing it for the entire day. I have definitely become more chemically sensitive over this year. I’m thinking it is titanium dioxide which is in most natural and chemical based makeup. I was extremely disappointed that titanium dioxide is in almost everything I owned except the makeup that I make myself, the eye kajal, and the cake mascara which I’ll probably be talking about more after all.
I’ve only worn falsies for stage shows or television/commercial work. It is true that lashes do make the eyes appear more alert and pretty, yet I’m beginning to believe that all lash adhesives are questionable for one reason or another. It is so frustrating to experience allergic reactions and breakouts to products so I’m sorry that you experienced that too. I still haven’t tried the Urban Decay Lash Adhesive yet so can’t give much feedback on that.
If you are interested in continuing to wear lashes definitely don’t give up on your research. It is my research that has pretty much fueled this entire blog. I was searching for something that wasn’t being expressed as I needed at the time. It is important to know what is in the products that we use and are putting on our bodies. These chemicals really do seep into our blood stream through our skin. The long term effects really aren’t worth it.
Best Wishes!
Abielle says
If anyone is interested I did do a review on the Revlon Eyelash glue. It is formaldehyde free!
Dawn Michelle says
Thanks Abielle for sharing!
Erin says
I am by no means an expert in this arena, but I can share my personal story about lash extension glue. I am not product sensitive, so an allergic reaction wasn’t even a concern when I decided to commit to the expense and maintenance of professional eyelash extensions. I did my research and talked to a lot of people and went with xtreme eyelash extensions. I wore them for 6 months (fills every two weeks) with absolutely NO problems. I loved the look, loved that I no longer had to wear makeup (that was the goal – I’m as blonde as they come so I was trying to avoid mascara). Four weeks ago my left eye was tingly after my fill and itchy the next day. I didn’t think much of it. Two weeks later I had my next fill and I woke up the following morning with a puffy left eye and slightly puffy right eye. The itching was the worst part, but all my symptoms were gone by the end of the day. I had another fill yesterday and my left eye had puffed up my the time I left the salon. At bedtime both eyes were puffy, and this morning they are worse. My stylist is calling Xtreme today to see what they say. I did a ton of research last night and apparently this the common presentation of an allergy to formaldehyde. It takes months to come on, but once you react you most likely always will. I’m so disappointed. I absolutely love my lashes, but no beauty regimen is worth this. Especially considering my reaction worsens with every exposure. Apparently Xtreme makes a formula for sensitive eyes, but I’m afraid to try it at this point. If my reaction gets any worse I think my eyes will be swollen shut. I have many friends who have been wearing Xtreme lashes for a couple of years with no reaction, unfortunately I’m not one of them. I would still recommend lashes to others, I would just caution them not to ignore any signs of a reaction.
Dawn Michelle says
Thank you Erin for sharing your story! There are so many beauty treatments that can cause adverse reactions, and those who are sensitive to the chemicals in the beauty treatments react differently. My concern is that even if you do not have a reaction, the body is working in overtime to filter out and/or store these chemicals in the body in “safe” ways which isn’t healthy at all. At some point the body can become overloaded with too many toxins and become ill. I’m so sorry that you had to experience this and I hope that your body will heal very quickly.
Erin says
As an update to my story, my lash stylist called Xtreme for advice. Xtreme said they have found that most allergic reactions are to the carbon in the black, quick drying glues. We are going to spot test with their glue for sensitive eyes. No carbon, zero fumes. Crossing my fingers.
Emily Lyons says
We’re so excited to have launched the first all natural lash glue, True Glue!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Emily Lyons,
Congratulations and best wishes! What are the ingredients?
Tavia says
I wear lashes almost every day and was taught by my grandmother (who was a model in Hollywood when she was younger) to put them on tightly underneath my natural lashes, which looks fantastic, but can make my eyes even more prone to adhesive irritation, so I have also been in search of a better eyelash adhesive. I found this one called Kiss Strip Lash Adhesive with Aloe. The ingredients may not be as natural as the $17.99 True Glue above, and I’m a little confused because some of the packaging says formaldehyde-free and some doesn’t, but it is much more soothing and doesn’t cause irritation like the Ardell, Salon Perfect, and Duo glues I’ve used, and it’s a much more frugal option. Maybe it would be nice to have the budget for a $17.99 lash adhesive like True Glue, but I simply do not.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Tavia,
I checked out the ingredients and it’s true they aren’t that great…
Rubber Latex , Acrylates , Ethylhexyl Acrylate Copolymer , WAter , Aloe Barbadensis Leaf extract , Hydroxypropylcellulose , MEthylparaben , 2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1, 3-Diol , methylchloroisothiazolinone , methylisothiazolinone , fragrance , Black Iron Oxide (CI 77499)
Regardless I do completely understand the magic of lashes. It really is all about finding what works best for you. Lash glue does last for awhile but $17 is a lot for a tube. I honestly haven’t been looking for more toxic-free options so that is definitely something for me to keep in mind. Have a great day!
eilidh says
Eldora have a lash glue made without formaldehyde etc
eldorashop.co.uk/glue
I haven’t used it before but want to try it.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Eilidh,
Thanks for sharing this! Be well.