Why can companies use ingredients that cause reactions?
Cosmetics are made up of some 10,000 different ingredients (excluding flavours and fragrances). It has been estimated that North American adults use, on average, seven different cosmetic products every day. Given the composition and use of most cosmetics, the potential health hazard is very low, and most people who use them will experience no ill effects. To ensure the safety of cosmetics in Canada, Health Canada maintains a list of ingredients that are either prohibited or restricted in cosmetic products. This can be found on Health Canada’s website at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/person/cosmet/info-ind-prof/hot-list-critique/hotlist-liste-eng.php. Only ingredients that do not pose an unreasonable health and safety risk to the general population, when used according to directions, are allowed in cosmetic products. While the vast majority of cosmetic ingredients are considered to be harmless, some of these ingredients do have the potential to cause adverse reactions in a small percen
