Previous page: Toxins in your home

Toxins on your skin:

Sodium laurel sulfate (SLS)

Reactions — redness, swelling, and burning sensations — look the same whether caused by chemical irritants or allergy. Irritants, however, provoke an immediate reaction, while allergies can require weeks of constant exposure to develop. This foaming and cleansing detergent found in shampoo, body wash, and toothpaste may cause instant irritation to the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes and can eventually become an allergen. And because your skin and your airways aren't entirely separate, SLS may trigger respiratory symptoms as well. Similar chemicals found in foaming bath products include diethanolamine, monoethanolamine, and triethanolamine.

How to avoid it: “If it bothers you, reduce your exposure,” says Richard Honsinger, MD, an allergy specialist in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Choose products that contain natural foaming agents, such as coconut-derived lauric acid.

Formaldehyde

The same toxic preservative used in embalming is added to most nail polishes and mascaras to inhibit bacteria growth. Whether it's applied to wounded or broken skin (think cracked cuticles) or inhaled as a gas (wet nail polish), formaldehyde is responsible for the largest proportion — more than 25 percent — of cosmetic-instigated contact dermatitis and allergic reactions, according to a recently published study. Skin reactions can occur on eyelids, neck, and face, while fumes irritate eyes, nose, and throat.

How to avoid it: Choose nail polishes and removers that use gentler polyester resins instead of formaldehyde-releasing preservatives such as tosylamide formaldehyde, quaternium-15, diazolidinyl urea, and DMDM hydantoin.