Cosmetic Labels

Cosmetic Labels
We will now examine ingredients commonly found on labels of commercial and “natural” cosmetics, toiletries and perfumes (not ours). In so doing, we will examine two questions showing why label contents require diligent scrutiny even though they do not tell it all.
Question 1: How can you tell if an ingredient is from an animal source? The best answer to that is to look at some animal parts that are used for cosmetic purposes.
Ambergris is a waxy, sweet and earthy smelling substance expelled or removed from the stomach of sperm whales. It is a highly sought after and expensive ingredient in perfumery. One synthetic compound that mimics the fragrance of ambergris is ambrox, comprised in part of a fragrant component generally isolated from the clary sage plant, but there are other sources. At one time banned under mammal protection legislation in various countries, it is now permitted because whales expel it. We just hope nobody is forcing whales to expel it.
Carmine (also called cochineal, Natural Red 4, Crimson Lake, etc.) is an ingredient found in lipstick, rouge and other cosmetics where red or pink colour is desired. It is obtained by extracting carminic acid by boiling dried insects in water, then treating the acid with other substances to create a deep red colour. We bet you’re glad you’re reading this!
Castoreum is a substance arising out of the castor sacs (anal glands) of the mature male beaver, believed to be secreted when beavers marked their territories. It is used in some perfumes and has been reputed to have aphrodisiacal effects. At various times in history, castoreum was used to induce abortions and to treat epilepsy and other aliments.
Lanolin is glandular secretion from sheep, isolated from its wool. It takes the wool of one large sheep to isolate about a cup of lanolin. A scouring process is used to separate the wool from the lanolin, sweat salts and impurities. Since lanolin is wax-like and contains skin-soothing properties, it has found a home in cosmetic preparations. Many skin care and lip balm products contain lanolin, but many people are allergic to it and it can clog pores.
Musk is the substance obtained from the male musk deer gland located between its genitals and stomach. It has been an expensive and much sought-after ingredient in perfumery and has been touted as an aphrodisiac. The deer must be killed for the musk to be removed and many deer are required to produce a small quantity of musk. One category was created by reacting certain compounds with aluminum chloride, but these artificial musk compounds were found to be toxic and unstable. Others called polycyclic musks were used in laundry detergents until scientists discovered that they disrupted human cell metabolism and changed human cell structure. A further class was the macrocyclic musks, but those fell out of use because the scent was not detectable by about half the population. Most musk scent today is artificial and we’ll leave it at that.
Operculum is a powder made from snail shells and other mollusc species and is commonly used as a scent fixative to make incense. High quality, and expensive operculum has a fragrance reminiscent of musk, while inexpensive, low quality operculum smells like burnt hair.
Umbilical Extract is extracted from the mammalian umbilical cord and used in cosmetics for its skin conditioning properties. Other mammalian parts are udder extract, brain extract, collagen (not marine), extract, elastin, embryo extract, heart extract, liver extract, mammary (breast) extract, marrow extract, muscle extract, neural extract, placental enzymes and protein, spleen extract, stomach extract, and testicular extract.
Animals parts are used in skin care and other cosmetic preparations for their properties and inexpensive availability. Skin product manufacturers in Canada must list ingredients but many continue to use animal parts because people just don’t bother reading labels.
Perfumers are not legislated to list ingredients, only to label contents as “fragrance”. So you just never know what you’re going to get with that sweet, seductive aroma. Life is like a box of . . . never mind.