Triclosan ? What Consumers Should ... - Beauty, Health and Fitness

Have you ever wondered what chemicals are used in your cosmetics? If you haven?t, then should start reading the ingredients that are used in some of your favourite cosmetics since some of them are toxic and dangerous to your health.

One of the most popular ingredients that is used in most cosmetic products and that one should be aware of is Triclosan. Simply put, Triclosan is an antibacterial and antifungal agent that is used for its antibacterial properties in products such as detergents, deodorants, lotions, anti-microbial creams and many other cosmetic products. That said; the safety of Triclosan has been in question especially when it comes to human and environmental health. Here?s why:

According to the experts, Triclosan is a chlorophenol ? a class of chemical compounds that are suspected of causing cancer in human beings. Here?s what is known about phenol compounds. For starters, when they are applied externally they can cause a variety of skin irritations that can at times deactivate sensory nerve endings temporarily with little or no pain to the host. When consumed, phenol compounds have been known to cause convulsions, cold sweats, coma and even death depending on the amount that was ingested. All these symptoms can be caused by Triclosan. There are also side effects that are associated with the long term exposure of phenol compounds. These include a suppressed immune system, hormonal imbalance and disruption, kidney failure, heart failure and even paralysis.

When it comes to cosmetic soaps that contain Triclosan, there is ongoing research that is investigating how this phenol compound impacts microbes biologically. The research was brought about by the emergence of resistant strains of bacteria. Scientists are arguing that Triclosan in cosmetic soaps is facilitating the survival and growth of new and more resistant strains of bacteria. In order to understand how this comes about we have to dig a little deeper into the biology of resistance.

When one uses a cosmetic soap that contains Triclosan, the phenol compound kills the majority of the microbes that are present and then leaves a few bacteria that have a special trait that can enable them to survive the destructive effects of Triclosan. What happens next is that the remaining microbes are now free to grow and pass on their special resistant trait to other microbes enabling them to survive. Once this happens, the microbes will eventually become robustly resistant to the chemical in question and can even spread their resistance to other micro-organisms via a genetic method known as transposon.

Please note that while the relationship between Triclosan and antibiotic resistance has been confirmed in the lab, inconclusive results have been recorded in the general population. It is believed that experiments with longer trial periods are required before bacterial resistance to Triclosan can be fully observed in humans.

It?s like I mentioned earlier on in the article- Triclosan has not been completely analyzed for all health risks. However, it definitely falls in the category of chemicals that have detrimental side effects. Question now remains, following all the information you have received, do you want it added to products that you use on an everyday basis?

Source: http://www.akcesoria-kosmetyczne.pl/beauty-news/triclosan-what-consumers-should-know/

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