Children's Cosmetics in the Test: Health Risk in Colorful Disney Packaging

Cosmetics for children and teenagers are booming, driven not least by social media. The Chamber of Labor Upper Austria (AK OÖ), in cooperation with "Die Umweltberatung," analyzed 13 products: The sobering result: Nine are not recommended, four only conditionally. "The youth cosmetics trend is therefore not a harmless fun, but often a risk to health and the environment," said the AK OÖ in a release on Wednesday.

AK Test: Harmful Substances in Disney Packaging

Tested were cosmetic products that remain on the skin, such as lipsticks, nail polishes, hair chalks, perfumes, and hand creams. In line with the target group, many packages were tailored to children and teenagers with Disney characters, animals, or colorful designs.

The analysis of the contents revealed "a wide range of problematic substances," the consumer advocates listed: titanium dioxide, fragrances that can trigger allergies, hard-to-degrade silicones and paraffins, environmentally harmful microplastics and liquid plastics, PEG compounds that make the skin more permeable to pollutants, aluminum, the presumably hormonally active preservative propylparaben, formaldehyde releasers that can cause cancer and trigger allergies, as well as preservatives.

Recommendation: Prefer Natural Cosmetics

The Chamber of Labor therefore advises opting for certified natural and organic cosmetics, in which the addition of many risky substances is prohibited. "Check products with the free app 'ToxFox' by scanning the barcode for pollutants," is further recommended. Additionally, parents should talk with their children about the influence of advertising and social media on beauty ideals as well as the difference between filtered images and real bodies.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.