Valeria M.

WISRD Member

8.21.24

I began researching for chemicals that possibly can harm the skin or the human in general. Ive learned about parabens, PFAs and more.

August 23- September 3

I have researched about the following:

Parabens are a group of chemicals frequently used as preservatives in cosmetics to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and mold, ensuring the safety of both the products and consumers.The most commonly used parabens in cosmetics include methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, and ethylparaben. Ingredient labels often list multiple parabens in a product, and they are typically combined with other preservatives to provide broader protection against various microorganisms. Parabens are a group of synthetic chemicals that have been used as preservatives in cosmetics and personal care products since the 1920s. They're added to prevent harmful bacteria and mold from growing, which helps extend the shelf life of products. However, there's growing concern about their potential risks. Research suggests that parabens can disrupt hormones, negatively impact fertility and reproductive health, affect birth outcomes, and even increase cancer risk. They may also cause skin irritation. In fact, a study from 2006 found that parabens were present in almost all urine samples from adults in the U.S., regardless of background. You’ll find parabens in moisturizers, face cleansers, sunscreens, deodorants, shaving gels, toothpastes, makeup, and many other products. When you use these products, parabens get absorbed through your skin, then they’re processed and removed from your body through urine and bile (Soni 2005). Because many people use multiple products with parabens daily, these chemicals are often detected in biomonitoring surveys. Personal care products are the biggest source of paraben exposure, as shown in studies comparing paraben levels in women, men, adolescents, and children who regularly use cosmetics with those who don’t. Adolescent girls who wear makeup daily had 20 times more propylparaben in their urine than those who rarely or never wear makeup (Berger 2018). The use of lotions, hair products, sunscreen, and makeup has been strongly linked to significantly higher levels of parabens in urine (Sahki 2018, Nassan 2017, Braun 2014, and Fisher 2017). There's concern about how environmental estrogens, like parabens, might increase cancer risk, especially breast cancer. Propylparaben has been found to affect gene expression in breast cancer cells and can speed up their growth (Wróbel 2014, Okubo 2001). A recent study from the University of California-Berkeley found that low doses of butylparaben, previously thought to be harmless, can work with other cell receptors to activate cancer genes and increase breast cancer cell growth (Pan 2016). The biggest worry is breathing in formaldehyde fumes. Fortunately, because of how it's used in beauty products, this risk is usually pretty low—except in one major case. "The highest risk comes from formaldehyde-containing hair straightening treatments like some Brazilian blowouts or keratin treatments," says Gmyrek. "When these treatments are heated, formaldehyde is released into the air as a gas. If the salon doesn’t have good ventilation, both the stylists and their clients might end up inhaling this formaldehyde," she explains. While formaldehyde is a really effective preservative, it’s definitely not the only option. There are plenty of other safe preservatives out there, so you don’t have to use beauty products with formaldehyde. Here are some alternatives you might find in beauty products:

  • Phenoxyethanol

  • Benzyl Alcohol

  • Sodium Benzoate

  • Potassium Sorbate

  • Ethylhexylglycerin

Seprember 4- october 4: during September we have beeb focusng on takin skin samples from all races. It is worth noting that we put gingers in a differenr category because they have different skin types. I worked with Ashley, Brianna, and Justice. We all collaborated because we thought it was good with our research. It is worth noting that we have seen patterns. ALl the poctures are provided in the google drive. We have tried to get samples from all people. All kind of races. Some observation is that white people tend to have better skin, the gingers also do have better skin. Hispanic people tend to have skin with more bacteria, which could affect how chemicals work. In America we often focus of white people. African Americans have a mized, there is some people who have better skin than others. Also it is worth mentioning some have super clean skin. Also Asian people have the same case as African Americans. While others people who are no hispanic/ african american/ white. Here are the links. One month of research, one month of testing. The rest of october will be used to create an experiment with the bacteria. My plan is to ask christine the bio tecaher to see what we could do with it. Test it on different chemicals.

Statement of interest, Spring 2024: (from institute application): I am very interested in dermatology. I want to make a research project involving skin and maybe some other things such as plants. I recently been taking pictures of plants with a camera, I want to do some research with these plants. I also want to collect data about the skin. An example is that I want to see how much does diet affects the skin. I also want to do a passion project involving this too.

October 4-November 4

Week 1: filling out the data, writing a lab or possible lab. More research, I learned the layers to the skin:

Week 2: Worked on my inquire, I have gathered many more sources. Im creating a lab, I used the help from google I need to expose the reality of makeup/skin care. Many people use these items to make themselves feel better. However as I explained before there is a lot dangers to it. I want scientist ti push themselves to create safer and create new ways they can perserve these items. The perservance are the things that nned most work on.

Week 3: I am working on my inquire, there was a bit of a set back becayse I used a source that wasnt reliable. in addition I plan to talk with some science teacher so they can help me.

week 4: working on inquire. Finding more sources. Practicing with the ballons for dark matter day. Here are some pictures. I also have been looking at miltiople ways. I have been orgonozing the sheets for the data gathered. In addition there was

November 4- December 4: Been working on a lab for formhylyde which was impossible. Very expensive, wasted like two weeks of it. I plan to work with Brian for his plants. Been helping Skylar with her terrerium. In addition I have been working on

December 4- December 20:

After checking all my data, I forgot to mention about how some chemicals are banned in the united states. These chemicals have been linked. The rise of personal skincare and beauty products has led to widespread use, and with the influence of social media, many products are introduced that have not gone through rigorous quality testing, becoming popular without enough consideration of the harmful chemicals they may contain. Ingredients like parabens, formaldehyde-releasing agents, PFAS, and artificial fragrances, commonly found in these products, are linked to serious health issues such as hormone disruption, cancer, respiratory problems, and skin irritation. Parabens mimic estrogen and may lead to fertility and reproductive issues, while PFAS, known as "forever chemicals," continue in the environment and create risks like immune system damage. Formaldehyde exposure, particularly through heated treatments, can lead to severe respiratory and allergic reactions. Fragrances, often vaguely labeled, are a hidden trigger for allergies and sensitivities. Despite these risks, lax regulations allow many harmful substances to remain in products.Nitrosamines are  in cosmetics and personal care products when certain ingredients mix under specific conditions, like heat or acidity. In the European Union, nitrosamines, including NDELA (a toxic type), are limited to no more than 50 µg/kg in products and are banned in many cases. However, in the U.S., regulations are less strict, allowing higher levels in some products. These chemicals can absorb through the skin and have been linked to cancers of the liver, stomach, and esophagus. To stay safer, look for products without ingredients like DEA or TEA, which can create nitrosamines. Nitrosamines will be the focus of future studies, specifically if they can be found in common skin products. To do this, we plan to use the Ames test, a test in which chemicals are introduced to bacteria, usually a strain of Salmonella can damage DNA. The test works by using bacteria,, to see if the chemical causes mutations. If it does, it means the chemical could be harmful, like nitrosamines, which are linked to cancer. Sometimes, product labels aren’t completely true, and harmful chemicals might not even be listed. By doing this test, we hope to discover if nitrosamines are present in these products,  and spread awareness about how dangerous they can be.