For a culture that often considers makeup a magic salve and the key to glittering beauty, it may seem odd to associate makeup with cancer. But run down the list of ingredients in your favorite lipstick or foundation, and you might just find a known carcinogen. No matter how far consumers may go to protect their health, for the cosmetics wearer it may not be far enough. Women—and men—may be surprised to discover that the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate cosmetics for safety of their ingredients. Because makeup is not considered a food or drug, manufacturers have free rein and consumers have little protection.Writers like Joel Bleifuss wonder whether the "FDA is more concerned with protecting health or with the botton line of the 'personal care' industry." John Bailey, director of the FDA's division of colors and cosmetics, sees another reason for the lack of regulation. "The cosmetics industry is sensitive to the image of an uncontrolled market where anything goes," he says. "They counter this image with well established self-regulation programs." Nevertheless, with few exceptions, cosmetics companies can bottle anything and sell it.Screening the cosmetics you buy for harmful chemicals can be a trying ordeal. Unless you have a degree in chemistry, the ingredients lists can read like a foreign language—and the lists rarely include the amount of each ingredient present. This elusive information is important because some makeup ingredients could cause more harm than just skin irritations or allergic reactions. The following cosmetics ingredients are known carcinogens:

• Formaldehyde: used as a preservative and disinfectant, mostly in shampoos.
• Coal Tar (sometimes called FD&C or D&C colors; e.g. FDC&C Blue #5): used in hair dyes, cosmetics, and dandruff shampoos.
• Benzene: found in nail polish and nail polish removers.
• Nitrosamines: difficult to find on ingredients labels because they are a class of chemicals. These carcinogenic agents can be found in ingredients lists with TEA or DEA in the name.
• Talc: an asbestos-like material that is a common ingredient in powders and other makeup.

Remember, deeply penetrating vitamins and other “helpful” ingredients listed on labels often entice consumers to buy some beauty products in the first place. Some scientists believe that many of these chemicals can be harmful if they’re absorbed by the skin in high quantities.

But before you toss out your favorite foundation, remember that cancer-causing agents that may be harmful in high doses (such as in foods) may not be harmful in low doses in skin products. “The doses are unrealistic,” says University of Oregon chemistry professor John Keana. Keana warns that critics of cosmetics ingredients may just be trying to scare people, and he’s skeptical of claims that cosmetics could be harmful even in small doses. He offers this analogy: If a 22-pound baby ate a half pound of candy, that would be enough common table sugar (sucrose) to be lethal. Any chemical can be harmful under extreme circumstances, Keana explains. “You might as well worry about the sky falling in,” he says.

If you’re worried about harmful ingredients in your makeup, however, there are ways to protect yourself. Because cosmetics ingredients can be listed by chemical name or trade name, chances are you’ll need a little help deciphering the labels. Several books offer guidance on ingredients and their related dangers, including A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients by Ruth Winter and What’s In Your Cosmetics: A Complete Consumer’s Guide to Natural and Synthetic Ingredients by Dr. Aubrey Hampton.