You watch what you eat very carefully, but how carefully do you watch what you put on your face? There are plenty of bad ingredients hiding in your favorite cosmetics that you may not be aware of, or  of what they can do to you. Here are some of the common ingredients found in everyday cosmetics that are really not nice at all:

Coal Tar – Coal tar is often used in preparations designed to treat eczema or itching, as well as in some soaps. The only problem is that it is also a known carcinogen.

Diethanolamine (DHA) – DHA is the substance that creates that lovely lather when you use your favorite shampoo or body wash. On its own DHA is not a carcinogen but when it combines with other chemicals and perfumes it becomes a dangerous compound that can easily penetrate the skin.

Formaldehyde – When you think of formaldehyde you probably think of embalming. But it is also a common ingredient found in all manner of beauty products. It can irritate your eyes, your nose, your throat, and your skin; and if used repeatedly and regularly can cause asthma and cancer.

Parabens – You may have seen a lot of products on the shelves recently touting that they are “paraben free”. That is because the many forms of paraben (methylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben, or butylparaben) have all been linked to an increased risk for breast cancer. According to the FDA limited exposure is not harmful, but since they exist in so many products (more than 25,000 cosmetic products on the market today), exposure is pretty easy to build up.

Toulene – Commonly found in hair dyes and nail polishes, this one is a real baddie. It is toxic to the entire nervous system and can cause headaches, dizziness and more. High levels of exposure have been linked to birth defects and miscarriage, so if you work in a salon take extra care.

Fragrance – There it is, the word fragrance high on the ingredient list of your favorite beauty products. Thanks to a loophole in FDA regulations manufacturers can hide all manner of chemical nasties in this label.

No one is saying that you have to give up on your morning make-up ritual and face the world au natural (although do you really need all that gunk?), but choose your cosmetics carefully and read the ingredients labels as closely as you do those on the food you eat.