Scientific Journal Convicted Organic Cosmetics Manufacturers of Adding Banned Hormone

A new publication in the authoritative journal JAMA brought to light the manufacturers of allegedly natural cosmetics: synthetic steroids were found in it, and in significantly higher concentrations.

The calculation of manufacturers of “natural remedies” is simple: as the famous scientist-geneticist Dmitry Pruss tells, it is better to buy those pills and capsules that give some effect, and the effect is easiest to achieve by secretly mixing real chemistry: “Only manufacturers of such pseudo-BADs do it without proper control over production, with dirty chemicals in jumping concentrations.”.

Until now, all these observations concerned dietary supplements for internal administration, and now an article on “natural” skin creams has been published. Strong synthetic drugs, not declared on labels, found in popular products in uncontrollably jumping concentrations, up to ten times the permissible in prescription drugs.

The authors tested the most popular online marketplaces "natural" OTC ointments for skin lightening, against irritation and eczema, as well as claims of effectiveness for psoriasis, dermatitis or hyperpigmentation with 1000+ customer reviews. The composition included active vitamin C, arbutin, traditional Chinese medicine and so on. Basically, they were claimed extract of toloberry (arbutin), really able to reduce the synthesis of skin pigments, and occasionally zinc pyrithione - banned in the European Union, but legal in the United States disinfectant.

And in reality? It turned out that in 5 of the 18 samples contained not very traditional, but very effective steroid hormones, about which the label, of course, was silent. In every third cream were undeclared synthetic drugs - steroids and antifungal drugs. Yes, not just steroids, but a strictly controlled steroid of the strongest action - clobetazole. And in amounts that jumped 5-10 times between samples, and in the worst case, 9 times the prescription dose.

Just in case: clobetazole is not just so tightly controlled, but because of the severe side effects, and not only on the skin, but also on the eyes (and after all, "white creams" are so often used on the face, around the eyes). The gallery of skin consequences is impressive: there is atrophy of the skin with secondary infections, and a steroid rash, and granuloma, and manifested scars in areas of skin stretching, the expert says.

By the way, he recalls that this year’s study of dietary supplements revealed a “natural” weight loss drug that contained not only undeclared and prohibited for use sibutramine, but also Viagra.

In Russia, plant and natural remedies are trusted especially: many believe in their healing effect and the absence of side effects, unlike any "chemistry". At the same time, checks were regularly detected in us in dietary supplements to increase potency, the prescription drug sildenafil, and in weight loss products - carrying serious side effects, prescription and very cardiotoxic, banned in a number of countries of the world sibutramine. Well, in the "natural remedies" for muscle growth, anabolic steroids are regularly found. A few years ago, we introduced mandatory labeling of dietary supplements, the problem has become a little less urgent, but not gone.

Checks of a huge number of creams from all diseases that are sold on marketplaces are rarely carried out here. Observer "MK" on the request "cream for psoriasis, natural" received on one of the popular marketplaces several dozen proposals, mainly Chinese products. In addition to psoriasis, "miracle creams" and "miracle ointment" promised to cure herpes, eczema, itching and dermatitis.

“I can traditionally advise patients with serious diagnoses such as psoriasis or eczema not to trust products from the marketplace and not to self-medicate. In addition to the fact that the means of the so-called traditional medicine are rarely effective, they can bring serious side effects, at least severe skin atrophy, dermatologist Elena Kopeykina told MK.