The use of beauty products and decorative cosmetics by teenage girls is currently increasing. When buying any care product, teenagers almost never pay attention to the components contained in the product, do not think about how safe beauty and perfumery products are and what their effect on the growing body is. Many of the substances that make up these products are toxic to the body of a young person and pose a health hazard. With the frequent use of cosmetics, the entry of various chemicals, including surface-active substances, increases resulting in a risk of allergic reactions, contact dermatitis and intoxication. For a long time, the main anionic surfactant was aggressive sodium laurylsulfate (sodium laurylsulfate), which was later changed to sodium laurethsulfate, which, according to the manufacturers, has a softer effect. According to the opinion of foreign experts included in Cosmetic Ingredients Review – an organization that performs safety testing of cosmetic ingredients, sodium lauryl sulfate and related ammonium lauryl sulfate at a concentration of 2% cause skin irritation in experimental animals. The irritant effect of these ingredients increases with their concentration and time of skin contact. With prolonged use of agents containing these substances, they accumulate in the skin cells, disrupting the formation of the protective barrier of the epidermis. The purpose of the study was to monitor independently the particular use of cosmetics containing surface-active substances by teenage girls. Material and methods. Based on specially developed questionnaires, a survey of 247 teenage girls aged 11 to 17 years was conducted regarding features of using cosmetics. Results and discussion. The obtained results showed that teenage girls began to use cosmetics quite early, and the average duration of their use was from 1 to 5 years. Most girls (75.6%) used synthetic cosmetics. Almost all interviewed girls used hair care and hygiene products daily; most of the girls used makeup products, that is, there is a regular effect of active chemicals, including surface-active substances. When choosing a cosmetic product, most girls focused on the manufacturer (73.1%) as well as on the aroma. According to the questionnaire, 22.6% of girls had to buy low-quality cosmetics. When assessing the girls’ health status, the largest number of complaints related to the skin in the form of drying out, itching and redness. A third of the respondents noted complaints of fatigue and general weakness, but the direct relationship of general complaints with the effect of surface-active substanceshas were not established. Conclusion. Almost all products for daily care and makeup contain surface-active substances, the effects of which on the teenager’s body are difficult or impossible to predict. The vast majority of girls rated their health status satisfactorily, which can be explained by the high metabolic rate and significant regenerative ability of the teenage body.
Keywords: teenage girls, health status, household chemicals, surface-active substances
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